Variability in Word Duration as a Function of Probability, Speech Style, and Prosody

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10255784
AutoresRachel E Baker (0000-0002-2661-8103, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA,, autor de correspondencia), Ann Bradlow (0000-0001-5560-6059, Northwestern University), Ann R Bradlow (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA)
Año2009
Volumen52
Número4
Páginas391-413
Fecha de publicación2009-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaLanguage and Speech (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0023-8309 • E-ISSN: 1756-6053
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0023830909336575
PMID20121039
OpenAlexW2016597489
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas43
Referencias citadas29

This article examines how probability (lexical frequency and previous mention), speech style, and prosody affect word duration, and how these factors interact. Participants read controlled materials in clear and plain speech styles. As expected, more probable words (higher frequencies and second mentions) were significantly shorter than less probable words, and words in plain speech were significantly shorter than those in clear speech. Interestingly, we found second mention reduction effects in both clear and plain speech, indicating that while clear speech is hyper-articulated, this hyper-articulation does not override probabilistic effects on duration. We also found an interaction between mention and frequency, but only in plain speech. High frequency words allowed more second mention reduction than low frequency words in plain speech, revealing a tendency to hypo-articulate as much as possible when all factors support it. Finally, we found that first mentions were more likely to be accented than second mentions. However, when these differences in accent likelihood were controlled, a significant second mention reduction effect remained. This supports the concept of a direct link between probability and duration, rather than a relationship solely mediated by prosodic prominence

Acoustics · Articulation (sociology · Duration (music · Linguistics · Prosody · Sentence · Speech production · Speech recognition · Stress (linguistics · Style (visual arts · Word (group theory · Word lists by frequency · Computer Science · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation