Effect of depression on syllabic rate of speech

In this paper, we are comparing different methods to measure syllable rate of speech. Basically our method counts the number of vowels and divides it by the duration of speech. We use the energy content in 640–2800 Hz and 2000–3000 Hz to eliminate nasals and glides. Energy content in 0–400 Hz as well as pitch information and helps eliminate the unvoiced fricatives. We compare our method with Jong et al. (Behavior research methods. 2009; 41 (2): 385–390.) who wrote a Pratt script and with another method that estimates the syllable rate from peak modulation rate of speech. We have seen that the latter measure tracks the changes in HAMD scores and therefore seems sensitive enough to measure changes in the degree of depression. We will determine if these other methods will show the same sensitivity