Speech rate and pauses in non-native Finnish

Abstract

In this study, the temporal aspects of speech are compared in read-aloud Finnish produced by six native and 16 non-native speakers. It is shown that the speech and articulation rates as well as pause durations are different for native and non-native speakers. Moreover, differences exist between the groups of speakers representing four different non-native languages. Surprisingly, the native Finnish speakers tend to make longer pauses than the non-natives. The results are relevant when developing methods for assessing fluency or the strength of foreign accent.