Research reports on the nature of speech, instrumentation for the investigation of speech, and practical application of research are included in this status report for January 1-March 31, 1981. The reports deal with the following topics: (1) distinguishing temporal information for speaking rate from temporal information for intervocalic stop consonant voicing; (2) articulatory motor events and phase relationships among articulator muscles as a function of speaking rate and stress; (3) interarticulator programing in obstruent production; (4) electromyographic-cinefluorographic-acoustic study of dynamic vowel production; (5) reading instruction and remediation and the sex of the child; (6) fingerspelling and spelling; (7) dynamic pattern perspective on the control and coordination of movement; (8) motivating muscles; (9) speech research; (10) levels of description in speech research; (11) biology of speech perception; (12) duplex perception of cues for stop consonants; (13) the perception of isochrony; and (14) the "rabid/rapid" distinction based on silent gap duration. (HTH)