Speech Sound Development of Toddlers in Spontaneous Speech: Segmental Level and Whole Word Level Analysis

Purpose Morphological awareness is the ability to consciously manipulate the smallest units of meaning in language. Morphological awareness contributes to success with literacy skills for children with typical language and those with language impairment. However, little research has focused on the morphological awareness skills of children with speech sound disorders (SSD), who may be at risk for literacy impairments. No researcher has examined the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD and compared their skills to children with typical speech using tasks representing a comprehensive definition of morphological awareness, which was the main purpose of this study. Method Thirty second- and third-grade students with SSD and 30 with typical speech skills, matched on age and receptive vocabulary, completed four morphological awareness tasks and measures of receptive vocabulary, real-word reading, pseudoword reading, and word-level spelling. Results Results indicated there was no difference between the morphological awareness skills of students with and without SSD. Although morphological awareness was moderately to strongly related to the students' literacy skills, performance on the morphological awareness tasks contributed little to no additional variance to the children's real-word reading and spelling skills beyond what was accounted for by pseudoword reading. Conclusions Findings suggest that early elementary-age students with SSD may not present with concomitant morphological awareness difficulties and that the morphological awareness skills of these students may not play a unique role in their word-level literacy skills. Limitations and suggestions for future research on the morphological awareness skills of children with SSD are discussed.

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Speech-Language Pathologists' Ratings of Speech Accuracy in Children With Speech Sound Disorders

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2021_ajslp-20-00381 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Linye Jing ◽

Maria I. Grigos

Keyword(s):

Interrater Reliability ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Future Research ◽

Training Procedure ◽

Speech Sound Disorders ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Point Rating Scale ◽

Whole Word

Purpose: Forming accurate and consistent speech judgments can be challenging when working with children with speech sound disorders who produce a large number and varied types of error patterns. Rating scales offer a systematic approach to assessing the whole word rather than individual sounds. Thus, these scales can be an efficient way for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to monitor treatment progress. This study evaluated the interrater reliability of an existing 3-point rating scale using a large group of SLPs as raters. Method: Utilizing an online platform, 30 SLPs completed a brief training and then rated single words produced by children with typical speech patterns and children with speech sound disorders. Words were closely balanced across the three rating categories of the scale. The interrater reliability of the SLPs ratings to a consensus judgment was examined. Results: The majority of SLPs (87%) reached substantial interrater reliability to a consensus judgment using the 3-point rating scale. Correct productions had the highest interrater reliability. Productions with extensive errors had higher agreement than those with minor errors. Certain error types, such as vowel distortions, were especially challenging for SLPs to judge. Conclusions: This study demonstrated substantial interrater reliability to a consensus judgment among a large majority of 30 SLPs using a 3-point rating. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed along with proposed modifications to the training procedure to guide future research.

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A Phonetic Complexity-Based Approach for Intelligibility and Articulatory Precision Testing: A Preliminary Study on Talkers With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2018_jslhr-s-17-0462 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 61 (9) ◽

pp. 2205-2214 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mili Kuruvilla-Dugdale ◽

Claire Custer ◽

Lindsey Heidrick ◽

Richard Barohn ◽

Raghav Govindarajan

Keyword(s):

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Speech Impairments ◽

Word Level ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Perceived Impact ◽

Complex Words ◽

Level Analysis ◽

Precision Testing ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Purpose This study describes a phonetic complexity-based approach for speech intelligibility and articulatory precision testing using preliminary data from talkers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Method Eight talkers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 8 healthy controls produced a list of 16 low and high complexity words. Sixty-four listeners judged the samples for intelligibility, and 2 trained listeners completed phoneme-level analysis to determine articulatory precision. To estimate percent intelligibility, listeners orthographically transcribed each word, and the transcriptions were scored as being either accurate or inaccurate. Percent articulatory precision was calculated based on the experienced listeners' judgments of phoneme distortions, deletions, additions, and/or substitutions for each word. Articulation errors were weighted based on the perceived impact on intelligibility to determine word-level precision. Results Between-groups differences in word intelligibility and articulatory precision were significant at lower levels of phonetic complexity as dysarthria severity increased. Specifically, more severely impaired talkers showed significant reductions in word intelligibility and precision at both complexity levels, whereas those with milder speech impairments displayed intelligibility reductions only for more complex words. Articulatory precision was less sensitive to mild dysarthria compared to speech intelligibility for the proposed complexity-based approach. Conclusions Considering phonetic complexity for dysarthria tests could result in more sensitive assessments for detecting and monitoring dysarthria progression.

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UNPREPARED READING AS A TYPE OF SPONTANEOUS SPEECH (on Signs of Spontaneity in Reading in a Non-Native Language)

Вестник Пермского университета Российская и зарубежная филология ◽

10.17072/2073-6681-2021-2-36-46 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 36-46

Author(s):

Сhunxia Kong ◽

Keyword(s):

Native Language ◽

Spontaneous Speech ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Speech Sounds ◽

Source Text ◽

Speech Corpus ◽

Integral Characteristics ◽

The Individual ◽

Whole Word

The article discusses unprepared reading in a non-native language and shows it to have all the signs of spontaneity that are traditionally considered integral characteristics of any spontaneous speech: hesitation pauses, both physical (ɭ) and filled with non-speech sounds (uh, m-m), word breaks, reading the whole word or part of it by syllables, vocalization of a consonant, and so forth. The material for the analysis included 40 monologues of reading the story by M. Zoshchenko Fantasy Shirt and a non-plot excerpt from V. Korolenko’s story The Blind Musician recorded from 20 Chinese informants. All the monologues are included in the block of Russian interfering speech of the Chinese as part of the monologic speech corpus Balanced Annotated Text Library. As the analysis showed, it is more often that there is not one sign of spontaneity but a whole complex of such signs, and together they fill hesitation pauses, help the speaker to control the quality of speech or correct what was said, etc. In addition, the occurrence of various signs of spontaneity in the course of unprepared reading is closely related to the individual characteristics of the speaker/reader. In general, we have found that there are more signs of spontaneity in the speech of men (3,244 cases; 40.7 %) than in the speech of women (2,049; 27.7 %), in the speech of informants with a lower level of proficiency in Russian B2 (2,993; 37.9 %) than in the speech of informants with a higher level C1 (2,300; 30.8 %), in the speech of extroverts (1,521; 38 %) than in the speech of ambiverts (1,694; 35,2 %) and introverts (2,078; 31,7 %). As to the type of the source text, there turned out to be more signs of spontaneity in monologues of reading a plot text than in monologues of reading a non-plot text (3,031; 40.3 vs 2,283; 31 %). The paper concludes that reading should be recognized as a spontaneous type of speech activity.

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The effect of cognitive load on temporal and disfluency patterns of speech

Target ◽

10.1075/target.19041.bon ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 482-506 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Judit Bóna ◽

Mária Bakti

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Load ◽

Rate Ratio ◽

Speech Rate ◽

Spontaneous Speech ◽

Articulation Rate ◽

Temporal Characteristics ◽

Filled Pauses ◽

Whole Word ◽

Consecutive Interpreting ◽

The Continuum

Abstract This paper investigates how variation in the complexity of speech tasks is reflected in the temporal characteristics and disfluency patterns of speech. We examined temporal characteristics (speech rate, global articulation rate, ratio of pauses, frequency of pauses, and mean duration of pauses) and disfluency markers (overall frequency of disfluencies; frequency of filled pauses, filler words, whole-word repetitions, part-word repetitions, broken words, prolonged sounds, and revisions; frequency of disfluency clusters) in four speech production tasks (consecutive interpreting, sight translation, spontaneous speech and extemporaneous speech) with twelve speakers. Our hypothesis, according to which the examined parameters will differ across the four tasks, was partly confirmed by the data; even though not all speech tasks differed significantly in all the examined parameters, our investigation revealed that there were significant differences between some tasks in four parameters, and between others in nine out of the fourteen parameters examined. Our data also suggest that in terms of the temporal characteristics and disfluency markers examined, the four tasks can be represented on a continuum based on the cognitive load associated with each task. At one end of the continuum and generating the least cognitive load is spontaneous speech, and at the other, generating the most cognitive load, is sight translation.

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A Preliminary Investigation of Reduplication in Children with Specific Language Impairment

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.5002.186 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 186-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Margaret Lahey ◽

Judy Flax ◽

Gloria Schlisselberg

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Language Development ◽

Language Impairment ◽

Specific Language Impairment ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

Spontaneous Speech ◽

Single Word ◽

Specific Language ◽

Whole Word

The frequency of reduplication was examined in relation to syllable maintenance, final consonant production, and whole word repetitions in two preschool children with specific language impairment—one who reduplicated frequently and one who did so infrequently. Spontaneous speech was sampled for a period of 18 months. During the single-word utterance period, reduplication was associated with infrequent production of final consonants but frequent maintenance of multisyllabic structure. After the single-word utterance period the child who had frequently reduplicated during this period ceased reduplication but frequently produced whole word repetitions. Infrequent production of final consonants continued, but syllable maintenance decreased. The data are discussed in relation to hypotheses about the function of reduplication and the function of whole word repetitions in language development.

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The Relationship Between IQ and Indices of Infant Speech Sound Development

Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders ◽

10.1044/jshd.1404.335 ◽

1949 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 335-343 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Charles C. Spiker ◽

Orvis C. Irwin

Keyword(s):

Speech Sound ◽

Infant Speech ◽

The Relationship ◽

Speech Sound Development

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Speech sound production accuracy produced by North Korean defectors’ adolescent children born in China

Clinical Archives of Communication Disorders ◽

10.21849/cacd.2021.00507 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 113-117

Author(s):

Eun Kyoung Lee ◽

Hyun Jung Lee

Keyword(s):

Speech Production ◽

Sound Production ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Clinical Implications ◽

Number Of Children ◽

North Korean Refugee ◽

Word Level ◽

North Korean Refugees ◽

North Korean Defectors ◽

Different Characteristics

Purpose:Children from North Korean defector families possess different characteristics from children with other multicultural and multilingual backgrounds in Korea, partially due to the fact that the number of children born in third countries is higher than those of children born in North Korea. The purpose of the study is to analyze the word-level speech sound productions of adolescent children of North Korean refugee mothers, primarily through a calculation of speech sound accuracy.Methods: The participants consisted of 11 adolescent children whose mothers were North Korean defectors, and whose fathers were Chinese. Participants’ speech sound production skills were assessed using 103 words from the KS-PAPT and U-TAP.Results: Korean defectors’ adolescent children have lower consonant accuracy (PCC= 79.14%) compared to vowel accuracy (PVC=94.71%). The consonant accuracy of liquid/ㄹ/ was significantly lower than those of other manners of articulation. The consonant accuracy of word-final codas was significantly lower than those of other positions in word.Conclusions: This current research has clinical implications for the assessment and analysis of the speech production abilities of the adolescent children of North Korean refugees.

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