Seeing is perceiving: The role of the lips in the production and perception of Anglo-English /r/
supervised by Ioana Chitoran et Emmanuel Ferragne

Summary: This thesis investigates the role of the lips in the perception and production of /r/ in English. Articulatory variation is well-documented in approximant realisations of /r/ in rhotic varieties of English, which present a diverse array of tongue shapes. However, the production of /r/ remains enigmatic, especially concerning non-rhotic Englishes and the contribution of the accompanying labial gesture. The lips are particularly pertinent in the English spoken in England, Anglo-English, in which non-lingual labial articulations of /r/ are rapidly gaining currency. I argue that the lips enhance the perceptual saliency of /r/ in both the auditory and the visual domains. I propose that Anglo-English /r/ has developed a specific lip posture, which I relate to increased exposure to non-lingual variants of /r/ and to the pressure to maintain a perceptual contrast with /w/. Perception data reveal that visual cues of the lips are more prominent than the auditory ones for the /r/-/w/ contrast in Anglo-English and that seeing the speaker’s lips may even override the auditory perception of the contrast. This thesis has theoretical implications for the nature of speech perception in general, as well as for the role of visual speech cues in diachronic sound change.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2020). Loose lips and tongue tips: The central role of the /r/-typical labial gesture in Anglo-English, Journal of Phonetics, 80, 100978, DOI: 10.1016/j.wocn.2020.100978.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2019) The contribution of lip protrusion to Anglo-English /r/: Evidence from hyper- and non-hyperarticulated Speech. Actes d’Interspeech 2019, 3322-3326, DOI: 10.21437/Interspeech.2019-2851.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2018). La parole sans les lèvres : une étude acoustique et articulatoire. Actes des XXXIIe Journées d’Études sur la Parole, 451-459, DOI: 10.21437/JEP.2018-52.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2020). Labiodentals /r/ here to stay: Deep learning explains why. 20th Villetaneuse Conference on Spoken English (ALOES), Paris, 26-28 mars (colloque annulé).

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2019). Why rhoticity is on everyone’s lips: Accounting for the labial gesture in English /r/. R-atics 06, Paris, 07-08 novembre.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2018). u/-fronting in English: how phonetically accurate should phonological labels be? 16th Annual Conference of the French Phonology Network / Réseau Français de Phonologie, Paris, 27-29 juin.

King, H. (2018). Investigating voices with ultrasound imaging. 18th Villetaneuse Conference on Spoken English (ALOES) Pre-Conference Workshop, Paris, 5 avril.

King, H. & Liu, A. (2017). An ultrasound and acoustic study of the rhotic suffix in Mandarin. Ultrafest VIII, Potsdam, 04-06 octobre.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2017). The effect of ultrasound and video feedback on the production and perception of English liquids by French learners. Phonetics and Phonology in Europe (PaPE), Cologne, 12-14 juin.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2017). The use of ultrasound tongue imaging in the acquisition of second language sounds: the case of English liquids in French learners. Le congrès annuel de la Société des Anglicistes de l’Enseignement Supérieur, Reims, 01-03 juin.

King, H. & Ferrage, E. (2016). L’acquisition des liquides de l’anglais chez les apprenants francophones par imagerie échographique de la langue. Journée de lancement SOlutions PHOnétiques pour les Cours de Langues Etrangères (SOPHOCLE), Paris Diderot, 22 mars.

King, H. (2016). The feasibility of ultrasound imaging in the acquisition of English dark /l/ in French learners. Journée d’études sur les liquids & les rhotiques, Paris Diderot, CLILLAC-ARP, 10 février.

King, H. & Ferragne, E. (2015). The dark side of the tongue: the feasibility of ultrasound imaging in the acquisition of English dark /l/ in French learners. Ultrafest VII, Hong Kong, 8-10 décembre.

TD Phonétique (M1)

TD Phonologie expérimentale (M1)

TD Théorie linguistique et acquisition du langage (M1)

TD Initiation à la linguistique (L1)

CM Langues dans le monde (L1)