scholarly journals The perception of non-native phonological categories in adult-directed and infant-directed speech: An experimental study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Karpiński ◽  
Katarzyna Klessa
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Random Order ◽  
Speech Signals ◽  
Listening Test ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
Native Infant ◽  
Phonological Contrasts

In the present study, we test whether adult listeners detect phonological contrasts faster and more accurately in non-native infant-directed speech (IDS) than in non-native adult-directed speech (ADS). 21 participants listened to pairs of speech signals and their task was to decide as quickly as possible whether the signals constitute the same or different words. Each pair of signals contained target vowels or consonants representing a certain category of contrast that was phonologically relevant in a given language but not in Polish, i.e., the native language of the participants of the listening test. The signals were presented in a random order, and each pair occurred in the material twice. Although we demonstrated significant acoustic-phonetic differences between the utterances realized in the IDS and ADS speaking styles, the listeners in our study were not significantly more accurate or faster in the identification of contrasts in either IDS or ADS stimuli.

Categorization and feature specification in phonological acquisition

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith A. Gierut
Keyword(s):  
Distinctive Feature ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Category Membership ◽  
Classification Task ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
Phonological Acquisition ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
Linguistic Input ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Free Classification

ABSTRACTDistinctive feature specification and representation in phonological acquisition are examined in the context of underspecification theory. Subjects were 30 children (aged 3;1 to 5;10) who exhibited systematic differences in their linguistic knowledge of target phonological contrasts. A free classification task was used to tap children's conceptual knowledge of these contrasts, with features of place and manner experimentally manipulated. Three questions were addressed: which features do children use to categorize segmentai information, do the defining features of a category shift as the phonological system advances, and which framework of underspecification theory best accounts for the results? All children categorized segments on the basis of marked nonredundant featural properties, and used only one feature value to define category membership consistent with radical underspecification. Linguistic knowledge and linguistic input both influenced children's category judgements, but to different degrees. The emergence of phonological categories involved increasing feature differentiation as the child's productive phonology advanced.

scholarly journals Regular and Novel Metonymy: Can You Curl up with a Good Agatha Christie in Your Second Language?

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roumyana Slabakova ◽  
Jennifer Cabrelli Amaro ◽  
Sang Kyun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Second Language ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Stages Of Development ◽  
Psychological Reality ◽  
Experimental Support ◽  
Agatha Christie

Abstract This article presents results of two off-line comprehension tasks investigating the acceptability of unconventional and conventional metonymy by native speakers of Korean and Spanish who speak English as a second language. We are interested in discovering whether learners differentiate between conventional and unconventional metonymy, and whether the acceptability of metonymic expressions in the native language has an effect on learners’ judgments in the second language. The findings of this study constitute further experimental support for the psychological reality of the distinction between conventional and unconventional metonymy, but only in English. Learners of English at intermediate levels of proficiency exhibit transfer from the native language in comprehending metonymic shifts of meanings. Restructuring of the grammar is evident in later stages of development. Finally, complete success in acquiring L2 metonymic patterns is attested in our experimental study. Implications for L2A theories and teaching practices are discussed.

Phonological Features of Yuan Colloquial Chinese as Seen in Rashid al-Din's History of China

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-40
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Shen
Keyword(s):  
Proper Names ◽  
Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Phonetic Transcription ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
History Of ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
The Yuan Dynasty ◽  
Phonological System

Rashid al-Din (1247-1318)'s History of China, written in Persian, contains the names of the dynasties, and of kings and emperors, from prehistoric legends up to the Yuan dynasty. The phonetic transcription of these proper names is an important piece of information for us to understand the Chinese phonology of the Yuan dynasty. in order to correctly understand the phonological features of old Mandarin the possible phonological contrasts that can be represented in the Persian script are examined. it is shown that the Persian transcriptions did not create new letters for Chinese sounds. Thus all the phonological categories of Chinese are only represented by the available Persian letters. After analyzing these transcriptions, this article shows that although many phonological distinctions of old Mandarin are not very well represented in this material, there are enough phonological features to identify the underlying phonological system, which is unambiguously Mandarin.

PHONETIC AND PSYCHOLINGUISTIC APPROACH TO CONSIDERATION OF SPEECH PATHOLOGY "STUTTER"

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-78
Author(s):  
Л.В. Величкова ◽  
О.В. Абакумова
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Speech Pathology ◽  
Problem Statement ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Articulatory Movements ◽  
Speech Training ◽  
Positive State

Постановка задачи. В статье исследуется явление заикания с фонетической и психолингвистической точки зрения. Речевой ритм сравнительно недавно стал пристальным объектом исследования в фонетике и речеведении. Актуальные данные этих исследований не проникли в значительной степени в область логопедии. Рассматривается речевой ритм с точки зрения физиологии, нейролингвистики, психолингвистики. Данные о первичном усвоении параметров речевого ритма родного языка создают с точки зрения фонетики представление о «вписывании» артикуляционных движений в ритмическую матрицу слова и фразы. Нарушения же в реализации этой матрицы дают возможность проследить поведение артикуляционных комплексов при сбое ритмической основы. В работе описывается экспериментальное исследование нарушения речевого ритма как причина речевых ошибок (патологий). Результаты и выводы. Вербальные и невербальные компоненты используются при ритмизации речевой деятельности. Используются коррекционные приёмы, в результате которых возникает пролонгированное эмоционально положительное состояние и начинается произвольное использование новой речевой программы. Данное состояние вводится в процессе аутотренинга. Эмоционально комфортное состояние при использовании ритмизированной речи закрепляется на функциональных речевых тренировках. Речь идет об усилении речевого ритма родного языка без искажения его параметров. Problem statement. The article examines the phenomenon of stuttering from a phonetic and psycholinguistic point of view. Speech rhythm has recently become a close object of research in phonetics and speech. The actual data from these studies have not penetrated significantly into the field of speech therapy. The speech rhythm is considered from the point of view of physiology, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics. Data on the primary assimilation of the parameters of the speech rhythm of the native language from the point of view of phonetics create the idea of "inscribing" articulatory movements into the rhythmic matrix of words and phrases. Violations in the implementation of this matrix make it possible to trace the behavior of articulatory complexes when the rhythmic basis fails. The paper describes an experimental study of speech rhythm disturbance as the cause of speech errors (pathologies). Results and conclusion. Verbal and non-verbal components are used to rhythmize speech activity. Corrective techniques are used, because of which a prolonged emotionally positive state arises, and the voluntary use of a new speech program begins. This state is introduced in the process of auto-training. Emotionally comfortable state when using rhythmized speech is fixed on functional speech training. We are talking about strengthening the speech rhythm of the native language without distorting its parameters.

Similarity in L2 Phonology: Evidence from L1 Spanish late-learners’ perception and lexical representation of English vowel contrasts

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Barrios ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
William J Idsardi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Lexical Representation ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Phonological Contrasts

Adult second language (L2) learners often experience difficulty producing and perceiving nonnative phonological contrasts. Even relatively advanced learners, who have been exposed to an L2 for long periods of time, struggle with difficult contrasts, such as /ɹ/–/l/ for Japanese learners of English. To account for the relative ease or difficulty with which L2 learners perceive and acquire nonnative contrasts, theories of L2 speech perception and phonology often appeal to notions of ‘similarity’, but how is ‘similarity’ best captured? In this article, we review two prominent approaches to similarity in L2 speech perception and phonology and present the findings from two experiments that investigated the role of phonological features in the perception and lexical representation of two vowel contrasts that exist in English, but not in Spanish. In particular, we explored whether L1 phonological features can be reused to represent nonnative contrasts in the second language (Brown, 1998, 2000), as well as to what extent new phonological structure might be acquired by advanced late-learners. We show that second language acquisition of phonology is not constrained by the phonological features made available by the learner’s native language grammar, nor is the use of particular phonological features in the native language grammar sufficient to trigger redeployment. These findings suggest that feature availability is neither a necessary, nor a sufficient, condition to predict the observed learning outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of current theories of nonnative and L2 speech perception and phonological development.

Phonological Attrition

2019 ◽  
pp. 217-227
Author(s):  
Chiara Celata
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Local Level ◽  
System Level ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
L1 Attrition ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Phonological System

This chapter looks at how the study of native language (L1) phonological attrition reveals that the system of phonological contrasts of the L1 may change as a consequence of new language (L2) acquisition in adulthood. It also reveals that changes at the system level may underpin the variable pronunciation patterns that have been observed in phonetic studies at the local level of individual segments or features. Such changes may include contrast blurring as well as boosting of the distinctiveness among system elements as a reaction to contact with a different phonological system. In addition to speech production, perception is also affected by the effects of phonological changes in L1 attrition, showing how pervasive the attrition phenomena may be for both speaking and listening abilities

Allophonic perception in developmental dyslexia

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Serniclaes
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Categorical Perception ◽  
The Other ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Phonological Categories ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Perceptual Factors

Current theories on dyslexia refer either to phonological or perceptual factors. The phonological theory explains dyslexia by a deficit in phonological awareness which would affect the build-up of grapheme–phoneme correspondences. This is challenged by the magnocellular theory which ascribes dyslexia to a deficit in temporal processing of auditory and visual signals. However, the auditory deficit in dyslexia is not specifically temporal. Further, the perceptual deficit is not merely sensory but cognitive in nature as evidenced by both weaker discrimination of phonological contrasts and stronger discrimination of differences within phonological categories. This reflects a deficit in “Categorical Perception” which is also sometimes associated with a weaker precision of the perceptual boundary between phonemes (“Boundary Precision” deficit). Categorical deficits are more reliable than magnocellular ones and might be no less reliable than those in phonemic awareness. The categorical deficit suggests that dyslexic children perceive speech with allophonic rather than phonemic units, which has straightforward consequences for the acquisition of phoneme–grapheme correspondences and might also explain the other phonological troubles associated with dyslexia.

scholarly journals Lexical and Phonetic Influences on the Phonolexical Encoding of Difficult Second-Language Contrasts: Insights From Nonword Rejection

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miquel Llompart
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Phonological Neighborhood Density ◽  
Lexical Representations ◽  
Accurate Performance ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Phonological Neighborhood ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Establishing phonologically robust lexical representations in a second language (L2) is challenging, and even more so for words containing phones in phonological contrasts that are not part of the native language. This study presents a series of additional analyses of lexical decision data assessing the phonolexical encoding of English /ε/ and /æ/ by German learners of English (/æ/ does not exist in German) in order to examine the influence of lexical frequency, phonological neighborhood density and the acoustics of the particular vowels on learners’ ability to reject nonwords differing from real words in the confusable L2 phones only (e.g., *l[æ]mon, *dr[ε]gon). Results showed that both the lexical properties of the target items and the acoustics of the critical vowels affected nonword rejection, albeit differently for items with /æ/ → [ε] and /ε/ → [æ] mispronunciations: For the former, lower lexical frequencies and higher neighborhood densities led to more accurate performance. For the latter, it was only the acoustics of the vowel (i.e., how distinctly [æ]-like the mispronunciation was) that had a significant impact on learners’ accuracy. This suggests that the encoding of /ε/ and /æ/ may not only be asymmetric in that /ε/ is generally more robustly represented in the lexicon than /æ/, as previously reported, but also in the way in which this encoding takes place. Mainly, the encoding of /æ/ appears to be more dependent on the characteristics of the L2 vocabulary and on one’s experience with the L2 than that of its more dominant counterpart (/ε/).

scholarly journals Effective communication modes in multilingual encounters: Comparing alternatives in Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Multilingua ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot van Mulken ◽  
Berna Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Communication Modes

AbstractThis paper reports on an experimental study investigating alternative communication modes to English as a Lingua Franca. The purpose was to examine the effectiveness of different modes of communication and to gain insight in communication strategies used by interlocutors to solve referential conflicts. Findings show that ELF may not necessarily be the most effective mode of communication for speakers who do not share a native language. In the context of multinational corporations, RM may be regarded as a viable alternative to English for negotiating mutual understanding, particularly for speakers with (linguistically) closely related mother tongues.

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