Lexical ambiguity resolution and spoken word recognition: Bridging the gap

Phonological variation in speech production can neutralize phonemic distinctions. In some cases, the alternations also create lexical ambiguity, as in the sentence "A quick nlm picks you up," where the underlined sequence could be interpreted as either rum or as a place assimilated form of nln. Three cross-modal priming experiments examined the perceptual resolution of these ambiguities. In a neutral-bias sentential context, these stimuli contact only the lexical representation matching the surface form (rum). However, a sentential context favoring run combines with the phonological environment of an ambiguous token to allow the alternative form (run) to be accessed. We discuss how phonological, lexical, and sentential information may he integrated in order to resolve these ambiguities, and we argue that the same perceptual mechanism underlies both spoken word recognition and lexical ambiguity resolution. (C) 2001 Academic Press.