Perarticulation is a term used primarily in the field of linguistics to refer to the act or process of connecting or linking two or more sounds, specifically consonant sounds, within a single word or across word boundaries. It involves the smooth and seamless transition, or articulation, between individual sounds to form a coherent sequence.
In phonetics, the term perarticulation refers to the co-articulation or co-occurrence of sounds, where the pronunciation of one sound is influenced or modified by the neighboring sounds. This phenomenon occurs due to the natural tendency of speech production, where speakers attempt to streamline the articulatory process by minimizing effort and maximizing efficiency.
Perarticulation is particularly relevant in languages with complex sound patterns and phonetic structures, which often involve intricate interactions between adjacent sounds. For example, in English, voiced consonants may become voiceless before voiceless consonants in certain contexts, such as in the word "big" where the "g" sound becomes devoiced to match the following voiceless "s" sound.
The concept of perarticulation also extends to the study of phonological processes, where certain sound changes occur systematically within a language. These processes can include assimilation, where a sound becomes similar to its adjacent sound, or dissimilation, where a sound becomes less similar to a neighboring sound.
Overall, perarticulation is a fundamental aspect of phonetics and phonology, shedding light on the intricate relationship between individual sounds and how they are produced and perceived in the realm of speech.
