Speech Breathing Under Cognitive Load: A Pilot Study of English and Arabic Bilingual Adaptation Using the Helicopter Test

This study investigates how cognitive load and language proficiency influence speech breathing patterns in bilingual speakers. Using the ‘helicopter test,’ a rapid repetition paradigm adapted from clinical speech analysis, participants completed speech runs in both load and no-load conditions. Seventeen Arabic-English bilinguals were analysed across two breath cycles and compared based on language dominance. Results revealed that speech rate, cycle duration, and word count were significantly affected by breath cycle and cognitive load, with English-dominant speakers generally producing faster, longer utterances. Interaction effects indicated that cognitive load altered respiratory timing, particularly in early breath cycles. While pause duration remained unaffected, the overall findings highlight the dynamic interplay between cognitive demand, bilingual proficiency, and respiratory adaptation. The study provides empirical support for using rapid articulation tasks in bilingual speech research and introduces a scalable method for analysing speech breathing in relation to language processing.