Speaking rate consistency in native and non-native speakers of English

Abstract

Non-native speech differs from native speech in multiple ways. Previous research has described segmental and suprasegmental differences between native and non-native speech in terms of group averages. For example, average speaking rate for non-natives is slower than for natives. However, it is unknown whether non-native speech is also more variable than native speech. This study introduces a method of comparing rate change across utterances, demonstrating that non-native speaking rate is more variable than native speech. These results suggest that future work examining non-native speech perception and production should investigate both mean differences and variability in the signal.