The aim of this paper is to summarise the acoustical correlates of stress in speech by reviewing relevant empirical studies. Research into speech under stress faces several challenges including the difficulty in defining the concept of stress, limitations in collecting stressed speech experimentally and the problem of quantifying the type and level of stress induced, resulting in very limited comparability between various studies. In summarizing the previous work and evidence, these conceptual and methodological differences are addressed. Changes in respiration and muscle tension have repeatedly been evidenced to be physiological correlates of stress. Based on this, it may be expected that acoustic parameters such as fundamental frequency, intensity and speaking/articulation rate are affected by stress. In general, empirical findings support these predictions but inter-speaker variability must not be overlooked. It is argued that there is a need to move beyond these three parameters, taking into account for example, vowel formants and aspects of voice quality. It is also suggested that future research should aim to control the data gathering process in ways that are appropriate to allow for comparability of results between studies.

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This current work explored the speech-based attributes of participants who were being deceptive in an experimental interrogation setting. In particular, the study attempted to investigate the appropriateness of using temporal speech cues in detecting deception. Deceptive and control speech was elicited from nineteen speakers and the data was analyzed on a range of speech parameters including Speaking Rate (SR), Response Onset Time (ROT) and frequency and duration of Hesitation markers. The findings point to a significant increase in SR, a significant decrease in ROT and a reduction in hesitation phenomena in the deceptive condition suggesting an acceleration of overall speaking tempo. The potential significance of temporal parameters for detecting deception in speech is recognized. However, the complex and multifaceted nature of deceptive behaviour is highlighted and caution is advised when attempting veracity judgments based on speech.

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This study considers regional variation of voice quality in two varieties of British English – Southern Standard British English and West Yorkshire English. A comparison of voice quality profiles for three closely related but not identical northern varieties within West Yorkshire is also considered. Our findings do not contradict the small subset of previous research which explored regional and/or social variation in voice quality in British English insofar as regionality may play a small role in a speaker’s voice quality profile. However, factors such as social standing and identity could perhaps be even more relevant. Even when considering homogeneous groups of speakers, it is not the case that there is a cohesive voice quality profile that can be attached to every speaker within the group. The reason for this, we argue, is the speaker-specificity inherent in voice quality.