Aspects of Coarticulation

The paper provides a summary of various types and aspects of coarticulation. After setting a framework that includes general considerations such as biomechanical and language-specific issues, the distinction between anticipatory and carry-over coarticulation, the discussion of articulatory pressure/resistance and its scope, it analyzes different levels at which coarticulation occurs: lips, tongue, velum and larynx. The review of the most influential models and theories from the 1960s until the present reveals that a comprehensive explanation of coarticulation is yet to be offered. In terms of neuromotor control, it shows that very little research has been done specifically on coarticulation, so most conclusions in available literature are indirectly derived from studies of speech produc- tion in general. The paper also tries to shed some light on coarticulation in populations that have been studied less extensively, such as children and clinical cases. The goal of this review is to give a brief overview of the current ‘state of affairs’ in coarticulation studies and argue for the need to extend them to more languages, less than typical populations and to higher levels of processing