From canonical word forms to reduced variants: a study of assimilation and elision in German

Abstract

In the framework of Articulatory Phonology (Browman and Goldstein 1992) the variety of discrete segmental changes describing the transition from canonical word forms to reduced variants (i.e. elision and assimilation phenomena) can be accounted for by two continuous and non-discrete gestural alteration processes: increase in overlap and decrease in temporal extent of articulatory gestures.
It can be shown that many segmental phenomena like elisions and assimilations in German can be ascribed to these two basic gestural alteration processes. But some assimilation phenomena (progressive and regressive assimilation of place and regressive assimilation of manner) can be described only by introducing a discrete gestural process: gestural (or articulatory) reorganization.
Further we will show that both continuous gestural processes are strongly related to each other. Increase in overlap can be  attributed to reduction of temporal extent of gestures if basic gestural association relations are taken into account. In order to develop a comprehensive theory of reduction, we will illustrate that all continuous and discrete gestural processes can be seen as consequences of minimizing articulatory effort.