Modeling assimilation

Abstract

This chapter discusses recent developments in the study of voicing assimilation as manifested in Spanish preconsonantal sibilants. It uses experimental results to develop a model to capture the observed patterns and make predictions about the behavior of voicing assimilation in Spanish. The central argument is that voicing assimilation in Spanish is the result of gestural blending at the laryngeal level and can be couched within the framework of Articulatory Phonology. The main evidence for the gestural blending account comes from a review of the data available on the topic and, more precisely, from the reanalysis of the data from two experiments run by Rebeka Campos-Astorkiza that provide acoustic data to substantiate the claims put forward here. Furthermore, these experiments allow the evaluation of some of the challenges of working with acoustic data when analyzing voicing assimilation.