Re: perecption of durational variability

[Volker Dellwo <v.dellwo@xxxxxxxxx>]

>> Hi Pierre:
>>
>> Were those data obtained in rhythmic contexts? What is your take on
>> the data summarized by Friberg and Sundberg (1995)? They clearly
>> show a discontinuity at 200-300 ms.

> Bruno, No, the data I was referring to were all collected using 
mostly > 2AFC methods to compare two time intervals separated by a longer
> intertrial interval selected to avoid the impression of synchrony.
> Thus, the experiments had little if anything in common with Friberg's
> and Sundberg's study. Pierre At 11:34 AM 4/4/2007, Bruno Repp wrote:


Bruno and Pierre,

thank you so much for your helpful suggestions!

The work on rhythm is more what I am looking for. I found a big effect 
of rate on listeners' perception of speech rhythm. I assume that it may 
have something to do with listeners not being able to detect interval 
variability in speech any more when the intervals under investigation 
are shorter (typically the case in so called 'syllable-timed languages' 
because they posses simpler phonotactic structures). So I am looking for 
evidence showing at what rate interval distinction ability breaks down 
in rhythmic contexts.

However, all interval durations I am looking at (syllables, c- or 
v-intervals) are well below 200 ms in any language I have collected data 
on, which, judged by the rhythm findings, would mean that listeners 
should not be able to detect durational variability at all between any 
of the speech intervals (when judging duration only!) and that can 
hardly be true. It probably has to do with the fact that interval 
variability in my speech stimuli is much more complex and do not fulfill 
the criterion of isochrony in the way they do it in the Friberg & 
Sundberg study. I am working on an explanation...

Best wishes & thanks again,
Volker

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Volker Dellwo
Department of Phonetics & Linguistics
University College London

phone: +44 (0)20 7679 5003 (internal: 25003)

www.phon.ucl.ac.uk
www.phonetiklabor.de
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