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Evidence of Absence: Abstract Metrical Structure in Speech Planning
Brett R Myers1,2, Duane G Watson3
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Utah.
Cognitive Science
|August 11, 2021
Summary
Speakers find it harder to produce regular speech rhythms, with irregular rhythms leading to faster speech and fewer errors. This suggests speech rhythm planning is not independent of phonemes.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Speech Production
- Phonetics and Phonology
Background:
- Speech rhythm involves patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables.
- English speakers aim for rhythmic harmony by distributing stress evenly.
- The planning of metrical structure during speech production remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how speakers plan metrical structure during speech production.
- To determine if metrical structure planning is independent of phonemes.
Main Methods:
- A tongue twister task was employed.
- Disyllabic word pairs with overlapping phonological segments were used.
- Word pairs featured either matching or non-matching metrical structures.
Main Results:
- Speakers experienced greater difficulty producing metrically regular word pairs.
- Metrically irregular word pairs were produced faster and with fewer errors.
- Metrical regularity inhibited speech production.
Conclusions:
- The findings challenge the notion of an abstract metrical structure planned independently of phonemes.
- Speech rhythm planning appears to be integrated with phonological encoding.
- Production difficulty with regularity suggests a complex interplay between rhythm and sound.
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