FAST SPEECH-A BARRIER TO GOOD COMMUNICATION by Bill Paschell
Washington Area Group for the Hard of Hearing
March 20, 2005
INTRODUCTION: As co-founder with
Dr. Richard Israel of the Washington Area Group for the Hard-of-Hearing
in September 1974, in my 30 years as an activist for the group I never
saw an article on this Fast Speech issue. Dr. Israel sent me an
excellent article on the topic by Dr. Deborah Tannen, a Linguistic
Professor at George Washington University in Washington, DC. I turned
to our hearing professionals at the American Speech Language and
Hearing Association (ASHA) for background information. I was told they
were not prepared to do research but would agree to consider any
"evidenced research" article I submitted to them for publication in
their monthly newsletter.
When I learned of Dr. Tun's research
efforts and contacted her I had all the research needed to prepare my
paper. It should be kept in mind that none of the research done had
participants who were hard of hearing or deaf. Such research should be
underway, perhaps in 2004, as the Volen Center received a grant to
pursue research using hearing impaired individuals.
The
principal researchers I found on Fast Speech were Biologists,
Psychologists (Dr. Tun is one), Linguistic Professors and Neurologists.
Our hearing professionals sometimes were team members of studies but
not in the forefront of research. And, while there has been research
dating back at least 30 years, little action seems to have been taken
on the issue. ASHA had advised me that such research was the province
of universities and gave me two to write to. I tried and neither one
acknowledge my request.
The goal I originally set of a research
paper became secondary to my present goal of getting maximum exposure
of the problems involved through access to any interested media,
membership organizations of the hearing impaired, organizations such as
AARP, and trying to get the month of May, Hearing Month to got
involved, etc.
WHAT IS FAST SPEECH? In numbers, rate of words
per minute (wpm). The average is 130 wpm. Researchers also set a limit
for normal speech at 140 to 180, above that Fast Speech begins. I think
that variations both above and below these figures can depend on
numerous factors that we have as Individuals. Another way of defining
it is that Fast Speech is spoken so quickly, it may not be heard at all
by listeners, or just as sound not understood because of the distortion
in pronunciation affects your understanding. With the addition of 1
word in speech per second to the average 130 wpm figure, you are on the
Fast Speech track at 240 wpm. As researchers have noted we are a speedy
nation. The pace of technology especially has added to the need for
fast use of information, and in business affairs, speed can result in
profit. Examples are found in TV broadcasts where additional profits
can flow from the extra time saved in speedy speech delivery.
One research study used a computer to delete certain speech elements
but still when played back from a CD sounded just like a normal voice.
Delivery was fast. A rerun of the CD resulting in speech delivery at a
normal rate brought anticipated results. Older people who were
adversely affected in understanding the fast speech, and younger people
affected to a lesser degree, recovered substantially with slowed down
speech. As researchers noted, recall or memory is not possible because
the fast speech just passed by the ear.
Voice quality, loud
noise, and other distractions also take their toll. Neurologists have
found that as aging occurs, certain cells are vulnerable to
destruction. They include brain cells that are involved in mental
activity. However, new cells may be formed if certain activities are
pursued in elder age such as music and chess and others later discussed.
Dr. Tun says the bottom line is 3 factors: speed, memory and sensual
acuity which include hearing and sight. The 3 factors are in short
supply for the aging population.
Also, there are 3 major speech
signals to consider. Pitch, Articulation and Timbre also called Tambre,
but both pronounced as an 'er' at the end. Pitch is well known to us as
the differences as in alto and say soprano. Probably the greatest
effect is on listeners who mainly understand high pitch. Timbre, a word
whose origin is throat, is sometimes described as speech coming from
the back of the throat. To me it is a blanket that covers speech. I do
not understand it. As regards articulation, if you have encountered
fast speech, you may have realized that the clashing of words brings
the distortion that can affect your understanding.
Will baby
boomers be affected by fast speech? That information is not yet
available. If practice and experience in usage began early on, and such
factors are deemed important in preserving certain brain changes, what
may the answer be? Perhaps future research will tell US.
Distractions: Noted earlier was the fact that noise was a major
distraction that could affect understanding. Even music which many
people enjoy, if present in a restaurant you go to. Getting scraps of
conversation may be the result or if causing serious interference may
just wipe out understanding. Just one loud voice reaching you from an
adjoining table is enough to create a problem.
Another more
recent type of distraction came with the use of cell phones. News items
appear that indicate that for some drivers it is a major distraction. A
few months ago, a federal judge ruled that it would be illegal to use a
hand held cell phone while driving in the Washington D. C. region.
This list is far from complete as you probably know many others exist.
PREVENTIVES: Researchers have cited good health as a leading factor
that can help in maintaining your normal levels of activity. Exercise,
especially walking, is highly recommended. All kinds of mental activity
from reading to doing crossword puzzles can be very helpful aids.
Socialization through membership in all kinds of organizations can also
be a compensatory factor in keeping those brain cells in good shape and
help in the formation of now ones.
PARTIAL SOLUTIONS: (These are just ideas that I have thought of.)
At WAGHOH meetings we used large round buttons which read: Talk slower
please. I always cautioned guest speakers not to use or lapse into fast
speech. If they did members present would point to the buttons. It
worked.
Some of us may have tried talking books. The machines
can be helpful and have many adjustments. I did suggest to an inventor
that perhaps miniaturization using the technology could produce a small
modem that the hearing impaired could use. As one physicist said to me:
The time frame of your modem which slows the speech will differ from
the speed of the speech, and if the gadget helped you but the speaker
objected to waiting for you to reply-well they might just end the
conversation. I could only reply to this: If the speaker is selling me
anything, they will stay the course.
A CD was recommended that
might help if used to practice listening to fast speech. One person who
bought it some time ago has not called to tell me the results. The lady
who told me she just does not understand fast speech, chose not to even
try it.
I thought a fair possibility was to contact Public
Radio. In Vermont when I listened to news while my son drove the car,
the fast track was in evidence. I sometimes contribute when asked but
plan on my next request to try to meet with someone there and explain
how they could help the hearing impaired by scheduling a program on it.
Dr. Tannen and Dr. Tun have been on public radio elsewhere and a
program was held on the subject. I also have been told that
broadcasters when trained are told to use fast speech. If you read Dr.
Tannen's article you will find that the parents of a writer for the TV
show West Wing was called frequently. They kept telling him what a
great show it was but ended by saying: Tell them to speak slower!
At
one WAGHOH meeting a member wore a cap inscribed: If you can only talk
fast do not talk to me. That is really putting It on the line, I
suppose a confrontational approach some might not want to try. I do
plan in the future to contact the American Association of Retired
Persons (AARP) and see if they will publish the article now being
prepared which will summarize the basic research about fast speech. I
am hoping that through the exposure we can generate to interest others
and will yield some workable approach, so I do not have to label a
section like this, A Partial Solution.
Please email questions or comments about this article to the author at wpaschell@juno.com
