What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore how average information rate in speech relates to information density and speech rate across languages.

September 1, 2011Language253 citations

A cross-language perspective on speech information rate

FPFrançois PellegrinoUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1 CCChristophe CoupéEducation University of Hong Kong EMEgidio MarsicoMaison des Sciences de l'Homme Lyon St-Étienne

Key Points

To explore how average information rate in speech relates to information density and speech rate across languages.
Analyzed speech communication in seven different languages
Evaluated the correlation between information density and speech rate
Investigated implications on syllabic complexity
Found a negative correlation between information density and speech rate
Identified multiple encoding strategies that do not maintain constant information rates
Results suggest complexity in how information is structured in speech across languages

Abstract

This article is a crosslinguistic investigation of the hypothesis that the average information rate conveyed during speech communication results from a trade-off between average information density and speech rate. The study, based on seven languages, shows a negative correlation between density and rate, indicating the existence of several encoding strategies. However, these strategies do not necessarily lead to a constant information rate. These results are further investigated in relation to the notion of syllabic complexity.

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