How do timing mechanisms work?

Speech Timing ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 238-263
Author(s):  
Alice Turk ◽  
Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Time Course ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Coupling Mechanism ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Timing Mechanisms ◽  
Articulatory Movement ◽  
Tau Theory ◽  
General Tau Theory ◽  
Timing Models

This chapter addresses the nature of the general-purpose timekeeping mechanisms that are assumed in phonology-extrinsic-timing models of speech production. The first part of the chapter discusses some current questions about the nature of these mechanisms. The second part of the chapter presents Lee’s General Tau theory (Lee 1998, 2009), a theory of the temporal guidance of action in voluntary movement. This theory provides a crucial component for our phonology-extrinsic-timing-based, three-component model of speech production because its tau-coupling mechanism provides a way to plan movements with appropriate velocity profiles, as well as endpoint-based movement coordination. In doing so, it provides a general-purpose, phonology-extrinsic alternative to AP/TD’s use of oscillators for the control of the time-course of articulatory movement and coordination.

The frame/content theory of evolution of speech production

1998 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 499-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. MacNeilage
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
External Input ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Species Specific

The species-specific organizational property of speech is a continual mouth open-close alternation, the two phases of which are subject to continual articulatory modulation. The cycle constitutes the syllable, and the open and closed phases are segments – vowels and consonants, respectively. The fact that segmental serial ordering errors in normal adults obey syllable structure constraints suggests that syllabic “frames” and segmental “content” elements are separately controlled in the speech production process. The frames may derive from cycles of mandibular oscillation present in humans from babbling onset, which are responsible for the open-close alternation. These communication- related frames perhaps first evolved when the ingestion-related cyclicities of mandibular oscillation (associated with mastication [chewing] sucking and licking) took on communicative significance as lipsmacks, tonguesmacks, and teeth chatters – displays that are prominent in many nonhuman primates. The new role of Broca's area and its surround in human vocal communication may have derived from its evolutionary history as the main cortical center for the control of ingestive processes. The frame and content components of speech may have subsequently evolved separate realizations within two general purpose primate motor control systems: (1) a motivation-related medial “intrinsic” system, including anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area, for self-generated behavior, formerly responsible for ancestral vocalization control and now also responsible for frames, and (2) a lateral “extrinsic” system, including Broca's area and surround, and Wernicke's area, specialized for response to external input (and therefore the emergent vocal learning capacity) and more responsible for content.

scholarly journals Spinal reflexive movement follows General Tau Theory

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Bahadori ◽  
Paola Cesari ◽  
Cathy M Craig ◽  
Mehran Emadi Andani
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Involuntary Movement ◽  
Closure Rate ◽  
Strongly Coupled ◽  
Involuntary Movements ◽  
Human Movements ◽  
Tau Theory ◽  
General Tau Theory ◽  
Neural Energy ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Tau theory explains how both intrinsically and perceptually guided movements are controlled by the brain. According to general tau theory, voluntary, self-paced human movements are controlled by coupling the tau of the movement (i.e. the rate of closure of the movement gap at its current closure rate) onto an intrinsically generated tau-guide (Lee, 1998). To date there are no studies that have looked at involuntary movements, which are directly guided by innate patterns of neural energy generated at the level of the spinal cord or brain, and that can be explained by general tau theory. This study examines the guidance of an involuntary movement generated by the Patellar reflex in presence of a minimized gravitational field. Results The results showed that the Patellar reflexive movement is strongly coupled to an intrinsic tau-guide particularly when the limb is not moving in the direction of gravity. Conclusion These results suggest that the same principles of control underpin both voluntary and involuntary movements irrespective of whether they are generated in the brain or the spinal cord. Secondly, given that movements like the patellar reflex are visible from infancy, one might conclude that tau-guidance is an innate form of motor control, or neural blueprint, that has evolved over time.

Slipping on superlemmas

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koenraad Kuiper ◽  
Marie-Elaine van Egmond ◽  
Gerard Kempen ◽  
Simone Sprenger
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Slips Of The Tongue ◽  
Argument Proceeds ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lexical Concepts ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Experimentally Induced

Only relatively recently have theories of speech production concerned themselves with the part idioms and other multi-word lexical items (MLIs) play in the processes of speech production. Two theories of speech production which attempt to account for the accessing of idioms in speech production are those of Cutting and Bock (1997) and superlemma theory (Sprenger, 2003; Sprenger, Levelt, & Kempen, 2006). Much of the data supporting theories of speech production comes either from time course experiments or from slips of the tongue (Bock & Levelt, 1994). The latter are of two kinds: experimentally induced (Baars, 1992) or naturally observed (Fromkin, 1980). Cutting and Bock use experimentally induced speech errors while Sprenger et al. use time course experiments. The missing data type that has a bearing on speech production involving MLIs is that of naturally occurring slips. In this study the impact of data taken from naturally observed slips involving English and Dutch MLIs are brought to bear on these theories. The data are taken initially from a corpus of just over 1000 naturally observed English slips involving MLIs (the Tuggy corpus). Our argument proceeds as follows. First we show that slips occur independent of whether or not there are MLIs involved. In other words, speech production proceeds in certain of its aspects as though there were no MLI present. We illustrate these slips from the Tuggy data. Second we investigate the predictions of superlemma theory. Superlemma theory (Sprenger et al., 2006) accounts for the selection of MLIs and how their properties enter processes of speech production. It predicts certain activation patterns dependent on a MLI being selected. Each such pattern might give rise to slips of the tongue. This set of predictions is tested against the Tuggy data. Each of the predicted activation patterns yields a significant number of slips. These findings are therefore compatible with a view of MLIs as single units in so far as their activation by lexical concepts goes. However, the theory also predicts that some slips are likely not to occur. We confirm that such slips are not present in the data. These findings are further corroborated by reference a second smaller dataset of slips involving Dutch MLIs (the Kempen corpus). We then use slips involving irreversible binomials to distinguish between the predictions of superlemma theory which are supported by slips involving irreversible binomials and the Cutting and Bock model’s predictions for slips involving these MLIs which are not.

Identification Through Data Mining

2011 ◽  
pp. 374-381
Author(s):  
Diego Liberati
Keyword(s):  
Data Mining ◽  
Decision Tree ◽  
Bayesian Networks ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Minimum Description Length ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Rule Induction ◽  
Induction Method ◽  
Principal Directions ◽  
Complementary Techniques

Four main general purpose approaches inferring knowledge from data are presented as a useful pool of at least partially complementary techniques also in the cyber intrusion identification context. In order to reduce the dimensionality of the problem, the most salient variables can be selected by cascading to a K-means a Divisive Partitioning of data orthogonal to the Principal Directions. A rule induction method based on logical circuits synthesis after proper binarization of the original variables proves to be also able to further prune redundant variables, besides identifying logical relationships among them in an understandable “if . then ..” form. Adaptive Bayesian networks are used to build a decision tree over the hierarchy of variables ordered by Minimum Description Length. Finally, Piece-Wise Affine Identification also provides a model of the dynamics of the process underlying the data, by detecting possible switches and changes of trends on the time course of the monitoring.

Summary and conclusion

Speech Timing ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 313-320
Author(s):  
Alice Turk ◽  
Stefanie Shattuck-Hufnagel
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Alternative Model ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Articulatory Phonology ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Phonetic Variation ◽  
Comprehensive Account ◽  
Timing Mechanisms ◽  
Phonological Planning ◽  
Speech Planning

This volume compares two very different approaches to modeling speech planning: Articulatory Phonology, with quantitative phonological representations and a set of phonology-intrinsic timing mechanisms, and XT/3C, an alternative model with non-quantitative symbolic phonological representations and general-purpose phonology-extrinsic timing mechanisms. It argues that the motor-control literature for both speech and non-speech supports the XT/3C approach, which expands on earlier models based on Generative Phonology to include a Phonological Planning Component to set the symbolic goals for an utterance, a separate Phonetic Planning Component to provide the quantitative target specifications for the utterance, and a Motor-Sensory Implementation Component to track and adjust the movements required to reach those targets on time. It preserves the insights of a symbol-based phonology, while also providing a comprehensive account of systematic phonetic variation, including timing.

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