Regional speech rates in the United States: A preliminary analysis

This study compared rates of speech found in naturally occurring contexts in the United States. Ninety‐three samples of speech were recorded at regional, public universities in various locations in the United States including the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and the Upper Midwest. The speech samples were taken from two contexts, university courses in public speaking and courses in group discussion. Rates in words per minute were calculated from transcriptions and comparisons were made on the basis of gender, region, and context. Significant differences were found for context. However, there were no significant differences for gender or region. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.