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This paper presents the results of the human-robot interaction (HRI) study with German native speakers addressing the robot in their L1 and in L2 English. The aim of the experiment is to test the strategies of providing clarifications when talking to the voice assistant in a task involving teaching complex vocabulary. The analyses is based on spectral (F1, F2, and mean F0) and temporal (vowel length) features excerpted from the target words. With reference to a theoretical framework of hyperarticulation and hypoarticulation, these acoustic measures were compared across the iterations of the target words (first vs. second iteration). Results showed that participants, when asked for clarification by an inanimate interlocutor, do not hyperarticulate, but try to preserve the surface representation of target words across the iterations. These findings suggest that acoustic characteristics of clarifications directed to voice assistants differ from the ones directed to human interlocutors.
The forensic application of phonetics relies on individuality in speech. In the forensic domain, individual patterns of verbal and paraverbal behavior are of interest which are readily available, measurable, consistent, and robust to disguise and to telephone transmission. This contribution is written from the perspective of the forensic phonetic practitioner and seeks to establish a more comprehensive concept of disfluency than previous studies have. A taxonomy of possible variables forming part of what can be termed disfluency behavior is outlined. It includes the “classical” fillers, but extends well beyond these, covering, among others, additional types of fillers as well as prolongations, but also the way in which fillers are combined with pauses. In the empirical section, the materials collected for an earlier study are re-examined and subjected to two different statistical procedures in an attempt to approach the issue of individuality. Recordings consist of several minutes of spontaneous speech by eight speakers on three different occasions. Beyond the established set of hesitation markers, additional aspects of disfluency behavior which fulfill the criteria outlined above are included in the analysis. The proportion of various types of disfluency markers is determined. Both statistical approaches suggest that these speakers can be distinguished at a level far above chance using the disfluency data. At the same time, the results show that it is difficult to pin down a single measure which characterizes the disfluency behavior of an individual speaker. The forensic implications of these findings are discussed.