TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between speech segment duration and vowel centralization in a group of older speakers
AU - Fletcher, Annalise R.
AU - McAuliffe, Megan J.
AU - Lansford, Kaitlin L.
AU - Liss, Julie
PY - 2015/10/1
Y1 - 2015/10/1
N2 - This study examined the relationship between average vowel duration and spectral vowel quality across a group of 149 New Zealand English speakers aged 65 to 90 yr. The primary intent was to determine whether participants who had a natural tendency to speak slowly would also produce more spectrally distinct vowel segments. As a secondary aim, this study investigated whether advancing age exhibited a measurable effect on vowel quality and vowel durations within the group. In examining vowel quality, both flexible and static formant extraction points were compared. Two formant measurements, from selected [?:], [i:], and [o:] vowels, were extracted from a standard passage and used to calculate two measurements of vowel space area (VSA) for each speaker. Average vowel duration was calculated from segments across the passage. The study found a statistically significant relationship between speakers' average vowel durations and VSA measurements indicating that, on average, speakers with slower speech rates produced more acoustically distinct speech segments. As expected, increases in average vowel duration were found with advancing age. However, speakers' formant values remained unchanged. It is suggested that the use of a habitually slower speaking rate may assist speakers in maintaining acoustically distinct vowels.
AB - This study examined the relationship between average vowel duration and spectral vowel quality across a group of 149 New Zealand English speakers aged 65 to 90 yr. The primary intent was to determine whether participants who had a natural tendency to speak slowly would also produce more spectrally distinct vowel segments. As a secondary aim, this study investigated whether advancing age exhibited a measurable effect on vowel quality and vowel durations within the group. In examining vowel quality, both flexible and static formant extraction points were compared. Two formant measurements, from selected [?:], [i:], and [o:] vowels, were extracted from a standard passage and used to calculate two measurements of vowel space area (VSA) for each speaker. Average vowel duration was calculated from segments across the passage. The study found a statistically significant relationship between speakers' average vowel durations and VSA measurements indicating that, on average, speakers with slower speech rates produced more acoustically distinct speech segments. As expected, increases in average vowel duration were found with advancing age. However, speakers' formant values remained unchanged. It is suggested that the use of a habitually slower speaking rate may assist speakers in maintaining acoustically distinct vowels.
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U2 - 10.1121/1.4930563
DO - 10.1121/1.4930563
M3 - Article
C2 - 26520296
AN - SCOPUS:84944769242
SN - 0001-4966
VL - 138
SP - 2132
EP - 2139
JO - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
JF - Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
IS - 4
ER -