Effect of Speaking Rate on Labial Consonant Production

Abstract This experiment used electromyography and direct, high-speed motion picture photography, in combination, to describe the effect of speaking rate on the production of labial consonants. Electromyographic signals from a number of facial muscles were recorded simultaneously with high-speed motion pictures of the lips, from two subjects. The speech material consisted of syllables containing the consonants /p b m w/ in both CV and VC combinations with the vowels /i a u/. The major finding of this experiment is that an increase in speaking rate is accompanied by both an increase in the activity level of the muscle as well as an increase in the speed of movement of the articulators. The data also showed certain manner effects and instances of both subject-to-subject and individual token variability. These findings are discussed in terms of theoretical models of speech production.