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Research Paper | Speech Language Pathology | India | Volume 12 Issue 4, April 2023

A Comparative Study of Rate of Speech in Different Dialects in Malayalam [Kannur, Eranakulam, Palakkad]

Nilsha Niyas | Vismaya Vincent | Ambili Raj

Abstract: Speech is the most efficient and frequently used mode of language expression. Speech rate is assumed to reflect the speed at which an individual executes articulatory movements for speech production. Speech rate is typically estimated from samples of connected speech spoken spontaneously or read. Rate of speech is an important variable in the assessment and treatment of fluency disorder. It can be affected by a number of factors which include gender, age, language, dialects, psychological aspects and physical aspects. It may also depend upon the culture and linguistic structure. Language encodes the values and norms in a given society. The relationship between language and culture is deeply rooted. A dialect represents a distinct variation of a major language that is spoken by an identifiable subgroup of those people using that language. The variation might be phonological, lexical, or grammatical. Malayalam is a Dravidian language in India, spoken by peoples in the state of Kerala with a number of Dialect. Dialects in Malayalam can be broadly classified into three. They are Travancore dialect, Central dialect, Northern dialect. In Malayalam there are five main regional dialects and many number of communal dialects. Each dialect has different variation in stress, intonation and rhythm. The variations in language can affect rate of speech. The aim of study was to compare the speech rate in different dialects of Malayalam between the age-range of 15-55years. The result indicated significant difference in the rate of speech across the three dialects. The result of the present study, profiles the average rate of speech of young adults and older adults which can be used for the assessment and diagnosis for fluency disorders.

Keywords: Rate of speech, Dialectal Variation, DDK, Oral Reading, Picture Description, Speech rate meter

Edition: Volume 12 Issue 4, April 2023,

Pages: 188 - 190