Clear speech adaptations across the lifespan

Abstract

Talkers need to be able to alter their speech production in order to communicate effectively in conditions in which there are acoustic or linguistic barriers to communication. The clear speaking styles that result from such adaptations have been well documented, but mostly for young adult talkers. As a skilled aspect of speech production, the ability to make such adaptations may develop late during acquisition and be affected by reduced motor or cognitive control in older talkers. In a series of studies, we are investigating how speech adaptations in challenging communicative conditions change across the lifespan: in children aged 9 to 15 years, in young adults, in older adults aged 65 and above. In all three studies, recordings were made while talker pairs complete a cooperative problem-solving task (diapix) when communication was easy or when a communication barrier was placed on one talker. Acoustic analyses have shown adaptations to speaking rate, intensity, fundamental frequency characteristics, vowel formant space. While young adults seem adept at making adaptations that are well suited to overcome the specific interference experienced by their interlocutors, younger talkers appear to make less nuanced adaptations. We will discuss factors affecting such speech adaptations across the lifespan.