SPRAAKLAB - mobile laboratory for speech recorded acoustically and kinematically.

Abstract

Data collection in experimental linguistics is frequently conducted in laboratory rooms within a research institute, which can be difficult to reach for some participants, for example, those with mobility issues or living further away and in remote areas. This article presents SPRAAKLAB, a mobile laboratory that facilitates the collection of high-quality acoustic and articulatory data outside of university walls, thus bringing the laboratory environment closer to the participants. We present an acoustic analysis of recordings collected inside and outside of the SPRAAKLAB, including transmission loss, signal-to-noise ratio, and harmonics-to-noise ratio. All three measures reveal that the SPRAAKLAB is suitable for collecting consistent, high-quality speech data even in loud environments. Finally, we discuss how the SPRAAKLAB allows us to collect data more easily and facilitates public outreach activities.