Research
Welcome to our research page! Here, you will find information about scholarly work that relates to speech rate perception. For each paper, we provide an APA-style citation, the paper's abstract, and a link to view the full text on the publisher's website (if applicable).
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Citation: Chappell, W. (2016). On the social perception of intervocalic/s/voicing in Costa Rican Spanish. Language Variation and Change, 28(3), 357.
Abstract: To decipher for the first time what, if any, social meaning is indexed by nonstandard intervocalic /s/ voicing in Costa Rica, such as [paza] for pasa ‘raisin’, the present study digitally manipulates 12 utterances from six Costa Rican speakers to vary only in intervocalic [s] versus [z]. Based on 106 listeners’ responses to these stimuli, I find that intervocalic [z] indexes a lower social status for all speakers but also yields higher ratings of confidence, niceness, localness, and masculinity for male speakers. Given female speakers’ limited ability to evoke positive social meanings associated with [z], I argue that accessibility to the indexical field (Eckert, 2008) conditions men’s and women’s differential treatment of variation. Offering a satisfying explanation for the gender paradox (Labov, 2001:261–293), this work concludes that women agentively eschew nonstandard variants that result in no positive social gains but lead linguistic innovation when their access to the indexical field is unobstructed.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954394516000107
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Citation: García-Amaya, L., Kendro, K., & Henriksen, N. (2023). Regional variation, articulation rate, and pausing patterns in three varieties of Spanish. Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences.
Abstract: Previous studies of Spanish speech rate and pausing rates treat the language as a monolith rather than considering whether regional variation exists. We collected speech data from speakers of North-Central Peninsular (NCPS), Andalusian Spanish, and Porteño Spanish. The results of mixed-effects modeling show: Porteño speakers have the slowest articulation rate; NCPS female speakers have the highest phonation-time ratio; NCPS speakers produce the shortest silent pauses; and Porteño speakers produce the longest filled pauses. We contextualize the findings with respect to whether the observed regional differences may be explained through phonological bases (e.g., rhythm and stress, reductions, etc.).
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Citation: Magloire, J., & Green, K. P. (1999). A cross-language comparison of speaking rate effects on the production of voice onset time in English and Spanish. Phonetica, 56(3-4), 158-185.
Abstract: Of interest in the current study was how voice inset time (VOT) was influenced by changes in speaking rate across Spanish and English. Three groups of subjects (English monolinguals, Spanish monolinguals and early Spanish-English bilinguals) produced sentences containing voiced and voiceless bilabial stops at different speaking rates. As in previous research, English monolinguals showed rate-dependent effects on their VOT productions: VOT increased as speaking rate decreased. Spanish monolinguals showed a large effect of speaking rate on the duration of prevoicing of the voiced stops. However, they showed only a small effect of rate on the VOT of their voiceless stops. The bilinguals produced VOT values in each language that were nearly identical to their monolingual counterparts. The results from this study indicate that short-lag stops experience minimal variation as a function of speaking rate regardless of the other contrasting phonetic categories within a particular language. In addition, early bilinguals showed evidence of separate representations for voiced and voiceless stops for English and Spanish.
Link: https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/28449
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Citation: Medina, A., Socarras, G., & Krishnamurti, S. (2020). L2 Spanish Listening Comprehension: The Role of Speech Rate, Utterance Length, and L2 Oral Proficiency. The Modern Language Journal, 104(2), 439-456.
Abstract: This study explored the influence of speech rate (normal vs. fast), sentence length (short vs. long), and second language (L2) oral proficiency on listening comprehension in L2 Spanish. Thirty‐one native English‐speaking learners enrolled in upper‐level Spanish courses were aurally exposed to 8 sentences of each type of speed–length matrix, for a total of 32 sentences in Spanish. Listeners’ comprehension was measured through native language recall following each sentence. Generalized estimating equations revealed that sentence length and oral proficiency were both significant predictors of listening comprehension in L2 Spanish, as were speed × oral proficiency and length × oral proficiency interactions. While lengthier utterances decreased comprehension, the extent of their influence was impacted by L2 oral proficiency, as measured by a standardized test. High oral proficiency helped to combat the negative effect of lengthier utterances. Moreover, accelerated speech degraded listening comprehension for higher proficiency participants only—not for their lower proficiency counterparts due to the latter's low comprehension scores at both normal and fast rates of sentence delivery. The results are discussed in light of previous empirical studies on listening ability. The current study contributes to the recent exploration of the variables involved in the complex process of L2 listening comprehension, discusses implications for pedagogy and the creation of listening materials, and suggests avenues for future research.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12639
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Citation: Pellegrino, F., Coupé, C., & Marsico, E. (2011). A cross-language perspective on speech information rate. Language, 539-558.
Abstract: This article is a crosslinguistic investigation of the hypothesis that the average information rate conveyed during speech communication results from a trade-off between average information density and speech rate. The study, based on seven languages, shows a negative correlation between density and rate, indicating the existence of several encoding strategies. However, these strategies do not necessarily lead to a constant information rate. These results are further investigated in relation to the notion of syllabic complexity.
Link: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23011654
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Citation: Prieto, P., & Torreira, F. (2007). The segmental anchoring hypothesis revisited: Syllable structure and speech rate effects on peak timing in Spanish. Journal of Phonetics, 35(4), 473-500.
Abstract: This paper addresses the validity of the segmental anchoring hypothesis for tonal landmarks (henceforth, SAH) as described in recent work by (among others) Ladd, Faulkner, D., Faulkner, H., & Schepman [1999. Constant ‘segmental’ anchoring of f0 movements under changes in speech rate. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 106, 1543–1554], Ladd [2003. Phonological conditioning of f0 target alignment. In: M. J. Solé, D. Recasens, & J. Romero (Eds.), Proceedings of the XVth international congress of phonetic sciences, Vol. 1, (pp. 249–252). Barcelona: Causal Productions; in press. Segmental anchoring of pitch movements: Autosegmental association or gestural coordination? Italian Journal of Linguistics, 18 (1)]. The alignment of LH* prenuclear peaks with segmental landmarks in controlled speech materials in Peninsular Spanish is analyzed as a function of syllable structure type (open, closed) of the accented syllable, segmental composition, and speaking rate. Contrary to the predictions of the SAH, alignment was affected by syllable structure and speech rate in significant and consistent ways. In: CV syllables the peak was located around the end of the accented vowel, and in CVC syllables around the beginning-mid part of the sonorant coda, but still far from the syllable boundary. With respect to the effects of rate, peaks were located earlier in the syllable as speech rate decreased.
The results suggest that the accent gestures under study are synchronized with the syllable unit. In general, the longer the syllable, the longer the rise time. Thus the fundamental idea of the anchoring hypothesis can be taken as still valid. On the other hand, the tonal alignment patterns reported here can be interpreted as the outcome of distinct modes of gestural coordination in syllable-initial vs. syllable-final position: gestures at syllable onsets appear to be more tightly coordinated than gestures at the end of syllables [Browman, C. P., & Goldstein, L.M. (1986). Towards an articulatory phonology. Phonology Yearbook, 3, 219–252; Browman, C. P., & Goldstein, L. (1988). Some notes on syllable structure in articulatory phonology. Phonetica, 45, 140–155; (1992). Articulatory Phonology: An overview. Phonetica, 49, 155–180; Krakow (1999). Physiological organization of syllables: A review. Journal of Phonetics, 27, 23–54; among others]. Intergestural timing can thus provide a unifying explanation for (1) the contrasting behavior between the precise synchronization of L valleys with the onset of the syllable and the more variable timing of the end of the f0 rise, and, more specifically, for (2) the right-hand tonal pressure effects and ‘undershoot’ patterns displayed by peaks at the ends of syllables and other prosodic domains.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2007.01.001
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Citation: Rojas Contreras, D., Román Montes de Oca, D., Quezada Gaponov, C., Pino Castillo, J. (2019). Velocidad del habla en niños de Santiago de Chile. Una comparación entre tres niveles etarios. Lengua y habla.
Abstract: Determining reference values for speech-rate may be of value both for theoreticians from different fields and for speech therapy practitioners. This study was conceived with three goals: firstly, to describe speech rate among children from Santiago, Chile, grouped by age-level. Secondly, to inspect possible between-group statistical differences, given children’s age. Finally, to determine whether different ways of operationalizing speech rate are equivalent or not, four measures were observed: allophones per second (a/s), syllables per second (s/s), syllables per minute (s/m), and words per minute (p/m). The sample consisted of 61 participants: 22 children in the 4.01- 5.05 years range, 19 children in the 5.07-6.10 years range, and 20 children in the 11.01-15.00 years range. Results showed that older children speak faster than younger children. Also, no differences were found between the four different criteria used to operationalize speech rate.
Link: https://www.redalyc.org/journal/5119/511966657015/511966657015.pdf
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Citation: Santiago, F., & Mairano, P. (2022). Spaniards articulate faster than Mexicans: Temporal patterns in two varieties of Spanish. Spanish in Context.
Abstract: We analyse articulation rate and speech rate, number and duration of pauses for 22 speakers of two regional varieties of Spanish (Madrilenian vs Mexican) in three different tasks (reading, picture description and interview). Our results show that speakers from Madrid have higher articulation rate and speech rate than speakers from Mexico, but that such differences are mainly observed in spontaneous speech (picture description). Instead, the number and duration of pauses were not significantly affected by the origin of speakers. Some methodological issues are discussed in order to make legitimate inferences from this exploratory study.
Link: https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/sic.20013.san
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Citation: Schmidt, A. M., & Flege, J. E. (1996). Speaking rate effects on stops produced by Spanish and English monolinguals and Spanish/English bilinguals. Phonetica, 53(3), 162-179.
Abstract: Four groups of 10 subjects each (English and Spanish monolinguals, and two groups of Spanish/English bilinguals) produced Spanish or English sentences at speaking rates designated 'normal’. ‘slow’, and ‘fast’. Voice onset time (VOT) was measured in word-initial tokens of/p/ and /t/ found in sentence-initial, -medial. and -final words. The four groups produced comparable changes in sentence duration across the three rates. The speaking rate changes exerted less effect on the VOT in stops spoken by the Spanish than the English monolinguals. Moreover, whereas English monolinguals produced /p. t/ (with shorter VOT at a fast than at a normal rate, many Spanish monolinguals showed a trend in the opposite direction. As expected, all 10 early bilinguals produced English stops with VOT values that were similar to the English monolinguals’. They also showed speaking rate effects on VOT that were similar to those observed for the English monolinguals. The late bilinguals, who had begun learning English as adults, showed smaller effects of speaking rate on VOT than did the English monolinguals. Their mean VOT values for English stops spanned a wide range of values. Just 3 of the late bilinguals produced English stops with VOT values that fell within the range of values observed for the English monolinguals.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1159/000262196
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Citation: Schwab, S. (2015). Las variables temporales en el español de Costa Rica y de España: un estudio comparativo. Revista de Filología y Lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica, 41(1), 127-139.
Abstract: El objetivo de esta investigación es describir las variables temporales en dos variantes del español: una de Costa Rica (San José) y la otra de España (Barcelona). De manera más específica, se examinan, con una perspectiva comparativa, la velocidad de elocución, el número de pausas, su duración y la velocidad de articulación en una tarea de lectura en voz alta. También se estudia el efecto de la edad y del sexo del locutor en la velocidad de articulación, así como el efecto de la longitud del enunciado, ya que se ha demostrado que estos factores afectan a la velocidad de articulación en otras lenguas como el francés, el inglés o el neerlandés. Los resultados principales del presente trabajo indican, por una parte, que los locutores costarricenses realizan pausas más largas que los locutores españoles y, por otra parte, que los locutores de las dos variantes presentan una velocidad de articulación similar, que se ve afectada por factores tanto extralingüísticos (i.e. la edad o la profesión de los locutores) como lingüísticos (i.e. longitud del enunciado).
Link: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/filyling/article/view/21193
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Citation: Vaane, E. (1982). Subjective estimation of speech rate. Phonetica, 39(2-3), 136-149.
Abstract: The presupposition that listeners tend to estimate speech of an unfamiliar language as being faster than speech in their mother tongue was tested by means of a perception test consisting of five different languages (Dutch, English, French, Spanish and Moroccan Arabic) and three different speech rates (normal, fast and extra fast). The perception test was offered to two listening panels, differing in level of familiarity with one language (English) and in general listening ability (trained versus untrained listeners). The results indicate that the presupposition has to be rejected, as both panels were able to estimate the speech rate of items of different languages and intended speech rates with great accuracy and agreement. The results also indicate that the listeners’ main cue for tempo detection is not their knowledge of the lexical information of the signal, but rather some temporal feature or features in the speech signal.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1159/000261656
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Citation: Voigt, S., & Schüppert, A. (2013). Articulation rate and syllable reduction in Spanish and Portuguese. Phonetics in Europe: Perception and production, 317-332.
Abstract: This study compares canonical and phonetic articulation rates of European Spanish and Portuguese based on radio podcasts. The main goal of the investigation is to establish the degree of syllable deletion based on vowel/consonant elision in both languages. The results show that Portuguese and Spanish speakers exhibit no difference in canonical articulation rate but Portuguese speakers reduce syllables significantly more than Spanish speakers due to vowel elision in post-stressed and final position, which results in longer, but fewer syllables per second.
Link: https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/articulation-rate-and-syllable-reduction-in-spanish-and-portugues
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Citation: Zampini, M. L. (1998). The relationship between the production and perception of L2 Spanish stops. Texas papers in foreign language education, 3(3), 85-100.
Abstract: A study explored the relationship between the second language (L2) production of the Spanish stop consonants /p/ and /b/. Subjects were native English-speaking students enrolled in an undergraduate Spanish phonetics course. Data were collected on their production of Spanish /p,b/ in sentence context, and on their perceptual boundary between the phonemes as reflected by changes in voice onset time (VOT). Mean production and perception VOTs were compared. Results do not reveal a strong correlation between learners' perceptual abilities and production of the L2 Spanish stops. In particular, while some learners' L2 productions approximated those of native Spanish speakers, their perceptual boundaries were similar to boundaries for monolingual English speakers, and vice versa.
Link: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED427520
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Citation: Stölten, K., Abrahamsson, N., & Hyltenstam, K. (2015). Effects of age and speaking rate on voice onset time. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 37(1), 71.
Abstract: As part of a research project on the investigation of second language (L2) ultimate attainment in 41 Spanish early and late near-native speakers of L2 Swedish, the present study reports on voice onset time (VOT) analyses of the production of Swedish word-initial voiceless stops, /p t k/. Voice onset time is analyzed in milliseconds as well as in percentages of word duration, thereby accounting for speaking rate effects. The results revealed an overall age effect on VOT production; however, this age effect became salient and statistically significant for all three stops only when speaking rate was taken into consideration. Similarly, when speaking rate was accounted for, only a small minority of the late learners exhibited actual nativelike L2 behavior, and most (but far from all) early learners performed within native-speaker range. The results are taken as an indication for relative VOT, as opposed to absolute VOT, constituting a reliable measure of nativelike L2 stop production, which has important implications for future research on age effects and maturational constraints in L2 acquisition.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263114000151
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Citation: Schmidt, A. M., & Flege, J. E. (1995). Effects of speaking rate changes on native and nonnative speech production. Phonetica, 52(1), 41-54.
Abstract: Twenty monolingual English speakers and 40 native Spanish speakers, who were either relatively proficient or nonproficient in English, produced English /p/ at self-selected normal and fast speaking rates. The native English (NE) subjects showed much the same rate effect on voice onset time (VOT) seen in earlier studies. Native Spanish (NS) subjects who were relatively proficient in pronouncing English used fewer short-lag stops and showed an English-like rate effect on VOT. NS subjects who were relatively nonproficient in English, on the other hand, used more short-lag stops and did not show a significant speaking rate effect on VOT, although they did demonstrate speaking rate effects on vowel duration and phrase duration. Among the NS subjects were 21 whose VOT values closely matched those of the NE subjects at both speaking rates, and who showed a rate effect similar to that found for the NE subjects. Their ability to modify VOT across speaking rates suggested that these NS subjects may have established a phonetic category for English /p/.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1159/000262028
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Citation: Zhang, L. T., & Cassany, D. (2019). ‘Is it always so fast?’: Chinese perceptions of Spanish through danmu video comments. Spanish in Context, 16(2), 217-242.
Abstract: While much research has proved the benefits of subtitled audiovisuals for foreign language learning, few studies address such practices in out-of-classroom settings or focus on Asia-based video-sharing platforms. This study bridges this gap by introducing an increasingly popular viewing-commenting system in Japan and China, known as danmu or danmaku, which displays viewers’ timeline-synchronized comments on video content. We analyse the metalinguistic comments which entail viewers’ knowledge of the language, their comprehension issues and sociolinguistic attitudes toward its use. Adopting an inductive or data-driven methodology, we extracted and manually coded 390 comments that are related to the Spanish language, Spanish–Chinese translation and learning Spanish. Results show that viewers are mostly interested in linguistic features that differ from Chinese or English (e.g. the complex grammar) and they use danmu to access sociolinguistic issues that are central to daily communication such as the fast speech rate, language varieties, and frequent use of vulgarisms.