Production and perception of rise time in the voiceless affricate/fricative distinction

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Abstract
Rise times of affricates and fricatives were measured when the test material occurred in sentences, in isolated words, and in isolated nonsense syllables. The rise times of affricates were significantly shorter than those of fricatives as has been reported previously. The measured rise times varied with the type of test material and for all types of material were significantly longer than those reported by L. J. Gerstman [unpublished doctral dissertation, New York University (1957)]. Differences in the way the previous measurements were made do not appear to explain the discrepancy. Because rise time varies with type of test material, no single value of rise time can serve to distinguish affricates from fricatives. Listeners were asked to categorize a speech or nonspeech continuum varying in rise time; substantially different estimates of the category boundary were obtained if a range of rise times based on the earlier measurements is used rather than one indicated by the present measurements. Hence, no perceptual sensitivity at a single rise time value can be responsible for the perceptual distinction between affricates and fricatives.

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