It has been demonstrated that people reduce the duration of repeated words
during spontaneous discourse. They do, this, presumably, to indicate that a
word is 'old' or 'Given', and that the existing representation of the refe
rent can therefore be used to simplify and facilitate comprehension. The ex
periment reported here was designed to replicate and extend a previous stud
y by Fowler. The experiment extended Fowler's work in two ways; first, into
reference, by comparing word repetitions that involved 'new' as distinct f
rom Given information and, second, into memory processes, by comparing disc
ourse from normal and amnesic subjects. Following Fowler, the experiment de
monstrated that word duration is reduced for repeated words when the second
utterance involves Given or old information provided that the repetition o
ccurs before a topic change, a pattern that was observed for both normal an
d amnesic subjects. However, unlike Fowler, the experiment demonstrated tha
t word duration is increased for the second utterance when that utterance i
nvolves New information, a pattern that was also observed for both normal a
nd amnesic subjects. The experiment demonstrated that referential informati
on is preserved and used during spontaneous discourse by amnesic subjects.
The measurement of duration by acoustic analysis therefore offers a new app
roach to the analysis of memory processes in conversation, and the results
suggest that Given/New marking involves records that create or maintain spe
cific information about reference and/or Given/New status.