【Phon Brown Bag】9/17 How language experience reshapes the P-Map: The case of final nasalization in Serudung Murut

Please be advised of an upcoming talk in our Fall 2026 PHON Brown Bag series.

See details below.

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This study experimentally tests Steriade (2008)’s P-Map hypothesis, according to which learners are biased toward alternations that minimize perceptual deviations between input and output forms. In the case of word-final voiced obstruents, the P-Map predicts that final devoicing should be the uniquely preferred repair strategy cross-linguistically. Experimental results from American English listeners in a perceptual AXB task support this prediction. However, results from Serudung Murut (Austronesian) listeners, whose phonological grammar employs (laryngo-)nasalization to avoid voiced stops in word-final position, demonstrate that the perceptual biases posited by the P-Map can be reshaped through exposure to alternations that contradict the perceptual rankings. This synchronic restructuring of the P-Map is especially evident among speakers with advanced proficiency, highlighting the role of language experience in phonological learning. We further propose a new diachronic account of final nasalization, in which nasal venting serves as the critical initiating factor. Overall, the findings suggest that the P-Map functions as a soft bias in guiding phonological learning and in shaping typological patterns.

We hope to see you there in person or online!