My name is Donald Derrick, and this web-site is dedicated to presenting my research on speech production and perception.

On the production side, I examine vocal tract motion (both shape and muscle position), air flow, oral and nasal acoustics, and visual face motion. I then use this production information to study audio, visual, and tactile speech perception. The purpose is to identify constraints on low level production, and low level percepts that can enhance or interfere with speech perception.

This research has helped identify constraints such as gravity, muscle elasticity, and end-state-comfort on speech production and brought in true multi-modal speech perception research by adding (aero)-tactile speech into audio-visual speech study. I have used this research to expand our understanding of the nature of speech perception, and have been working on commercialization of the use of air flow in enhancement of speech perception, as well as recording oral, nasal, and air flow outputs in speech without the use of masks or other stigmatizing measurement systems.

I am, as of 2017, working on a sonority scale for visual and tactile speech, as well as a both behavioral and brain research on audio-visual-tactile speech in coordination with the University of Canterbury’s Speech lab.

The end-goal is to form a true multi-sensory understanding of speech production and perception that does not ignore or minimize any of our senses.