title: The relationship between speech segment duration and vowel centralization in a group of older speakers.
abstract: 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 [ɐ:], [ 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders and New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, Canterbury 8140, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Annalise R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders and New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, Canterbury 8140, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Megan J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.affiliation: School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Kaitlin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lansford
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA.
authors.forename: Julie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liss
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010699:Phonation; D010700:Phonetics; D012737:Sex Factors; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013997:Time Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior