This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: What is coarticulation and why is it important? What will be an ideal ... (Read 31 times)

kodithompson

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 566
What is coarticulation and why is it important?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe Chomsky's conceptualization of the relationship between syntactical and lexical structures.
 
  What will be an ideal response?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

zogaridan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 328
Answer to Question 1

What makes speech comprehension especially complicated is that often we pronounce more than one sound at the same time. This is called coarticulation. One or more phonemes begin while other phonemes still are being produced. For example, say the words palace and pool. They both begin with a p sound. But can you notice a difference in the shape of your lips when you say the p of pool as compared with the p of palace? You are already preparing for the following vowel as you pronounce the p sound, and this affects the sound you produce. Not only do phonemes within a word overlap, but the boundaries between words in continuous speech also tend to overlap. The process of trying to separate the continuous sound stream into distinct words is called speech segmentation.

Answer to Question 2

Chomsky addressed how syntactical structures may interact with words (lexical structures). He suggested that our mental lexicon contains more than the semantic meanings attached to each word (or morpheme). In addition, each lexical item also contains syntactical information. This syntactical information for each lexical item indicates three things:
 The syntactical category of the item, such as noun versus verb;
 The appropriate syntactical contexts in which the particular morpheme may be used, such as pronouns as subjects versus as direct objects; and
 Idiosyncratic information about the syntactical uses of the morpheme, such as the treatment of irregular verbs.

How do we link the elements in our mental lexicon to the elements in our syntactical structures? Various models for such bridging have been proposed. According to some of these models, when we parse sentences by syntactical categories, we create slots for each item in the sentence. Consider, for example, the sentence, Juan gave Mara the book from the shelf.. There is a slot for a noun used as (1) a subject (Juan), (2) a direct object (the book), (3) an indirect object (Mara), and (4) objects of prepositions (the shelf).

There are also slots for the verb, the preposition, and the articles. In turn, lexical items contain information regarding the kinds of slots into which the items can be placed. The information is based on the kinds of thematic roles the items can fill. Thematic roles are ways in which items can be used in the context of communication. Several roles have been identified. In particular, these roles are as follows:
 The agent, the doer of any action
 The patient, the direct recipient of the action
 The beneficiary, the indirect recipient of the action
 The instrument, the means by which the action is implemented
 The location, the place where the action occurs
 The source, where the action originated
 The goal, where the action is going

According to this view of how syntax and semantics are linked, the various syntactical slots can be filled by lexical entries with corresponding thematic roles. For example, the slot of subject noun might be filled by the thematic role of agent. Nouns that can fill agent roles can be inserted into slots for subjects of phrases. Patient roles correspond to slots for direct objects. Beneficiary roles fit with indirect objects, and so on.




kodithompson

  • Member
  • Posts: 566
Reply 2 on: Jun 20, 2018
YES! Correct, THANKS for helping me on my review


smrtceo

  • Member
  • Posts: 344
Reply 3 on: Yesterday
Gracias!

 

Did you know?

The eye muscles are the most active muscles in the whole body. The external muscles that move the eyes are the strongest muscles in the human body for the job they have to do. They are 100 times more powerful than they need to be.

Did you know?

The average adult has about 21 square feet of skin.

Did you know?

Giardia is one of the most common intestinal parasites worldwide, and infects up to 20% of the world population, mostly in poorer countries with inadequate sanitation. Infections are most common in children, though chronic Giardia is more common in adults.

Did you know?

Famous people who died from poisoning or drug overdose include, Adolf Hitler, Socrates, Juan Ponce de Leon, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and John Belushi.

Did you know?

A recent study has found that following a diet rich in berries may slow down the aging process of the brain. This diet apparently helps to keep dopamine levels much higher than are seen in normal individuals who do not eat berries as a regular part of their diet as they enter their later years.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library