Articulation Rate Research Articles

To What Extent Are Multiword Sequences Associated With Oral Fluency?

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between oral fluency and use of multiword sequences (MWSs) across four proficiency levels (Low B1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference). Data came from 56 learners taking the speaking test of the Test of English for Educational Purposes, and our analysis obtained different measures of fluency (speed, breakdown, repair) and MWSs (frequency, proportion, association). Results showed that (a) high‐frequency n‐grams correlated positively with articulation rate; (b) n‐gram proportion correlated negatively with frequency of mid‐clause pauses; and (c) n‐gram association strength correlated positively with frequency of end‐clause pauses and negatively with repair frequency. Qualitative analysis suggested that the test‐takers borrowed some task‐specific n‐grams from the task instructions and used them frequently in their performance. Whereas lower proficiency speakers used these n‐grams verbatim, C1 level speakers used them competently in a variety of forms. We discuss significant implications of the findings for phraseology and language testing research.

The influence of pre-task planning on speed and breakdown fluency

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of pre-task planning on L2 fluency performance by measuring the temporal variables. Performing a picture description task, two groups of thirty-seven students were given 10 minutes of planning time and no planning time before the performance, respectively. The temporal fluency variables are extracted by means of the PRAAT speech analysis program in order to be automatically measured for evaluation purposes. Fluency is operationalized as speed fluency (i.e. speech rate and articulation rate) and breakdown fluency (i.e. average pause duration and number of pauses). The results indicate that no significant difference is found when comparing the non-planning and planning condition for each temporal variable. Presumably, the chosen task type containing highly frequent lexemes does not seem to impose increased conscious attention on the part of the more proficient speakers, and thus the formulation and articulation can, to a high degree, run in parallel. Based on the observed results, a modified task design is proposed, i.e. guided pre-task planning directed to attend to less frequent formulae as vocabulary or lexical items for everyday contexts, having a clear potential as a pedagogic device, aiming at activating relatively underused vocabulary and promoting ultimate fluency in the temporal sense.

The effects of thalamic and posterior subthalamic deep brain stimulation on speech in patients with essential tremor – A prospective, randomized, doubleblind crossover study

ObjectiveTo prospectively evaluate the effect of PSA- and VIM DBS on speech in ET patients. MethodsLeads were implanted bilaterally with contacts placed in both VIM and PSA. Thirteen patients were analyzed pre- and postoperatively. Preoperative speech of ET patients was compared to healthy controls. PSA- and VIM-DBS were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind crossover phase. ResultsAt preoperative baseline, we found reduced intelligibility. Differences in acoustic and VAS data (‘ability to speak’) compared to controls were gradient. Articulation rate could be predicted by disease duration. Decreased articulation rate, spirantization and voicing were found for PSA- and VIM-DBS. Targets did not differ in terms of speech deterioration. ConclusionSpeech in ET patients without DBS can be impaired, dependent on patient’s individual characteristics. Both PSA- and VIM-DBS affect speech in a comparable way. Thus, the PSA can be considered an alternative DBS target in ET without higher risk of dysarthria.

Clinical Success Using the Audio-Visual Feedback Training for Cluttering

Purpose Among the best strategies to address inadequate speech monitoring skills and other parameters of communication in people with cluttering (PWC) is the relatively new but very promising auditory–visual feedback (AVF) training ( van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). This study examines the effects of AVF training on articulatory accuracy, pause duration, frequency, and type of disfluencies of PWC, as well as on the emotional and cognitive aspects that may be present in clients with this communication disorder ( Reichel, 2010 ; van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). Methods In this study, 12 male adolescents and adults—6 with phonological and 6 with syntactic cluttering—were provided with weekly AVF training for 12 weeks, with a 3-month follow-up. Data was gathered on baseline (T0), Week 6 (T1), Week 12 (T2), and after follow-up (T3). Spontaneous speech was recorded and analyzed by using digital audio-recording and speech analysis software known as Praat ( Boersma & Weenink, 2017 ). Results The results of this study indicated that PWC demonstrated significant improvements in articulatory rate measurements and in pause duration following the AVF training. In addition, the PWC in the study reported positive effects on their ability to retell a story and to speak in more complete sentences. PWC felt better about formulating their ideas and were more satisfied with their interactions with people around them. Conclusions The AVF training was found to be an effective approach for improving monitoring skills of PWC with both quantitative and qualitative benefits in the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social domains of communication.

Articulation Rate in American English in a Corpus of YouTube Videos.

Previous studies of the temporal organization of speech in American English have found differences in speaking or articulation rate according to speaker dialect or location, but small sample sizes and incomplete geographic coverage have limited the generalizability of the findings. In this study, articulation rates in American English are calculated from the automatic speech-to-text transcripts of more than 29,000 hours of video from local government and civic organization channels on YouTube from the 48 contiguous US states, containing more than 230 million individual word timings. Two questions are considered: are there regional differences in articulation rate? And do urban speakers articulate faster than rural speakers? The study presents several methodological innovations: first, it identifies a genre of regional speech suitable for interregional comparisons (meetings of local governments or civic organizations). Second, it introduces a new method for the calculation of articulation rate using cue and word timestamps from caption files. Third, it leverages US Census data to correlate the articulation rate with population for a large number of localities. The study shows that, in line with previous studies, Southerners articulate slower, and Americans from the Upper Midwest more quickly. In addition, there is a small but positive correlation between population size and articulation rate. Articulation rates are mapped using a measure of local autocorrelation.

Szybkość tworzenia wypowiedzi słownych w perspektywie gerontolingwistycznej – na przykładzie starzenia się fizjologicznego i dementywnego

The aim of the research was to analyse the rate of speech of physiologically and dementially ageing people with the following parameters in mind: the rate of speech and the rate of articulation, the ratio of pauses within the speech and their total duration, proper pauses and semi-filled pauses. The research data has been analysed with the use of Audacity software. Shapiro-Wilk and Mann-Whitney tests were utilised during the quantitative and the statistical stage of the study. The results obtained clearly show that the rate of speech of people with dementia is slower compared to the rate of speech of physiologically ageing people and to the control group, which consisted of children.

How does longitudinal interaction promote second language speech learning? Roles of learner experience and proficiency levels

This study examined how longitudinal interaction impacts the development of second language (L2) oral proficiency in relation to learners’ different experience and proficiency levels. Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) participated in weekly conversation exchanges with native speakers (NSs) in the USA via videoconferencing tools over one academic semester (12 weeks). The participants’ spontaneous speech, elicited from a story telling task before and after the treatment, was analysed via a set of linguistic measures. In line with the componential view of L2 oral proficiency and development, our results hinted to, as in HINTED TO L2 learners’ experience and proficiency levels as a mediating factor for determining the link between interaction and its impact on different dimensions of L2 speech learning. While the longitudinal interaction equally improved the participants’ grammatical complexity and articulation rate – a fundamental component for defining L2 oral proficiency – the development of less experienced/proficient learners was observed across a wide range of lexicogrammar and fluency features (lexical appropriateness/richness, grammatical accuracy, pause ratio). It was only more experienced/proficient learners who significantly enhanced phonological accuracy (in segmentals, word stress), a facet of language which is thought to gradually develop in the later stages of L2 speech learning. These findings add another piece of evidence for the differential effects of long-term interaction relative to L2 learners’ developmental stages.

A speech measure for early stratification of fast and slow progressors of bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: lip movement jitter

Objective: To assess the utility of novel measures derived from a rapid syllable repetition task (i.e. oral dysdiadochokinesis [DDK]) in early stratification of fast and slow progressive bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and prediction of bulbar disease progression rate. Methods: Fifty-four individuals with ALS were tracked longitudinally on their oral DDK and global bulbar/speech performance (i.e. bulbar subscore on the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised [ALSFRS-R]; articulation rate during passage reading) for a four-month average duration. Based on the bulbar deterioration rate over the tracked period, the participants were stratified as 14 fast bulbar progressors and 40 slow bulbar progressors using a posteriori classification approach. To determine if oral DDK performance predicts the differential bulbar disease progression trajectories in these individuals during the early stages of the tracked period (prior to significant bulbar/speech signs), twenty-two measures of lip motor performance in an oral DDK task were derived to (1) differentiate fast and slow bulbar progressors using the Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis and (2) predict bulbar disease progression rates across all individuals using linear regressions. Results: Movement jitter, a measure of temporal variability of alternating lip movement during DDK, showed 80% sensitivity and 95% specificity in differentiating fast and slow bulbar progressors early in the disease, and outperformed the ALSFRS-R bulbar subscore and articulation rate. Movement jitter also predicted bulbar disease progression rates across participants. Conclusion: Findings provided preliminary validation of the clinical value of movement jitter during oral DDK in patient stratification and bulbar disease prognosis.

Speech Deterioration of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Before and After Diagnosis: A Case Study of a Newscaster

Purpose This case study traced speech deterioration in an individual before and after the time of diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our participant was diagnosed with spinal-onset, familial ALS in 2017. The speaker's occupation, a professional newscaster for 37 years, allowed a retrospective examination of her speech during news segments over 37 months around the diagnosis, including prediagnosis. Method A total of 6 time points were selected to track auditory-perceptual and acoustic speech deterioration (2 years, 14 months, and 7 months prior to diagnosis; the month of diagnosis; and 7 months and 12 months after diagnosis). For perceptual ratings, 2 experts in motor speech disorders rated 17 speech dimensions on a 7-point scale. Four acoustic parameters were chosen for measurement: articulation rate, utterance duration, second formant frequency slope, and acoustic vowel space. Additionally, kinematic data were obtained from 1 time-point (8 months postdiagnosis) and descriptively compared to the movement of other individuals with ALS and to healthy speakers. Results As expected, both perceptual and acoustic results indicated a decline in the selected speech measures as the disease progressed. More interestingly, the measures showed a consistent curvilinear appearance in which the speech parameters exhibit an improvement until immediately before and around the diagnosis, followed by sudden, drastic deterioration. Kinematic results indicated a greater degree of movement and speed compared to healthy speakers, probably due to the speaker's occupation. Conclusions Based on the findings, the time around diagnosis is considered a critical period with respect to speech deterioration in ALS wherein a dynamic, increasing–decreasing pattern of changes occur. This finding appears to reflect the patient's compensatory strategies and the speech deficits associated with bulbar involvement.

Exploring PechaKucha in EFL learners’ speaking fluency

The research aims at investigating to what extent PechaKucha optimizes English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ speaking fluency and identifying the class climate when learners implement PechaKucha. The data of the study were derived through classroom observation, pre and post-tests, field note, and interview. Constant Comparative Method was used to analyze the qualitative data while the mean score of two raters was found out to obtain the quantitative data. The result from this research indicated that the exploration of PechaKucha optimized EFL learners' speaking fluency including improving the speed of learners' speech and words per minute; increasing articulation rate; strengthening phonation time ratio; reducing the frequency of silent pause; avoiding filler words; and decreasing disfluency in spontaneous speech. The enhancement of learners’ score showed from the mean score of pre-test was 65.8; post-test 1 was 73.4, and post-test 2 was 82.3. The use of PechaKucha also improved the class climate: EFL learners were involved actively to present course material and their responsibilities to work in pair increased. Considering the research findings, it is suggested that teachers and lecturers implement PechaKucha for assisting the learners to enhance their speaking fluency and creating the effective class climate.

LINGUISTIC DIMENSIONS OF COMPREHENSIBILITY AND PERCEIVED FLUENCY: AN INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEXITY, ACCURACY, AND FLUENCY IN SECOND LANGUAGE ARGUMENTATIVE SPEECH

AbstractThis study examined the linguistic dimensions of comprehensibility and perceived fluency in the context of L2 argumentative speech elicited from 40 Japanese-speaking learners of English. Their speaking performance was judged by 10 inexperienced native speakers of English for comprehensibility and perceived fluency, and was also objectively analyzed in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency as well as pronunciation and discourse features. The results showed that comprehensibility and fluency judgments strongly correlated with each other and that native listeners were significantly more severe when they judged fluency. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses revealed that both constructs were commonly associated with a set of underlying linguistic dimensions (grammatical accuracy, breakdown fluency, and pronunciation). However, comprehensibility was best predicted by articulation rate (speed fluency) whereas perceived fluency was most strongly associated with the frequency of mid-clause pauses (breakdown fluency).

Age-related deficits in speech production: From phonological planning to motor implementation.

Speaking is one of the most complex motor actions that humans can perform, requiring the coordination between linguistic, cognitive, affective and sensorimotor systems. Perhaps counter-intuitively, it is also one of the easiest acts that humans perform, on a daily basis, from a very early age till the end of life, without even thinking about it. With age, however, spoken language production undergoes significant changes, with potential impacts on interpersonal communication and social participation. Unfortunately, the neurobiological mechanisms involved are unclear, which impedes efforts towards the development of clinical interventions, differential diagnosis strategies and even prevention strategies for this population. In the present study, we examined age differences in speech production using a simple diadochokinetic rates task in which phonological and sequential complexity were manipulated. 85 cognitively healthy adults (20-93 years) were recruited from the general population. Cognitive level, hearing and depression symptoms were measured. Participants produced short and long sequences of simple and complex syllables aloud as quickly, steadily and accurately as possible. Performance was assessed in terms of articulation rate, articulation rate stability and accuracy. Results show that, controlling for cognition, hearing and depression, articulation rate stability and accuracy declined significantly with age. The phonological manipulation had more impact on performance than the sequential manipulation. These findings were interpreted as reflecting age-related central disruptions at the level of phonological and motor planning, which provides important new cues into underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Temporal and Episodic Analyses of the Story of Cinderella in Latent Aphasia.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of the language characteristics of people with latent aphasia using measures that examined temporal (i.e., real-time) and episodic organization of discourse production. Method Thirty AphasiaBank participants were included (10 people with latent aphasia, 10 people with anomic aphasia, and 10 neurotypical control participants). Speech material of Cinderella narratives was analyzed with Praat software. We devised a protocol that coded the presence and duration of all speech segments, dysfluencies such as silent and filled pauses, and other speech behaviors. Using these durations, we generated a range of temporal measures such as speech, articulation, and pure word rates. Narratives were also coded into episodes, which provided information about the discourse macrostructure abilities of the participants. Results The latent aphasia group differed from controls in number of words produced, silent pause duration, and speech rate, but not articulation rate or pure word rate. Episodic organization of the narratives was similar in these 2 groups. The latent and anomic aphasia groups were similar in most measures, apart from articulation rate, which was lower in the anomic group. The anomic aphasia group also omitted more episodes than the latent aphasia group. Conclusions The differences between latent aphasia and neurotypical controls can be attributed to a processing speed deficit. We propose that this deficit results in an impaired ability to process information from multiple cognitive domains simultaneously.

Characteristics of Speech Rates and Utterance Lengths in Fluent and Disfluent Utterances of Adults Who Stutter

Purpose This study aimed to investigate differences of overall speaking rate, articulation rate, and utterance length (measured in mean length of utterance-morpheme, MLU-m) in three types of utterance in adults who stutter (AWS). Methods Participants (n = 50) performed reading and picture description tasks, and each utterance was categorized as a “fluent utterance” (not including any disfluencies), an “abnormal disfluencies (AD) utterance” (containing AD), or a “normal disfluencies (ND) utterance” (containing ND only). For each utterance type, mean overall speaking rate, mean articulation rate, and mean MLU-m were measured; these variables were used to compare utterance types in each task. Each participant’s AD rate and ND rate from Paradise Fluency Assessment-II were also measured for correlation analyses. Results In reading, overall speaking rate was faster in ND utterance than AD utterance, but in picture description, it was faster in fluent utterance compared to either other category. Regardless of tasks, articulation rate did not differ between utterance types. In both tasks, MLU-m was significantly the shortest in the fluent utterance. During reading, ND rate was negatively correlated with MLUm in the ND utterance. Conclusion Greater utterance length might trigger normal (linguistic) and abnormal disfluencies in AWS. Both utterance type and task influence overall speaking rate, suggesting these features be considered when assessing speech fluency in AWS. Key Words: Stuttering, Type of utterance, Overall speaking rate, Articulation rate, Mean length of utterance-morpheme 중심 단어: 말더듬, 발화 ìœ í˜•, ì „ì²´ë§ì†ë„, 조음속도, í‰ê· í˜•íƒœì†Œê¸¸ì´

Changes in temporal features of speech in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) – case studies

ABSTRACTMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease which, in addition to affecting motor and cognitive functions, may involve language disorders. Despite the importance of speech and language disorders in the quality of life of patients, there are only a few studies about language and speech production difficulties in MS. The aim of this research is to describe the limitation patterns of speech and temporal characteristics of the suprasegmental level in two SPMS cases related to various types of spontaneous speech tasks. We assumed the change of the cognitive load has a greater effect on spontaneous speech in MS patients than in controls. Two SPMS patients, and two sex-, age- and education matched healthy controls were studied. We applied verbal fluency tests (phonemic, episodic, semantic, verb), digit span test, non-word repetition test, Corsi Block Tapping Test, Stroop Colour and Word Test, and Trail Making Test. Token Test was used to measure speech comprehension. The four speech tasks required relatively different degrees of cognitive effort: (a) spontaneous narrative about own life; (b) event description; (c) picture description; (d) narrative recall. Our results show that there are differences between MS patients and controls: MS patients produced slower speech and articulation rate, and they had more and longer pauses in every speech task. Speech tasks and the degree of the cognitive load had a greater effect on MS patients than on control speakers.

Brain volumetric correlates of dysarthria in multiple sclerosis

Although dysarthria is a common pattern in multiple sclerosis (MS), the contribution of specific brain areas to key factors of dysarthria remains unknown. Speech data were acquired from 123 MS patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ranging from 1 to 6.5 and 60 matched healthy controls. Results of computerized acoustic analyses of subtests on spastic and ataxic aspects of dysarthria were correlated with MRI-based brain volume measurements. Slow articulation rate during reading was associated with bilateral white and grey matter loss whereas reduced maximum speed during oral diadochokinesis was related to greater cerebellar involvement. Articulation rate showed similar correlation to whole brain atrophy (r = 0.46, p < 0.001) as the standard clinical scales such as EDSS (r = −0.45, p < 0.001). Our results support the critical role of the pyramidal tract and cerebellum in the modification of motor speech timing in MS.

Polysyllabic shortening in Spanish-English bilingual children

Aims and objectives:Polysyllabic shortening is thought to contribute to the perception of stress-timed rhythm in some languages. Little is known about its use in the speech of children exposed to a language that incorporates it more frequently (e.g. English) and one that incorporates it less frequently (e.g. Spanish). The purpose of the current investigation was to explore polysyllabic shortening in bilingual children’s two languages compared to monolingual Spanish and English comparison groups.Method/Design:We performed a group-level, cross-sectional study comparing the magnitude of polysyllabic shortening for monolingual English- and Spanish-speaking children and Spanish-English bilingual children.Data/Analysis:Sixteen monolingual English speakers, 23 monolingual Spanish speakers, and 16 Spanish-English bilingual speakers produced two- and four-syllable words in English only, Spanish only, or both English and Spanish, respectively. Ages ranged from 4;5 to 7;7 ( M = 5;10, SD = 7 months). English and Spanish words had the same syllable shapes and primary stress locations. Articulation rate was measured by syllables per second. A language history questionnaire and standardized vocabulary test were also administered. Comparisons were made both between and within groups.Results:Both monolingual English and Spanish speakers utilized polysyllabic shortening to similar degrees. Bilingual children produced polysyllabic shortening in English and Spanish to the same degree as their monolingual peers, but they produced it to a greater degree in their own Spanish than in their own English.Conclusion:Polysyllabic shortening might be a universal feature of speech that results from universal phonetic constraints. For the bilingual children, greater use of polysyllabic shortening in Spanish than English may be related to better Spanish than English articulatory control.

Slowed articulation rate is associated with information processing speed decline in multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

BackgroundImpairment of cognition and speech are common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but their relationship is not well understood. ObjectiveTo describe the relationship between articulation rate characteristics and processing speed and to investigate the potential role of objective speech analysis for the detection of cognitive decline in MS. MethodsA total of 122 patients with clinically definite MS were included in this cross-sectional pilot study. Patients underwent three speaking tasks (oral diadochokinesis, reading text and monologue) and assessment of processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test [SDMT], Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test-3 s [PASAT-3]). Association between articulation rate and cognition was analyzed using linear regression analysis. We estimated the area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC) to evaluate the predictive accuracy of articulation rate measures for the detection of abnormal processing speed. ResultsWe observed an association between articulation rate and cognitive measures (rho = 0.45–0.58; p < 0.001). Faster reading speed by one word per second was associated with an 18.7 point (95% confidence interval [CI] 14.9–22.5) increase of the SDMT score and 14.7 (95% CI 8.9–20.4) point increase of PASAT-3 score (both p < 0.001). AUC values of articulation rate characteristics for the identification of processing speed impairment ranged between 0.67 and 0.79. Using a cutoff of 3.10 in reading speed, we were able to identify impairment in both the SDMT and PASAT-3 with 91% sensitivity and 54% specificity. ConclusionSlowed articulation rate is strongly associated with processing speed decline. Objective quantitative speech analysis identified patients with abnormal cognitive performance.

한국어 교원의 발화 조절에 대한 음성학적 연구

A study of linguistic variations in the speech accommodations of Korean teachers was carried out in order to test their ability to adjust utterances during lectures (using two phases: introduction and presentation of a grammatical rule), counseling sessions, and interview situations. A total of ten groups were recruited for six months. A number of acoustic cues, such as F0 distribution, length of utterances, number of syllables, speaking rate, articulation rate, duration of pauses, and syllable duration in prosodic units, were acoustically analyzed. The results of this study indicate the following. (1) Teachers accommodated their speech more during interactive activities with students (lecture and counselling), as compared to during an interview with a native Korean speaker, in terms of F0, number of syllables, and articulation rate. (2) In the presentation of a grammatical rule phase, teachers used a higher-pitched voice and longer pauses than in the introduction phase for the same lesson. (3) Teachers’ conversations during the counselling sessions had shorter pauses than during lectures, although their articulation rates were similar. This study confirms that Korean language teachers adjust their speech by changing its acoustic attributes. The significance of this study is its understanding of the prosodic characteristics of teachers

Quantification of motor speech impairment and its anatomic basis in primary progressive aphasia

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether a quantitative speech measure is effective in identifying and monitoring motor speech impairment (MSI) in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and to investigate the neuroanatomical basis of MSI in PPA.MethodsSixty-four patients with PPA were evaluated at baseline, with a subset (n = 39) evaluated longitudinally. Articulation rate (AR), a quantitative measure derived from spontaneous speech, was measured at each time point. MRI was collected at baseline. Differences in baseline AR were assessed across PPA subtypes, separated by severity level. Linear mixed-effects models were conducted to assess groups differences across PPA subtypes in rate of decline in AR over a 1-year period. Cortical thickness measured from baseline MRIs was used to test hypotheses about the relationship between cortical atrophy and MSI.ResultsBaseline AR was reduced for patients with nonfluent variant PPA (nfvPPA) compared to other PPA subtypes and controls, even in mild stages of disease. Longitudinal results showed a greater rate of decline in AR for the nfvPPA group over 1 year compared to the logopenic and semantic variant subgroups. Reduced baseline AR was associated with cortical atrophy in left-hemisphere premotor and supplementary motor cortices.ConclusionsThe AR measure is an effective quantitative index of MSI that detects MSI in mild disease stages and tracks decline in MSI longitudinally. The AR measure also demonstrates anatomic localization to motor speech–specific cortical regions. Our findings suggest that this quantitative measure of MSI might have utility in diagnostic evaluation and monitoring of MSI in PPA.