What does duration refer to in speech science?

In the context of speech science, duration specifically refers to the length of time that a sound or phoneme is produced. This measurement is crucial because it influences various linguistic properties, such as syllable structure and prosody in speech. For instance, the duration of vowels can affect the distinction between different phonemes; longer and shorter pronunciations can change meaning or imply different grammatical roles.

Understanding duration also plays a critical role in speech perception, helping listeners distinguish between words that may sound similar but differ in temporal characteristics. Duration is distinct from other acoustic features such as amplitude, which relates to loudness, quality, and speed of delivery, which pertain more to how sounds are produced or transmitted rather than their temporal characteristics. Thus, duration is a fundamental aspect in analyzing and understanding speech.