Segmental contributions to prosodic weight in processing English auxiliary contractions

Abstract

Prosodic weight of prominence is traditionally attributed to suprasegmental features associated with pitch accent. This study examines segmental contribution to prosodic weight in processing English auxiliary have contractions. Through four web-based mouse-tracking experiments, we tested whether and how segmental variations in the auxiliary have (contracted vs. uncontracted) could signal prominence in relation to information structure and guide sentence processing in a mini two-sentence dialogue. It was hypothesized that the uncontracted, segmentally full form would carry prosodic weight on the auxiliary, independently of suprasegmental cues with pitch accent. The first two experiments showed that when have (in they have ) was hyperarticulated with pitch accent, participants could use its prosodic weight, perceiving an enhanced affirmativeness in contrast with a preceding negative question with haven’t . However, an uncontracted have when produced with no pitch accent, was not perceived as carrying such prosodic weight. The intended uncontracted form produced with no pitch accent differed from the accented one, not only in suprasegmental features but also in segmental detail, with the ‘h’ being weakened. Experiment 3 used an uncontracted have with a clear ‘h’, which did create prosodic weight for enhancing affirmativeness contrast even without pitch accent. Experiment 4 confirmed that this effect was not merely due to the longer duration of this form as a whole, contributed by a full ‘h’, highlighting genuine segmental contribution to the interpretation of they have with its prosodic weight of prominence in relation to the information structure of the mini dialogue. Our findings underscore the importance of segmental detail in real-time sentence processing and provide new insights into the syntax-prosody interface, with implications for speech production and perception.