ARTICULATORY AND PERCEPTUAL CORRELATES OF SYLLABLE STRUC

本提案描述了将确定英语语音生产中基本音节类型的发音，声学和感知相关性的研究。本研究也为今后确定语音中音节组织出现的因素的研究提供了基础。描述了两个项目，其中采用了一种启发范式，在这种范式中，说话者按照节拍器的时间重复各种音节结构的符号。然后，每个实验都检验以不同速率产生序列的效果。一项初步研究表明，每种音节类型的特点是在极端不同的速率下，在不同的时间方面具有稳定性。此外，该试验还揭示了随着说话人的语速变化而发生的情态变化。第一个提议的项目将分析先前获得的一组发音数据，其中包括矢状面发音运动以及声门打开时间过程的指示器。这些发音记录将分析基本音节结构的相关性，以及由于语速变化而导致的时间组织的梯度和突然变化。这样的分析将揭示手势时间的各个方面，这些方面对于特定的音节结构保持稳定，并且受到系统速率变化的影响。在第二个项目中，声学记录将被提交给感知分析，以确定听者在识别音节类型时使用了发音和声学的哪些方面。通过这种方式，也可以获得音节结构的感知关联。本文提出的研究将为基本音节类型的时间结构提供明确的表征，并为确定产生和感知的因素在一般语音中产生音节结构提供基础。该项目的研究结果将对语音产生、语音失用、语言习得和语言学的研究进展具有重要意义。

This proposal describes research which will determine articulatory, acoustic and perceptual correlates of the basic syllabic types in English speech production. This research also provides the basis for future research which will determine the factors which contribute to the appearance of syllabic organization in speech. Two projects are described which employ an elicitation paradigm in which speakers repeat tokens of various syllable structures in time to a metronome. Each experiment, then, examines the effect of producing sequences at different rates. A pilot study has revealed that each syllable type is characterized by stability in various temporal aspects across an extreme variety of rates. Also the pilot reveals modality shifts which occur as speakers change rates. The first proposed project will analyze a previously acquired set of articulatory data which includes articulatory motion in the sagittal plane as well as an indicator of the time course of glottal opening. These articulatory records will be analyzed for correlates of basic syllable structures, as well as for gradient and sudden changes in temporal organization due to rate changes. Such analyses will reveal aspects of gestural timing which remain stable for a particular syllable structure, and which are subject to systematic rate variation. In the second project, acoustic records will be submitted to perceptual analyses in order to determine which aspects of the articulation and acoustics are used by listeners in identifying a syllabic type. In this manner, perceptual correlates of syllable structure will also be obtained. The research proposed here will provide a definitive characterization of the temporal structure of basic syllable types, as well as provide a foundation for determining what factors in production and perception give rise to syllabic structure in speech in general. The findings of this project will thus be important for advances in research in speech production, speech apraxia, language acquisition and linguistics.