Interdisciplinary research and speech rhythm

Abstract

The new definition of speech rhythm is given. This definition is based on the principle of segmentation: voiced segment - unvoiced segment. The rhythm is defined as sequence of these segments' durations. Set of normalised durations is the point set on interval [0, 1]. Owing to established in paper fact that the rhythm evolution is described as the logistic mapping on this set, in the offered paper the dynamic regimes of the rhythm in both normal speech and stuttering speech are described. It is shown that such definition of the rhythm is physiologically plausible in contrast to earlier reported models and allows to explain the nature of stuttering which did not find explanation up to now. It turned out that the nets offered by van der Maas have exactly same route to chaos in dependence on the changing control parameter or parameter of learning in the net as the logistic map with the same control parameter has. Moreover, within the framework of the offered mathematical model the causes, which change these rhythm regimes, are established. It allowed to apply in clinic optimal course of treatment for each stutterer individually (Skljarov, O.P. and Poroshin, A.N., Jan. 2003).