Which term describes the influence of one speech sound on the articulation of another?

The term that best describes the influence of one speech sound on the articulation of another is coarticulation. This phenomenon occurs when the articulation of sounds overlaps in time, meaning that the articulators (like the tongue, lips, etc.) are preparing for and producing more than one sound simultaneously. For instance, in rapid speech, the way a speaker forms a vowel may change slightly depending on the consonants that precede or follow it. This overlapping helps create smoother transitions between sounds and maintains the flow of speech.

Understanding coarticulation highlights the complexities of speech production, showcasing how the physical aspects of making sounds are interrelated rather than occurring in isolation. This concept is crucial in fields such as phonetics, as it emphasizes how dynamic and interconnected articulatory processes are in natural speech.