F e e d b a c k M e c h a n is m s a n d M o d e ls o f S p e e c h P ro d u c tio n JIHGFEDCBA

So sings man, and every fotifUl Echo bears his amorous speedi"

-o die liebe macht

uns selig,

b y H e in r ic h H e in e

ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFE

F E E D B A C K M E C H A N IS M S

IN S P E E C H

te m p e ra tu re re a c h e s a s p e c ifie d v a lu e is a n e x a m p le o f a

seruomechanism,

th e e n g in e e r-

S p e e c h s c ie n tis ts a re in te re s te d in h o w a s p e a k e r c o n tro ls th e p ro d u c tio n o f s p e e c h . T o w h a t d e g re e d o e s th e s p e a k e r m o n ito r h is a c tio n s , a n d to w h a t d e g re e a n d u n d e r w h a t s itu a tio n s m ig h t h e p ro d u c e s p e e c h w ith little o r n o in fo rm a tio n o n h o w h e is p ro c e e d in g ? T o a n s w e r th is q u e s tio n , w e m u s t c o n s i d e r t h e s c i e n c e o f s e l f - r e g u l a t i n gm a c h i n e s , c a lle d

in g te rm fo r a s e lf-re g u la tin g m a c h in e . h o m e w e re n o t a s e rv o m e c h a n is m ,

If

d e v ic e c o n tro llin g th e te m p e ra tu re in y o u r you w o u ld h a v e to c o n s u lt a th e rm o m e te r p e rio d ic a lly a n d m a k e th e re q u ire d a d ju s tm e n ts a c c o rd in g to y o u r p re fe re n c e .

In

a s e rv o m e c h a n is m ,

th e o u tp u t o f a m ay be

d e v ic e is fe d b a c k to a p o in t in th e s y s te m w h e re th e fe e d b a c k in fo rm a tio n W h e n th e in fo rm a tio n s c rib e d lim its a n d u s e d to a d ju s t th e c o n tin u in g p e rfo rm a n c e . th a t is fe d b a c k in b e c o n tin u e d d ic a te s th a t p e rfo rm a n c e is w ith in th e p re s h o u ld u n c h a n g e d , w e c a ll th e fe e d b a c k

cybernetics. T h e

te rm , c o in e d b y N o r-

b e rt W ie n e r, fro m th e G re e k w o rd m e a n i n g " s t e e r s m a n ," r e f e r s t o t h e s t u d y o f s y s te m s th a t c o n tro l th e m s e lv e s o n th e b a s is o f th e ir a c tu a l p e rfo rm a n c e ra th e r th a n b e in g c o n tro lle d b y a n e x te rn a l o p e ra to r w h o c o m p a r e s t h e s y s t e m 's p e r f o r m a n c e w ith th e p e rfo rm a n c e e x p e c te d o f it. A th e rm o s ta t th a t tu rn s o ff th e fu rn a c e w h e n th e

positive.

If

th e in fo rm a tio n in d ic a te s th a t p e rfo rm a n c e i s o u t s i d e t h e p r e s c r i b e d l i m i t s ( e .g ., t h a t a n e rro r h a s b e e n m a d e ) a n d th a t a c h a n g e in p e rfo rm a n c e is re q u ire d , w e c a ll th e

167

168ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA

SPEECH

S C IE N C E

P R IM E R

fe e d b a c k

negative.

S y s te m s o p e r a tin g u n d e r

do

not

sound

to o u r s e lv e s

th e w a y

we

f e e d b a c k c o n tr o l a r e d e s c r ib e d a s s y s te m s . F ig u r e 8 .1 c o n tr a s ts

closed loop open loop a n d

s o u n d to o th e r s . T h is is w h y s p e a k e r s a r e o f te n s u r p r is e d ta p e r e c o r d in g b a c k to th e m . ln te r e s t in th e r o l e o f f e e d b a c k m e c h a n is m s in th e c o n tr o l o f s p e e c h w a s a r o u s e d b y a n a c c id e n ta l d is c o v e r y m a d e b y a N e w Je rse y e n g in e e r , B e rn a rd L ee, in 1950. W h ile h e w a s r e c o r d in g

re c o rd e r,

a t w h a t th e y h e a r w h e n a o f th e ir speech is p la y e d

c lo s e d lo o p s y s te m s in m a c h in e s a n d in b io lo g ic o r g a n is m s . T h e d if f e r e n c e b e tw e e n th e m is th a t in o p e n lo o p s y s te m s , th e o u tp u t is p r e p r o g r a m m e d te m s , th e p e r f o r m a n c e b a c k to b e m a tc h e d and d o e s n o t re q u ir e f e e d b a c k , w h e r e a s in c lo s e d lo o p s y s o f th e s y s te m is f e d w ith th e p r o g r a m o I f

h im s e lf o n a ta p e s o m e c ir fro m o r d ife e d b a c k head

th e r e is a d is c r e p a n c y b e tw e e n th e p r o g r a m a n d th e p e r f o r m a n c e , a d ju s tm e n ts a r e m a d e to b r in g th e p e r f o r m a n c e p ro g ra m o T h e p r o d u c tio n r a to r y , p h o n a to r y , n is m s , a n a c tiv ity m e th o d o f s p e e c h r e q u ir e s th e u s e o f r e s p ith a t s o m e a r e a v a ilin a n d a r tic u la to r y m e c h a s o c o m p le x c o n tr o l s e e m s lik e ly . th a t c o u ld be used s im u lta n e o u s a n d c o o r d in a te d in lin e w ith th e

h e n o tic e d

th a t u n d e r

c u m s ta n c e s ,

th e a u d ito r y

h is o w n s p e e c h c o u ld m a k e h im d is f lu e n t. I n a ta p e r e c o r d e r , th e r e c o r d n a r ily p r e c e d e s th e p la y b a c k h e a d , a s d ia g r a m m e d in F ig u r e 8 .2 . I f a s p e a k e r lis te n s to h is o w n p r e v io u s ly re c o rd e d speech th r o u g h back a headset p lu g g e d p r o v id e s in to th e p la y a s lig h t tim e becom es o r in a p -

o f fe e d b a c k

h e a d , w h ic h

A t le a s t f o u r k in d s o f in f o r m a tio n a b le to a s p e a k e r f e e d b a c k c o n tr o l: a u d ito r y ,

d e la y , f lu e n t s p e e c h p r o p r ia te ly

s o m e tim e s

d is f lu e n t, s y lla b le s a r e r e p e a te d , p r o lo n g e d .

ta c tile , p r o p r i-

I t is a ls o tr u e th a t ~ ~

o c e p tiv e , a n d c e n tr a l n e u r a l f e e d b a c k . BA

d is f lu e n t s p e a k e r s , s u c h a s s tu tte r e r s , m a y b e c o m e m o r e f lu e n t u n d e r s u c h c o n d itio n s of

A u d ito ry

Feedback
fe e d b a c k th e is h e a r in g s o le ly a ir -

delayed auditoryfiedback

(D A F ). T h e D A F b y c o m p u te r -

e ffe c t c a n n o w b e p ro d u c e d w h ic h b o th th e r e c o r d in g

S im p ly p u t, a u d ito r y our ow n speech. a c o u s tic c o n d u c te d

r e c o r d e d a n d c o m p u te r - p r o c e s s e d s p e e c h in a n d th e a m o u n t o f d e la y a r e d ig ita lly c o n tr o lle d . T h is D A F e f f e c t p r o v o k e d m u c h e x c ite m e n t a n d a f lu r r y o f s tu d ie s in th e 1 9 5 0 s . T h e D A F e f f e c t w a s in te r p r e te d by m any a s p r o o f th a t s p e e c h a c ts a s a s e r v o m e c h f e e d b a c k a s th e c h ie f

U n lik e

s ig n a l th a t o u r lis te n a g re a t d e a l o f to o u r h e a r -

e r s h e a r , a u d ito r y f e e d b a c k is b o th a ir - a n d b o n e - c o n d u c te d . in g m e c h a n is m B ecause o u r o w n s p e e c h is c o n d u c te d s k u ll th a t e m p h a s iz e

b y w a y o f th e b o n e s in th e lo w f r e q u e n c ie s ,

a n is m , w ith a u d ito r y w e JIHGFEDCBA

OPEN M a c h in e s : In p u t - - - ~

LO O P

SYSTEM S

CLO SED

LO O P

SYSTEM S

A m p lifie r - v - e -

M o to r - - - ~

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B io lo g ic a l o r g a n is m s :

C e n tr a l

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s y s te m

C e n tr a l

n e rv o u s

s y s te m

/
S e n s a tio n s

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F IG U R E
8 .1 O p e n a n d c lo s e d lo o p c o n tro l fo r m a c h in e s a n d b io lo g ic s y s te m s .