Describe the process of coarticulation.

Coarticulation refers to the phenomenon in which the pronunciation of one sound is influenced by the surrounding sounds. It is a natural process that occurs during speech production, where the articulatory movements for one sound overlap with those for the adjacent sounds. This overlapping of articulatory gestures helps in achieving smooth and efficient speech production.

During coarticulation, the articulatory organs anticipate the upcoming sounds and start moving towards their target positions before the actual sound is produced. This anticipatory movement results in the modification of the individual sounds, making them different from their isolated forms. The modifications can include changes in the place of articulation, manner of articulation, voicing, and duration of the sounds.

For example, when pronouncing the word "cat," the tongue starts moving towards the /æ/ sound before the lips are fully closed for the /k/ sound. This anticipatory movement of the tongue influences the quality of the /æ/ sound, making it slightly nasalized or velarized. Similarly, the lips start rounding for the /u/ sound before the tongue is fully retracted for the /k/ sound, resulting in a coarticulatory effect on the /u/ sound.

Coarticulation plays a crucial role in speech perception as well. Listeners are able to decode the intended sounds by taking into account the coarticulatory cues present in the speech signal. It helps in distinguishing between different sounds and understanding the intended meaning of words and sentences.

Overall, coarticulation is a fundamental aspect of speech production and perception, allowing for the smooth and efficient production of speech sounds by modifying their individual characteristics based on the surrounding sounds.