| The point of this exercise is to get a rough idea of how many speech sounds we process when we speak/perceive natural language. The results will not be entirely accurate because we'll use letters instead of phonemes, but it is the general speed range that we are interested in, not the details. |
- Print out this page and use it to report your results.
- Follow directions carefully.
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- Find an English-language text that can be read aloud at a moderate rate of speech in 60 seconds.
- Find a partner to act as a timer.
- Have the timer time you as you read the text from the beginning, for 10 seconds.
- When 10 seconds have elapsed, stop reading and make a mark in the text at the point you've reached (the timer could do this).
- Count the number of letters from the beginning of the text to the point you have reached in this 10 second period.
- Record that number and repeat the test 4 more times, recording the number you read each time.
- You will have a total of 5 numbers, one for each trial.
- Discard the two extremes (the largest and smallest): cross them out in the tables below.
- Then average the remaining three and divide by 10, giving the number of letters per second.
- Do this experiment twice (that is 5 x 2 = total of 10 trials).
- For the first 5, read the text at a moderate rate.
- For the second 5, read the text as quickly as you can while remaining intelligible.
- If English is not your native language, find a native speaker to be the reader; you do the timing.
- Report your results below.
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- Note: two members of the class can work together, one timing, one reading, and submit a single report. In this case, enter both names above.
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| Results: |
| Letters per second--speed moderate: | Letters per second--speed rapid: | |
| trial 1 ________ | trial 1 ________ |
| trial 2 ________ | trial 2 ________ |
| trial 3 ________ | trial 3 ________ |
| trial 4 ________ | trial 4 ________ |
| trial 5 ________ | trial 5 ________ |
| Average speed moderate: ____ letters/sec | Average speed rapid: _____ letters/second |
| NB: Attach a copy of the text you used to this sheet. |