THE PHONEMIC CLAUSE AS A UNIT OF SPEECH DECODING

IT IS ARGUED HERE THAT SPOKEN LANGUAGE IS DECODED BY THE LISTENER IN WORD GROUPS CALLED PHONEMIC CLAUSES. BEHAVIORAL DATA, THE LOCATION OF LISTENER RESPONSES IN RELATION TO THE SPEAKER'S PHONEMIC CLAUSES, PROVIDE THE EVIDENCE. PAIRS OF SS SPOKE TO EACH OTHER ALTERNATELY ON TOPICS OF MUTUAL INTEREST IN A SITUATION RESEMBLING THAT OF A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION. THE LISTENERS WERE INSTRUCTED TO LET THE SPEAKERS KNOW THAT THEY WERE LISTENING AND INTERESTED. THEIR RESPONSES WERE FOUND TO BE LOCATED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY AT THE ENDS OF THE SPEAKERS' PHONEMIC CLAUSES RATHER THAN WITHIN THEM, WHETHER OR NOT THERE WERE HESITATIONS AT EITHER POINT. FURTHER, ONLY THOSE TYPES OF CLAUSE ENDING WHICH SOUND MOST "FINAL" WERE FOLLOWED BY LISTENER RESPONSES.