Abstract Frequently used linguistic structures become entrenched in memory; this is often assumed to make their consecutive parts more predictable, as well as fuse them into a single unit (chunking). High frequency moreover leads to a propensity for phonetic reduction. We present a word recognition experiment which tests how frequency information (string frequency, transitional probability) interacts with reduction in speech perception. Detection of the element to is tested in V-to-Vinf sequences in English (e.g., need to Vinf), where to can undergo reduction (“needa”). Results show that reduction impedes recognition, but this can be mitigated by the predictability of the item. Recognition generally benefits from surface frequency, while a modest chunking effect is found in delayed responses to reduced forms of high-frequency items. Transitional probability shows a facilitating effect on reduced but not on full forms. Reduced forms also pose more difficulty when the phonological context obscures the onset of to. We conclude that listeners draw on frequency information in a predictive manner to cope with reduction. High-frequency structures are not inevitably perceived as chunks, but depend on cues in the phonetic form – reduction leads to perceptual prominence of the whole over the parts and thus promotes a holistic access.

中文翻译：

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块化或预测–频率信息和多字序列感知的减少

摘要常用的语言结构在记忆中根深蒂固。通常认为这会使它们的连续部分更可预测，并将它们融合为一个单元（块）。此外，高频会导致语音减少的趋势。我们提出了一个单词识别实验，该实验测试频率信息（字符串频率，过渡概率）如何与语音感知的减少进行交互。以英语的V-to-Vinf序列（例如，需要Vinf）测试要检测的元素，可以在哪里进行还原（“ needa”）。结果表明减少会阻碍识别，但是可以通过项目的可预测性来减轻识别。识别通常受益于表面频率，而在对减少形式的高频项的延迟响应中发现了适度的分块效应。过渡概率显示出对简化形式的促进作用，但对完整形式没有促进作用。当语音环境模糊了to的发作时，简化形式也带来了更多的困难。我们得出结论，听众以预测性方式利用频率信息来应对减少。高频结构并非不可避免地被视为大块，而是取决于语音形式的提示-减少会导致整个部分在整体上感知突出，从而促进整体访问。