Phonetic [L]Imitation

Phonetic imitation is not an objective act in itself, and patterns of convergence and divergence of communication behaviors have been thoroughly demonstrated by Howard Giles in his communication accommodation theory.4 Kuniko Nielsen demonstrated in her study on voice onset timing imitation that "phonetic imitation is sensitive to both phonetic and social factors,"5 but it is Molly Babel who first discussed in her dissertation the "elephant in the room,"6 when describing the underlying cognitive mechanisms that influence phonetic imitation. Even the foreign language professionals (e.g., the professor of French, the teacher, and the translator) made 25-75% errors in alveolar context on /u-y/ contrast, suggesting that these individuals, who presumably have metalinguistic awareness of the French vowel system, were no more skilled than the other participants in discriminating PF [Parisian French] /u/ from /у/.10 Likewise, vowel nasalization is not a distinctive feature in English. FIRST THE PROCESS Basis of Articulation (or Articulatory Setting-, both terms are interchangeable) is a concept that has been frequently assessed by linguists for over a century. [...]one might regard the tethered part-in this case, the lateral contact-as the anchorage, and the untethered part as the free or operative part of the tongue-setting.24 Termed the "Butterfly Position" in speech therapy, this peculiar positioning of the tongue makes of English a language of exception in terms of its Basis of Articulation.