Page 10 - ELG1911 Nov Issue 467

El•Gazette 467.qxp_El•Gazette 467 23/10/2019 13:10 Page 10

RESEARCH NEWS .

However fast humans talk they deliver

the same amount of data per second

By Gillian Ragsdale
UNSPLASH
Human speech tends to deliver
the same amount of information
per second regardless of the
language being spoken, a major
international study suggests.
Native speakers adapt their
average speed of speech according
to the information density of their
language, according to Christophe
Coupé and colleagues.
It has long been observed that
some languages sound quicker
than others. The researchers, who
were drawn from universities in
France, New Zealand, Hong Kong
and South Korea, thought this
might be related to how efficient
different languages are at
delivering information.
The study compared seventeen
languages, from nine different
European and Asiatic language
families. There was substantial
variation on several measures:
Japanese, for example, uses only a
few hundred syllables, compared
to the almost 7,000 used in
English.
The speaking rate was
measured in syllables per second
and recorded for each speaker.
The researchers chose to use read-
aloud texts to control what was
being so that they could make Researchers found that speaking rate varies, but amount of information delivered remains the same
valid comparisons between the
speakers. Information density also varied pervasive cultural gender through a sentence only to forget
Ten native-speakers of each by language: Basque, for example differences play a role. what it was they were talking
language were each given a set of delivers around five bits of Despite these sex differences, about.
fifteen texts. They were asked to information per syllable, while the overall information rate, The solution is for speakers of
familiarise themselves with the Vietnamese delivers eight. however, appears to be stable languages that deliver more
text before reading them aloud so By multiplying the speaking rate across the wide range of languages information per second to speak
they could speak as naturally as by the information density, studied, suggesting that speakers more slowly – and those delivering
possible. researchers were able to arrive at adapt their speaking rate to deliver less information per second to
The study found that the the ‘information rate’ – the information at a preferred rate for speak more quickly. So, for
speaking rate varied from four number of bits of information both speaker and listener – not too example, Turkish speakers may
syllables to nine depending on the being delivered per second. fast and not too slow. sound faster than Vietnamese
language. Some languages sound Despite the variation in speaking Speaking too quickly is hard speakers, or slower than Spanish-
faster because they are delivering rate and information density, the work for the speaker and increases speakers, but the rate of
syllables at twice the rate of information rate was relatively the cognitive strain on the listener information received is pretty
others. constant, at an average of 39 bits – which is why teachers like myself much the same.
For each language, an estimate per second. often have to learn to speak more
of information density was then Across all languages, women slowly. REFERENCE
calculated. The study used large tended to speak more slowly and Speaking too slowly leads to n Coupé, C., Oh, Y. M.,
written corpora to work out how consequently deliver less slower turn-taking in Dediu, D. and Pellegrino, F.
much information was being information. The authors suggest conversation, where the average (2019) ‘Different languages,
communicated as bits per syllable. this may reflect the influence of turn takes just two seconds. It also similar encoding efficiency:
This builds on research finding biological constraints of the kind requires the speaker to keep more comparable information rates
that the ability to process syllables that also cause the average information in their working across the human
is central to speaking and listening women’s voice to be higher in memory – a problem familiar to communicative niche’, Science
skills. pitch – but it is also possible that anyone who has gotten half-way Advances 5: eaaw2594.
10 November 2019