Comparative whisper vowel space for Singapore English and British English accents

Whispered speech, as a relatively common form of communications, has received little research effort in spite of its usefulness in everyday vocal communications. Apart from a few notable studies analysing the main whispered vowels and some quite general estimations of whispered speech characteristics, a classic vowel space determination has been lacking for whispers. Aligning with the previous published work which aimed to redress this shortfall by presenting a vowel formant space for whispers, this paper studies Singapore English (SgE) from this respect. Furthermore, by comparing the shift amounts between normal and whispered vowel formants in two different English accents, British West Midlands (WM) and SgE, the study also considers the question of generalisation of shift amount and direction for two dissimilar accent groupings. It is further suggested that the shift amounts for each vowel are almost consistent for F2 while these vary for F1, showing the role of accent in proposing a general correlation between normal and whispered vowels on first formant. This paper presents the results of the formant analysis, in terms of acoustic vowel space mappings, showing differences between normal and whispered speech for SgE, and compares this to results obtained from the analysis of more standard English

An exploration of the rhythm of Malay

In recent years there has been a surge of interest in speech rhythm. However we still lack a clear understanding of the nature of rhythm and rhythmic differences across languages. Various metrics have been proposed as means for measuring rhythm on the phonetic level and making typological comparisons between languages (Ramus et al, 1999; Grabe & Low, 2002; Dellwo, 2006) but the debate is ongoing on the extent to which these metrics capture the rhythmic basis of speech (Arvaniti, 2009; Fletcher, in press). Furthermore, cross linguistic studies of rhythm have covered a relatively small number of languages and research on previously unclassified languages is necessary to fully develop the typology of rhythm. This study examines the rhythmic features of Malay, for which, to date, relatively little work has been carried out on aspects rhythm and timing. The material for the analysis comprised 10 sentences produced by 20 speakers of standard Malay (10 males and 10 females). The recordings were first analysed using rhythm metrics proposed by Ramus et. al (1999) and Grabe & Low (2002). These metrics (∆C, %V, rPVI, nPVI) are based on durational measurements of vocalic and consonantal intervals. The results indicated that Malay clustered with other so-called syllable-timed languages like French and Spanish on the basis of all metrics. However, underlying the overall findings for these metrics there was a large degree of variability in values across speakers and sentences, with some speakers having values in the range typical of stressed-timed languages like English. Further analysis has been carried out in light of Fletcher’s (in press) argument that measurements based on duration do not wholly reflect speech rhythm as there are many other factors that can influence values of consonantal and vocalic intervals, and Arvaniti’s (2009) suggestion that other features of speech should also be considered in description of rhythm to discover what contributes to listeners’ perception of regularity. Spectrographic analysis of the Malay recordings brought to light two parameters that displayed consistency and regularity for all speakers and sentences: the duration of individual vowels and the duration of intervals between intensity minima. This poster presents the results of these investigations and points to connections between the features which seem to be consistently regulated in the timing of Malay connected speech and aspects of Malay phonology. The results are discussed in light of current debate on the descriptions of rhythm

ENG 3360 - Introduction to Language Studies

Language studies cover a large variety of situations as language is embedded in every aspect of our lives. Finding a book that would study all the possible topics related to language is impossible. Therefore, with our UTRGV librarians, we have assembled a free book that covers the basic linguistics concepts you need to know for this course and other linguistics courses. Linguistics concepts such as phonology or language acquisition are not subject to last minute discoveries and the principles remain the same. We hope you enjoy learning more about linguistics thanks to this free resource.https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/oer/1001/thumbnail.jp

An exploratory study of foreign accent and phonological awareness in Korean learners of English

Communication in a second or multiple languages has become essential in the globalized world. However, acquiring a second language (L2) after a critical period is universally acknowledged to be challenging (Lenneberg, 1967). Late learners hardly reach a nativelike level in L2, particularly in its pronunciation, and their incomplete phonological acquisition is manifested by a foreign accent—a common and persistent feature of otherwise fluent L2 speech. Although foreign-accented speech is widespread, it has been a target of social constraints in L2-speaking communities, causing many learners and instructors to seek out ways to reduce foreign accents. Accordingly, research in L2 speech has unceasingly examined various learner-external and learner-internal factors of the occurrence of foreign accents as well as nonnative speech characteristics underlying the judgment of the degree of foreign accents. The current study aimed to expand the understanding of the characteristics and judgments of foreign accents by investigating phonological awareness, a construct pertinent to learners’ phonological knowledge, which has received little attention in research on foreign accents. The current study was exploratory and non-experimental research that targeted 40 adults with Korean-accented English living in the United States. The study first examined how 23 raters speaking American English as their native language detect, perceive, describe, and rate Korean-accented English. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of the accent perception data, the study identified various phonological and phonetic deviations from the nativelike sounds, which largely result from the influence of first language (Korean) on L2 (English). The study then probed the relationship between foreign accents and learners’ awareness of the phonological system of L2, which was measured using production, perception, and verbalization tasks that tapped into the knowledge of L2 phonology. The study found a significant inverse relationship between the degree of a foreign accent and phonological awareness, particularly implicit knowledge of L2 segmentals. Further in-depth analyses revealed that explicit knowledge of L2 phonology alone was not sufficient for targetlike pronunciation. Findings suggest that L2 speakers experience varying degrees of difficulty in perceiving and producing different L2 segmentals, possibly resulting in foreign-accented speech

Boosting pronuntiation teaching and practice in the ESO classroom

The teaching and practicing of pronunciation in ESO’s English classrooms have been subject to rejection and lack of appropriate consideration for many years. Labeled as “the poor relation of the English language teaching world” (Brown, 1991), “the orphan” (Gilbert, 2010) or “the Cinderella of English Language Teaching” (Underhill, 2013), pronunciation has been mostly locked away and out of sight in neglect, mainly reduced to boring drilling methods, in many cases due to teachers’ almost non-existent training and knowledge of English phonology, leading to uncertainty about exactly what should be taught and how. In recent years, however, the growing academic interest for intelligibility and effective communication skills has brought back pronunciation and its importance to the language teaching scenario. The lack of positive attitude and pronunciation awareness of English teachers, their lack of training, resources and support in English phonology, as well as frequent, contextualized pronunciation practice for their students were some of the surprising results after an eight-week observation period at an ESO school in north Tenerife. The feedback obtained from the students during that period of time undoubtedly indicated a real need for a change in teachers, students, and textbooks’ vision of pronunciation teaching, practice, and integration into English lesson plans. The main purpose of this study is to provide English teachers with some useful strategies that they could use to effectively integrate pronunciation into their English classes and thus improve their students’ oral communication skills.La enseñanza y práctica de la pronunciación en las aulas de clase de inglés de la ESO han estado sujetas al rechazo y a la falta de una justa consideración por muchos años. Catalogada como “la subordinada del mundo de la enseñanza del idioma inglés” (Brown, 1991), “la huérfana” (Gilbert (2010) o “la Cenicienta de la enseñanza del idioma inglés” (Underhill, 2013), la pronunciación ha estado apartada y abandonada principalmente por críticas a sus aburridos métodos de práctica y, en muchos casos, a la falta de formación y a un conocimiento casi inexistente de la fonología inglesa por parte de los profesores, lo cual deriva en una incertidumbre en lo que se debería enseñar y cómo enseñarlo. En los últimos años, sin embargo, el creciente interés académico por la inteligibilidad y las destrezas comunicativas efectivas ha traído de vuelta a la pronunciación y su importancia al escenario de la enseñanza de idiomas. La falta de actitud y conciencia en la pronunciación por parte de los profesores de inglés, su carencia de entrenamiento, recursos y apoyo en la fonología inglesa, así como también la falta de práctica frecuente y contextualizada de la pronunciación por parte de sus estudiantes fueron algunos de los sorprendentes resultados después un período de ocho semanas de observación en un instituto de ESO en el norte de Tenerife. La retroinformación obtenida de los estudiantes durante ese período de tiempo indicó, sin lugar a dudas, la necesidad real de un cambio en la visión que profesores, alumnos y libros de texto tienen de la enseñanza, práctica e integración de la pronunciación en las planificaciones de las clases de inglés. El principal propósito de este estudio es proveer a los profesores de inglés de algunas estrategias útiles que puedan usar de manera efectiva en sus clases de inglés y, de esa manera, mejorar las destrezas comunicativas de sus alumnos

International Englishes, Dialects and Glocalized Englishes: Translanguaging in South Korea

English has spread across the world as the language of business, education, science and travel. Americans, British and other native speakers living in Inner Circle countries speak English as a Native Language (ENL). Nigerians, Jamaicans, Singaporeans and others living in Outer Circle countries speak ‘World Englishes (WEs)’, but what do Koreans, Chinese, Japanese and others living in the Expanding Circle speak? Koreans learn English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) but they also speak Konglish, and they can see and hear English in Korean music, advertisements and products, indicating that English is not really a ‘foreign’ language. They often do better at communication with Chinese or Japanese business contacts than native speakers who do not know how to modify their English. In this dissertation I introduce the concepts of ‘Glocalized Englishes (GEs)’, ‘English as a Glocalized Language (EGL)’ and ‘International Englishes (IEs)’ to account for the relationships between different varieties of English. GEs cover Konglish, Chinglish, Janglish, and other hybrid languages which emerge through translanguaging in Expanding Circle countries. EGL expands the simple binary of ESL/EFL, and IEs describe the modified languages of native speakers and fluent English learners that are used for international communication. I propose a Pyramid Continuum model to represent these languages, with GEs on the bottom with the narrowest usability, ENL and WEs in the middle with moderate usability, and IEs on the top with the widest possible usability. I demonstrate how language ideologies coalesce together to form indexical configurations of EFL and EGL. The case study focusses on a South Korean university and includes taped interviews, written homework assignments, a survey on taking an English name, over 10 years of participant observation, and an analysis of the ‘linguascape’: the linguistic soundscape in videos of buildings and streets, and the linguistic landscape in photographs of buildings, streets, products, road signs, public literature and graffiti. Discussion of future implications include how to do further studies of other GEs, what linguistic features are indicative of IEs, and why language testing must include the recognition and production of IEs

Language and Linguistics in a Complex World Data, Interdisciplinarity, Transfer, and the Next Generation. ICAME41 Extended Book of Abstracts

This is a collection of papers, work-in-progress reports, and other contributions that were part of the ICAME41 digital conference

Language and Linguistics in a Complex World Data, Interdisciplinarity, Transfer, and the Next Generation. ICAME41 Extended Book of Abstracts

This is a collection of papers, work-in-progress reports, and other contributions that were part of the ICAME41 digital conference