Rhythm as entrainment: The case of synchronous speech

One view of rhythm, not conventionally adopted in speech research, is that it constitutes an affordance for movement. We test this view in an experimental situation in which speakers speak in synchrony with one another. After first establishing that speakers can synchronize with specific recordings, we present two experiments in which the information in the model speech is systematically reduced, allowing an evaluation of the respective roles of the amplitude envelope, the fundamental frequency and intelligibility in synchronization among speakers. Results demonstrate that synchronization is affected by several factors working together. The amplitude envelope, the pitch contour and the spectral qualities of the signal each contribute to synchronization. Intelligibility is not found to be absolutely necessary to support synchronization. This provides initial support for a dynamic account of synchronization among speakers based on the continuous flow of information between them.