Do measures of intensity dynamics change when an individual speaks in a nonnative language? This study investigates positive and negative intensity dynamics (related to the articulatory mouth...Show moreDo measures of intensity dynamics change when an individual speaks in a nonnative language? This study investigates positive and negative intensity dynamics (related to the articulatory mouth opening and closing gestures) in spontaneous speech produced by Dutch speakers in their native language (L1) and in English, a second language (L2). Statistical analyses showed that between-speaker variability was explained by the measures of mean, standard deviation and sequential variability of positive and negative intensity dynamics. Negative dynamics explained a larger quantity of inter-speaker variability, suggesting a lesser prosodic control over the mouth closing movement. When assessing the influence of language on intensity dynamics, there was a significant effect on positive and negative dynamics. These findings suggest that intensity dynamics differ between the L1 and the L2. However, speaker-specific information may be embedded in these time-bound measures despite the language (L1 or L2) in use, suggesting the discriminative power of intensity dynamics across languages. Finally, the results add support to findings positing that that speaker-specificity may not be restricted to the native language.Show less
