Cambios en el voice onset time en hablantes franceses de entre 40 y 80 años de edad

Abstract

IntroductionThis study explores the ways in which ageing affects speech production. Older individuals present many changes in processes of motor control, as well as in the integrity of laryngeal and supralaryngeal muscles, which may affect speech production. However, few studies have addressed these capacities in the context of healthy ageing, especially in French-speaking people. MethodsThe study focused on voice onset time (VOT), a feature of speech that is particularly relevant in the study of the temporal and spatial coordination of laryngeal and supralaryngeal gestures. We recruited French-speaking individuals, who were grouped according to age, as follows: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years. They were asked to perform a pseudoword repetition task including the 6 voiced and voiceless occlusives that exist in the French language: /p, t, k, b, d, g/. ResultsWe observed a longer duration of pseudowords in participants older than 70 years (F[3,847] = 352; p = .02), probably due to slowing of speech movements. In the 70-79 years age group, further difficulties were detected with voice onset and maintenance during occlusion. This resulted in shorter VOT (delayed prevoicing) (F[3,848] = 5.23; p = .001), as well as incomplete voicing (interruption of voicing before opening) of voiced occlusives at the beginning of /b, d, g/ words (F[3,422] = 3.01; p = .03); this, in turn, led to a reduction in the difference in VOT between voiced and voiceless sounds. DiscussionOur results indicate difficulties in the coordination of articulator movements, suggesting an age-related decline in the motor control of speech.