Abstract
In this paper we summarize previous research that assessed the effects of alcohol on speech production and discuss an analysis of the speech produced by the captain of the Exxon Valdez recorded at several points around the time of the accident at Prince William Sound. Analysis of a small number of tokens of speech recorded before, during and after the accident suggests that the captain was probably intoxicated when his ship ran aground. Large changes in pitch, duration and spectral characteristics of several classes of speech sounds suggest impairment in the fine motor control necessary for the production of speech. These findings are consistent with the results from an earlier laboratory study in which the talkers were intoxicated to known BAL values. The results are discussed in terms of the legal aspects of using speech analysis techniques to assess sensory-motor impairment from alcohol.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.