The Role of Chronological, Biological and Social Ageing in Speech Production

Background: One of the most robust findings in linguistics and speech science is the effect of age on
speech production. Physiological and cognitive effects of ageing are evidenced by changes in
processing speed (Cerella 1985), inhibitory control (Hasher & Zacks 1988) and slower articulatory
movements (Wohlert & Smith 1998). At the same time, sociolinguistic research has long
demonstrated that most age-related differences in pronunciation are more likely to be social than
physiological in nature (Labov 1972). While speech production and sociolinguistic research both
examine different aspects of age, they remain fundamentally premised upon chronological age: the
number of years since birth. However, it is known that speakers of the same chronological age may
have different 'biological ages', undergoing physical decline at different rates (Dawson 2020). In
addition to this, an individual's 'social age', such as the age of their social network and the kinds of
activities and behaviours in which they are engaged, is also a better predictor of sociolinguistic
variation (Eckert 2000). Consequently, the true relationship between speech and different kinds of
ageing remains poorly understood and depends on how well chronological age captures the
underlying dimension of interest in any particular study.