Perceiving non-native consonants that utilize articulators not employed contrastively in the native language: Revisiting PAM and the Articulatory Organ Hypothesis

We perceive non-native speech in terms of similarities to our native phonology, which makes many non-native contrasts diffi cult to discriminate (e.g., Speech Learning Model [SLM]). However, discrimination is poor mainly when contrasting non-native consonants are both mediocre exemplars of the same native consonant. Discrimination is much better if they are similar to different native consonants, and good if they are native-like versus deviant exemplars of the same native consonant (Perceptual Assimilation Model [PAM]). The Articulatory Organ Hypothesis (AOH) offers orthogonal predictions that consonants produced by different articulators should be discriminated better than consonants using the same articulator. To compare these models, we tested Italian listeners on non-native English and Nuu-Chah-Nulth fricative contrasts differing in perceptual assimilation, articulatory organs, and articulator use in Italian. Results support PAM and pose challenges for AOH and SLM.