Disfluent whole-word repetitions across the lifespan

Durational patterns and functions

Absztrakt

Frequency of disfluencies in speech is often analysed in different age groups, but functions of certain types of disfluencies are rarely examined. The aim of this study is to analyse durational patterns and functions of the repeated words in diverse age groups (from preschool children to elderly speakers). Functions of repetitions are well determinable from their durational patterns and pauses around the first and second instances of the repeated words. Results show that disfluent word-repetitions are good predictors for detecting some age-dependent changes in speech production process.