The research reported in this thesis examines issues of word recognition in human speech perception. The main aim of the research is to assess the effect of regular variation in speech on lexical access. In particular, the effect of a type of neutralising phonological variation, assimilation of place of articulation, is examined. This variation occurs regressively across word boundaries in connected speech, altering the sUlface phonetic form of the underlying words. Two methods of investigation are used to explore this issue. Firstly, experiments using cross-modal priming and phoneme monitOling techniques are used to examine the effect of variation on the matching process between speech input and lexical form. Secondly, simulated experiments are performed using two computational models of speech recognition: TRACE (McClelland & Elman, 1986) and a simple recun-ent network. The priming experiments show that the mismatching effects of a phonological change on the word-recognition process depend on their viability, as defmed by phonological constraints. This implies that speech perception involves a process of contextdependent inference, that recovers the abstract underlying representation of speech. Simulations of these and other experiments are then reported using a simple recurrent network model of speech perception. The model accommodates the results of the priming studies and predicts that similar phonological context effects will occur in nonwords. Two phoneme monitOling studies support this prediction, but also show interaction between lexical status and viability, implying that phonological inference relies on both lexical and phonological constraints. A revision of the network model is proposed which leams the mapping from the surface form of speech to semantic and phonological representations.

No description available.

The subject of this thesis is the French language in the Franco-Belgian borderland. More specifically, it investigates language, linguistic perceptions and language attitudes in the French-speaking part of Belgium which borders France. The study takes a variationist approach and is grounded in sociolinguistic theory, but it also draws on theories and methodologies from elsewhere in the social sciences. Two questions are at the heart of this study: how do people speak French in the Belgian borderland and why do they speak that way? To answer the research questions, speech and questionnaire data were gathered from 39 informants living in the borderland city of Tournai and its surrounding area. With this data, a variety of analyses were performed. Sociophonetic investigations were carried out on two phonological variables, namely the vocalic oppositions /e/-/ɛ/ and /o/-/ɔ/, draw-a-map task perceptual data were analysed through a ‘visual methods’ lens, and attitudinal data were also examined. Social variation in linguistic behaviour, perceptions and language attitudes was also analysed. The notions of ‘space’, ‘place’ and ‘spatiality’ were accorded considerable importance: the interactions between language and ‘space’ as the factors of ‘mobility’, ‘media consumption’, ‘sense of place’ and ‘regional belonging’ were also examined. The findings include that French in the Belgian borderland is more similar to that in France than to elsewhere in Francophone Belgium and that this is due to a number of factors. Moreover, the French in the borderland appears to be converging on that in France, although some differences persist. It was also found that spatial factors interact with both linguistic and social ones. Finally, it was concluded that whilst there is no longer a physical barrier at the national border, it persists to an extent as a psychological one, and this has ramifications for borderlanders’ behaviour: be it linguistic or otherwise.

Esta tese objetiva analisar o desvozeamento variável das plosivas bilabial, alveolar e velar (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) do português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch, língua de imigração alemã. A variedade de português investigada é a falada em Glória, comunidade da zona rural do município de Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O status social da variável em estudo é estereotipado e as atitudes linguísticas são analisadas em relação ao desvozeamento das plosivas. Investiga-se, portanto, a relação entre o processo variável e as atitudes linguísticas dos falantes para com o português brasileiro local e com a língua de imigração. O estudo orienta-se pela Sociolinguística Variacionista (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) e pelo estudo de atitudes linguísticas (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). Para a análise de regra variável, foram levantados contextos de desvozeamento de vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas de informantes de Glória. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística pelo pacote computacional VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, para verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam o desvozeamento variável das plosivas. Constatou-se que a proporção de desvozeamento é baixa, 2,6%. Os informantes do gênero feminino, com menor grau de escolarização, ensino fundamental, e com mais de 47 anos condicionam o processo. As palavras com maior número de sílabas, contexto precedente vazio e o contexto seguinte alveolar, sílabas pretônica e tônica favorecem o desvozeamento das plosivas. Para o estudo de atitudes linguísticas, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa mediante a aplicação do questionário “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adaptado de Kaufmann (1997; 2011). Posteriormente, os dados levantados com o questionário foram submetidos a tratamento estatístico pelo software IBM SPSS, versão 22.0. Verificou-se que os núcleos familiares, compostos por avós, pais, irmãos, tios e tias, influenciam as práticas sociais, linguísticas e culturais na comunidade de Glória, principalmente a figura feminina, a mãe, (geração mais velha) que tem responsabilidade na formação e preservação cultural nas antigas áreas de imigração europeia no sul do Brasil e também pela função social que exerce em casa, na educação inicial dos filhos. Os informantes mais jovens realizam mais atividades de trabalho, diversão e lazer do que seus pais, usando o português como língua de interação. Tais atividades influenciam as atitudes dos falantes em relação à preferência a usar português em lugar do hunsrückisch. Os resultados evidenciam que a escolaridade também contribui para as atitudes, com práticas linguísticas em português brasileiro local no ambiente escolar: os falantes orientam-se à cultura brasileira e à fala em português brasileiro local e buscam fugir ao estereótipo do desvozeamento das plosivas. / This thesis aims at analyzing the variable devoicing of bilabial, alveolar and velar plosives (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) in Brazilian Portuguese in contact with hunsrückisch, German immigration language. The Portuguese variety under investigation is the one spoken in Glória, a rural area community in the town of Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The social status of the variable in study is stereotyped and the linguistic attitudes are analyzed in relation to the devoicing of the plosives. It investigated, therefore, the relation between the variable process and the speakers’ linguistic attitudes towards local Brazilian Portuguese and the immigration language. The study is oriented by Variationist Sociolinguistics (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) and by linguistic attitude studies (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). For analyzing the variable rule, devoicing contexts, present in twenty-four sociolinguistic interviews with informants from Glória, were gathered. The data were submitted to statistical analysis by the computational package VARBRUL, version GoldVarb X, in order to verify the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that condition the variable devoicing of plosives. It was determined that the devoicing proportion is low, 2.6%. The female gender informants, with the lowest scholarization degree, middle school, and older than 47 years old condition the process. The words with a bigger number of syllables, empty precedent context and alveolar posterior context, pre-tonic and tonic syllables favor the plosives devoicing. For the study of linguistic attitudes, a qualitative research was carried out, through the application of the questionnaire “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adapted from Kaufmann (1997; 2011). After that, the data collected through the questionnaire were submitted to statistical treatment by the software IBM SPSS, version 22.0. It was possible to verify that family cores, composed by grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, influence the social, linguistic and cultural practices in the community of Glória, specially the female figure, the mother, (older generation) which holds responsibility in cultural formation and maintenance in old European immigration areas in the south of Brazil and also in the social function exerted at home, in the initial education of the children. The younger informants perform more activities related to work, entertainment and leisure than their parents, using the Portuguese as interaction language. Such activities influence the speakers’ attitudes towards the preference for using Portuguese over hunsrückisch. The results show that scholarization also contributes for the attitudes, with linguistic practices in local Brazilian Portuguese in the school environment: the speakers orient themselves towards the Brazilian culture and the speech in local Brazilian Portuguese, and seek to scape from the stereotype of plosives devoicing.

Esta tese objetiva analisar o desvozeamento variável das plosivas bilabial, alveolar e velar (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) do português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch, língua de imigração alemã. A variedade de português investigada é a falada em Glória, comunidade da zona rural do município de Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O status social da variável em estudo é estereotipado e as atitudes linguísticas são analisadas em relação ao desvozeamento das plosivas. Investiga-se, portanto, a relação entre o processo variável e as atitudes linguísticas dos falantes para com o português brasileiro local e com a língua de imigração. O estudo orienta-se pela Sociolinguística Variacionista (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) e pelo estudo de atitudes linguísticas (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). Para a análise de regra variável, foram levantados contextos de desvozeamento de vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas de informantes de Glória. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística pelo pacote computacional VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, para verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam o desvozeamento variável das plosivas. Constatou-se que a proporção de desvozeamento é baixa, 2,6%. Os informantes do gênero feminino, com menor grau de escolarização, ensino fundamental, e com mais de 47 anos condicionam o processo. As palavras com maior número de sílabas, contexto precedente vazio e o contexto seguinte alveolar, sílabas pretônica e tônica favorecem o desvozeamento das plosivas. Para o estudo de atitudes linguísticas, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa mediante a aplicação do questionário “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adaptado de Kaufmann (1997; 2011). Posteriormente, os dados levantados com o questionário foram submetidos a tratamento estatístico pelo software IBM SPSS, versão 22.0. Verificou-se que os núcleos familiares, compostos por avós, pais, irmãos, tios e tias, influenciam as práticas sociais, linguísticas e culturais na comunidade de Glória, principalmente a figura feminina, a mãe, (geração mais velha) que tem responsabilidade na formação e preservação cultural nas antigas áreas de imigração europeia no sul do Brasil e também pela função social que exerce em casa, na educação inicial dos filhos. Os informantes mais jovens realizam mais atividades de trabalho, diversão e lazer do que seus pais, usando o português como língua de interação. Tais atividades influenciam as atitudes dos falantes em relação à preferência a usar português em lugar do hunsrückisch. Os resultados evidenciam que a escolaridade também contribui para as atitudes, com práticas linguísticas em português brasileiro local no ambiente escolar: os falantes orientam-se à cultura brasileira e à fala em português brasileiro local e buscam fugir ao estereótipo do desvozeamento das plosivas. / This thesis aims at analyzing the variable devoicing of bilabial, alveolar and velar plosives (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) in Brazilian Portuguese in contact with hunsrückisch, German immigration language. The Portuguese variety under investigation is the one spoken in Glória, a rural area community in the town of Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The social status of the variable in study is stereotyped and the linguistic attitudes are analyzed in relation to the devoicing of the plosives. It investigated, therefore, the relation between the variable process and the speakers’ linguistic attitudes towards local Brazilian Portuguese and the immigration language. The study is oriented by Variationist Sociolinguistics (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) and by linguistic attitude studies (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). For analyzing the variable rule, devoicing contexts, present in twenty-four sociolinguistic interviews with informants from Glória, were gathered. The data were submitted to statistical analysis by the computational package VARBRUL, version GoldVarb X, in order to verify the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that condition the variable devoicing of plosives. It was determined that the devoicing proportion is low, 2.6%. The female gender informants, with the lowest scholarization degree, middle school, and older than 47 years old condition the process. The words with a bigger number of syllables, empty precedent context and alveolar posterior context, pre-tonic and tonic syllables favor the plosives devoicing. For the study of linguistic attitudes, a qualitative research was carried out, through the application of the questionnaire “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adapted from Kaufmann (1997; 2011). After that, the data collected through the questionnaire were submitted to statistical treatment by the software IBM SPSS, version 22.0. It was possible to verify that family cores, composed by grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, influence the social, linguistic and cultural practices in the community of Glória, specially the female figure, the mother, (older generation) which holds responsibility in cultural formation and maintenance in old European immigration areas in the south of Brazil and also in the social function exerted at home, in the initial education of the children. The younger informants perform more activities related to work, entertainment and leisure than their parents, using the Portuguese as interaction language. Such activities influence the speakers’ attitudes towards the preference for using Portuguese over hunsrückisch. The results show that scholarization also contributes for the attitudes, with linguistic practices in local Brazilian Portuguese in the school environment: the speakers orient themselves towards the Brazilian culture and the speech in local Brazilian Portuguese, and seek to scape from the stereotype of plosives devoicing.

Esta tese objetiva analisar o desvozeamento variável das plosivas bilabial, alveolar e velar (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) do português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch, língua de imigração alemã. A variedade de português investigada é a falada em Glória, comunidade da zona rural do município de Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O status social da variável em estudo é estereotipado e as atitudes linguísticas são analisadas em relação ao desvozeamento das plosivas. Investiga-se, portanto, a relação entre o processo variável e as atitudes linguísticas dos falantes para com o português brasileiro local e com a língua de imigração. O estudo orienta-se pela Sociolinguística Variacionista (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) e pelo estudo de atitudes linguísticas (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). Para a análise de regra variável, foram levantados contextos de desvozeamento de vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas de informantes de Glória. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística pelo pacote computacional VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, para verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam o desvozeamento variável das plosivas. Constatou-se que a proporção de desvozeamento é baixa, 2,6%. Os informantes do gênero feminino, com menor grau de escolarização, ensino fundamental, e com mais de 47 anos condicionam o processo. As palavras com maior número de sílabas, contexto precedente vazio e o contexto seguinte alveolar, sílabas pretônica e tônica favorecem o desvozeamento das plosivas. Para o estudo de atitudes linguísticas, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa mediante a aplicação do questionário “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adaptado de Kaufmann (1997; 2011). Posteriormente, os dados levantados com o questionário foram submetidos a tratamento estatístico pelo software IBM SPSS, versão 22.0. Verificou-se que os núcleos familiares, compostos por avós, pais, irmãos, tios e tias, influenciam as práticas sociais, linguísticas e culturais na comunidade de Glória, principalmente a figura feminina, a mãe, (geração mais velha) que tem responsabilidade na formação e preservação cultural nas antigas áreas de imigração europeia no sul do Brasil e também pela função social que exerce em casa, na educação inicial dos filhos. Os informantes mais jovens realizam mais atividades de trabalho, diversão e lazer do que seus pais, usando o português como língua de interação. Tais atividades influenciam as atitudes dos falantes em relação à preferência a usar português em lugar do hunsrückisch. Os resultados evidenciam que a escolaridade também contribui para as atitudes, com práticas linguísticas em português brasileiro local no ambiente escolar: os falantes orientam-se à cultura brasileira e à fala em português brasileiro local e buscam fugir ao estereótipo do desvozeamento das plosivas. / This thesis aims at analyzing the variable devoicing of bilabial, alveolar and velar plosives (abacaxi~apacaxi, dela~tela e Glória~Clória) in Brazilian Portuguese in contact with hunsrückisch, German immigration language. The Portuguese variety under investigation is the one spoken in Glória, a rural area community in the town of Estrela, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The social status of the variable in study is stereotyped and the linguistic attitudes are analyzed in relation to the devoicing of the plosives. It investigated, therefore, the relation between the variable process and the speakers’ linguistic attitudes towards local Brazilian Portuguese and the immigration language. The study is oriented by Variationist Sociolinguistics (LABOV, 2008 [1972]) and by linguistic attitude studies (TRIANDIS, 1974; FASOLD, 1996; KAUFMANN, 1997; 2011; GILES e BILLINGS, 2004; GARRET, 2005; VANDERMEEREN, 2005; LABOV, 2010). For analyzing the variable rule, devoicing contexts, present in twenty-four sociolinguistic interviews with informants from Glória, were gathered. The data were submitted to statistical analysis by the computational package VARBRUL, version GoldVarb X, in order to verify the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors that condition the variable devoicing of plosives. It was determined that the devoicing proportion is low, 2.6%. The female gender informants, with the lowest scholarization degree, middle school, and older than 47 years old condition the process. The words with a bigger number of syllables, empty precedent context and alveolar posterior context, pre-tonic and tonic syllables favor the plosives devoicing. For the study of linguistic attitudes, a qualitative research was carried out, through the application of the questionnaire “As atitudes linguísticas no português brasileiro em contato com o hunsrückisch”, adapted from Kaufmann (1997; 2011). After that, the data collected through the questionnaire were submitted to statistical treatment by the software IBM SPSS, version 22.0. It was possible to verify that family cores, composed by grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, influence the social, linguistic and cultural practices in the community of Glória, specially the female figure, the mother, (older generation) which holds responsibility in cultural formation and maintenance in old European immigration areas in the south of Brazil and also in the social function exerted at home, in the initial education of the children. The younger informants perform more activities related to work, entertainment and leisure than their parents, using the Portuguese as interaction language. Such activities influence the speakers’ attitudes towards the preference for using Portuguese over hunsrückisch. The results show that scholarization also contributes for the attitudes, with linguistic practices in local Brazilian Portuguese in the school environment: the speakers orient themselves towards the Brazilian culture and the speech in local Brazilian Portuguese, and seek to scape from the stereotype of plosives devoicing.

C'est dans l'interaction sociale, lieu d'occurrence premier du langage parlé (Local, 2003) que la parole est apprise, qu'elle est produite quotidiennement et qu'elle évolue. De nouvelles approches interdisciplinaires de l'étude de la parole, notamment la sociophonétique ou les récents développements de l'interaction conversationnelle, ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives dans la modélisation du traitement de la parole. Une question centrale à cette entreprise est la caractérisation des représentations mentales associées aux sons de la parole. Pour traiter cette question, nous utilisons l'approche exemplariste du traitement de la parole, qui propose que les sons de la parole sont mémorisés en incorporant des informations contextuelles détaillées. Nous présentons une nouvelle tâche interactionnelle, GMUP (pour "Group ’em up"), destinée à recueillir les réalisations de matériel phonologique finement contrôlé produit par deux interactants dans un cadre expérimental écologiquement valide. Les variables phonologiques décrivent les différences existant entre deux variétés de français parlé, le français standard et le français méridional. Des outils de reconnaissance automatique de la parole ont été développés pour évaluer la convergence phonétique, observable de l'évolution des représentations mentales, à deux niveaux de granularité : au niveau catégoriel de la variable phonologique et au niveau plus fin, subphonémique. L’emploi de mesures acoustiques détaillées à grande échelle permet de caractériser finement les différences inter-individuelles dans l'évolution de la forme des réalisations acoustiques associées aux représentations mentales en interaction conversationnelle. / It is in social interaction, the primary site of the occurrence of spoken language (Local, 2003) that speech is learned, that it is produced everyday and that it evolves. New interdisciplinary approaches to the study of speech, particularly in sociophonetics and in recent developments in conversational interaction, open new avenues for modeling speech processing. A central question in this enterprise relates to the caracterization of the mental representations of speech sounds. We address this question using the exemplarist approach of speech processing, which proposes that speech sounds are stored in memory along with detailed contextual information. We present a new interactional task, GMUP (which stands for "Group ’em up"), designed to collect realizations of highly-controlled phonological material produced by two interactants in an ecologically valid experimental setting. The phonological variables describe differences between two varieties of spoken French, Northern French and Southern French. Automatic speech recognition tools were developed to evaluate phonetic convergence, an observable of the evolution of the mental representations of speech, at two levels of granularity: at the categorical level of the phonological variable and at a more fine-grained, subphonemic level. The use of large-scale detailed acoustic measures allows us to finely caracterize interindividual differences in the evolution of the acoustic realizations associated with the mental representations of speech in conversational interaction.