The distinctiveness of speech in communication

Given these two problems of segmentation and classification, one can rightly ask how then is it possible that humans can perform these tasks and thereby decode the speech when listening The answer again lies in our model of semiotic communication. We find 

We find that the degree of clarity or distinctiveness between phonemes in speech therefore varies depending on the conversational context. In situations where the listener has a strong idea of what will be said next, we find that speakers tend to be less distinct since the chance of confusion is low. Hence we find that speech in conversations between fiiends and family can exhibit quite indistinct acoustic patterns. Conversely, in situations where the listeners cannot easily guess what will be said next, we find that the level of distinctiveness increases. Lectures or news broadcasts are good examples of this type of speech. 

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