SLIPS OF THE TONGUE (SOT)
Speech errors by normal speakers which provide insights into: (a) how we store and retrieve lexical items; and (b) how we assemble speech. Most errors are collected during normal conversation, but the data is sometimes supplemented by errors which are induced under laboratory conditions. Evidence from selection errors is often supported by evidence from Tip of the Tongue (TOT) experiments. There are two main types of SOT:
Selection errors, where there is a problem in retrieving a word from the lexicon. It might involve the substitution of one word for another (castanets à clarinets) or it might result in words or non-words which are blends of two related items (expect + suppose àexpose; shout/yell à shell).
This type of error provides insights into how items are stored in the lexicon and how they are retrieved. The substituted word is often linked to the target by similarity of form or by similarity of meaning; sometimes both seem to be involved. Selection errors thus demonstrate that both meaning and form play a part in the way we associate words in our minds and the way we retrieve them when we need them.
In terms of meaning, the substituted word is often an antonym of the target or from the same lexical set. In terms of form:
Beginnings and endings of words are often correct, and thus seem to be important cues in retrieving words. This is sometimes called the bathtub effect: the important parts of the word are like a bather’s head and feet sticking out of the water.
The stressed syllable of a word is more likely to be correct, especially if the word is a short one. In addition, the stress pattern of the target word is often retained, and may be a characterising feature.
The number of syllables is often correct. When it is wrong, there seems, in English, to be a tendency towards a three-syllable substitute word.
Assemblage errors, where the appropriate lexical item is retrieved but is not produced correctly: example, caterpillar ! patter-killer. Or a whole string of words is planned but is delivered in the wrong syntactic order. By identifying different types of assemblage error, we can identify stages in the process of constructing an utterance and the order in which they seem to occur. Assemblage errors provide insights into:
Choosing a syntactic structure that fits the target verb;
Example: She swore me to secrecy à She promised me to secrecy .
Fitting words into a syntactic frame;
Example: one spoon of sugar à one sugar of spoon .
Attaching inflections;
Example: she slants her writing à she writes her slanting .
Assignment of lexical stress;
Example: moBILity à mobilITy
Phonetic planning for articulation.
Example: fight very hard à fart very hide
One finding from assemblage SOTs is how robust the syllable is. Individual phonemes become dislocated, but they end up in the same syllabic position (beginning-middle-end) as in the target. This suggests that the syllable may be an important unit of planning.
SOT data is not easy to obtain. To be sure of the context in which slips occur, they should ideally be recorded. However, slips are not frequent in speech; indeed one of the remarkable things about speech is that it is so error-free.
Some slips are difficult to categorise in terms of what the speaker’s intention was and of how that intention failed. It is also important to distinguish between Slips of the Tongue and malapropisms (e.g. bubonic plague ! blue bonnet plague) which are due to the speaker’s ignorance of the correct term.
See also: Speech production, Tip of the Tongue
Further reading: Aitchison (2003); Fromkin (1973, 1980); Whitney (1998: 272–84)
