coarticulation

n. a phenomenon in which the performance of one or more actions in a sequence varies according to the other actions in the sequence. This is particularly important in speech, where the formation of certain phonemes varies according to the speech sounds that immediately precede or follow: For example, the aspirated [p] sound in pin differs slightly from the unaspirated [p] in spin (see aspiration). Coarticulation also occurs in keyboarding, where the movements used to type a particular key are different when the preceding or following keys are different. See also allomorph; allophone.

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Psychology term of the day

February 11th 2025

cognitive complexity

the state or quality of a thought process that involves numerous constructs, with many interrelationships among them. Such processing is often experienced as difficult or effortful. See also conceptual complexity.