title: Durational characteristics of the first productions of novel trochees and iambs in children with and without speech delay.
abstract: The durational characteristics of novel words produced in repeated trials were evaluated in separate groups of children with, and without speech delay (SD). Children produced disyllabic novel words containing either a trochaic or iambic stress pattern. Results of acoustic analysis indicated a significant interaction between trial number and speaker group. The duration of words produced by children without SD decreased more abruptly across successive trials as compared to children with SD. In addition, duration decreased at a faster rate for trochaic words as compared to iambic words in both groups. Variability of word duration was greater in iambs than trochees. The results are discussed in terms of speech motor learning patterns that may underlie difficulties associated with SD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5724, USA. allan.b.smith@umit.maine.edu
authors.forename: Allan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Robb
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013997:Time Factors