title: No place for /h/: an ERP investigation of English fricative place features.
abstract: The representational format of speech units in long-term memory is a topic of debate. We present novel event-related brain potential evidence from the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) paradigm that is compatible with abstract, non-redundant feature-based models like the Featurally Underspecified Lexicon (FUL). First, we show that the fricatives /s/ and /f/ display an asymmetric pattern of MMN responses, which is predicted if /f/ has a fully specified place of articulation ([Labial]) but /s/ does not ([Coronal], which is lexically underspecified). Second, we show that when /s/ and /h/ are contrasted, no such asymmetric MMN pattern occurs. The lack of asymmetry suggests both that (i) oral and laryngeal articulators are represented distinctly and that (ii) /h/ has no oral place of articulation in long-term memory. The lack of asymmetry between /s/ and /h/ is also in-line with traditional feature-geometric models of lexical representations.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Program, Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi , Abu Dhabi , UAE.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2721-9400
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schluter
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NYUAD Institute, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5474-7930
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Politzer-Ahles
authors.affiliation: Psychology Program, Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi , Abu Dhabi , UAE.
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4674-8092
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Almeida
keywords: Featurally Underspecified Lexicon; MMN; Phonological features; RP; underspecification