An Analysis of Articulation Rates in Movies

Abstract

We analyzed the speaking speed in 11 movies, 3 TV dramas, and TV news programs and children's stories. We found a median rate of 5.1 for the movies and dramas; however, we were unable to confirm that 5.1 is a natural speed, because different scenes and different characters were faster and slower. We did not find that comedies, action films, or classic movies were necessarily faster or slower than the average, though a preliminary finding was that animation films were somewhat slower. We found that news programs were also relatively slower than films.