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Constancy of relative timing for stutterers and nonstutterers
R A Prosek1, A A Montgomery, B E Walden
1Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
|December 1, 1988
Summary
This study found that relative timing in speech production remains consistent in people who stutter, even when surrounding speech becomes fluent. This suggests relative timing is key for fluent utterances, unaffected by stuttering.
Area of Science:
- Speech-language pathology
- Acoustic phonetics
- Neuroscience of speech
Background:
- Stuttering is a complex speech disorder affecting fluency.
- Understanding the acoustic properties of fluent speech in stutterers is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate relative timing parameters in stutterers' speech.
- To compare acoustic timing between stutterers and nonstutterers across repeated readings.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen stutterers and 15 nonstutterers repeatedly read a passage.
- Sentences with varying fluency were analyzed for acoustic period and latency.
- Relative timing ratios were calculated and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in relative timing ratios were found between stutterers and nonstutterers.
- Stutterers showed improved fluency in surrounding sentences across readings.
- Relative timing remained consistent despite changes in speech rate.
Conclusions:
- Not all speech aspects are impacted by stuttering.
- Relative timing appears to be a critical factor in producing fluent utterances.
- Acoustic analysis can reveal underlying mechanisms of speech fluency.