Linguistic timing factors in combination

Area of Science:

• Phonetics
• Speech Science
• Linguistics

Background:

• Understanding linguistic timing is crucial for speech production models.
• Klatt's timing model provides a framework for analyzing speech sound durations.
• Investigating the interplay of phonetic features and prosody in speech timing is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine how linguistic timing factors interact in English speech production.
• To test and explore aspects of Klatt's speech timing model.
• To analyze the influence of vowel tenseness and stop voicing on syllable timing.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted manipulating vowel tenseness, stop voicing, and syllable structure.
• Vowel (V) and stop closure (C) durations were measured.
• Speaking tempo and word length (number of unstressed syllables) were varied.

Main Results:

• A formal timing model was developed to account for experimental findings.
• The model specifies Vm + C duration based on tempo/word length.
• The model predicts Vm/C ratio based on stop voicing and adjusts vowel length by a constant ratio.

Conclusions:

• The integrated model successfully explains "incompressibility" effects and prosodic properties.
• The model accounts for constant V/C ratios observed in perception studies.
• This research refines the understanding of phonetic feature interactions in speech timing.