Representation of serial order in speech: Evidence from the repeated phoneme effect in speech errors

Previous research has shown that slips of the tongue involving the exchange of phonemes are often characterized by a repeated phoneme next to the exchanging ones. Two experiments elicited slips of the tongue from 104 undergraduates under controlled conditions. Results reveal that repeated sounds in a speech plan are contributory causes of phoneme exchanges, anticipations, and perseverations. In addition, it was found that repeated sounds induce the misordering of sounds that are not adjacent to the repeated ones, as well as those that are adjacent to the repeated ones. An analysis of a collection of 363 natural slips also supported the conclusion that repeated sounds cause nonadjacent sounds to slip. Results are inconsistent with serial order theories that propose a linear structure of sounds held together by contextual influences between adjacent phonemes. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).