What is a key characteristic of speech sounds in relation to listener perception?

The characteristic that individual phonemes can overlap is fundamental to understanding how speech sounds are processed and perceived by listeners. In natural speech, phonemes—the smallest units of sound—often do not occur in isolation; rather, they can merge and influence each other. This phenomenon, known as coarticulation, occurs when two or more phonemes are articulated in such a way that their acoustic properties blend together.

For instance, when pronouncing the word "spoon," the 's' sound is influenced by the following 'p' sound, resulting in a unique acoustic output that is different from the isolated sounds of 's' or 'p.' This overlapping is critical for fluent speech and allows listeners to recognize words even when they are produced rapidly or in less-than-clear environments.

It is important to understand that this reflects the nature of spoken language, where sounds are fluid and context-dependent, contributing greatly to effective communication. The perception of speech is thus not based solely on isolated sounds but on the interpretation of overlapping sound patterns within a more extensive linguistic context.