A dynamical approach to gestural patterning in speech production.

In this article, we attempt to reconcile the linguistic hypothesis that speech involves an underlying sequencing of abstract, discrete, context-independent units, with the empirical observation of continuous, context-dependent interleaving of articulatory movements. To this end, we first review a previously proposed task-dynamic model for the coordination and control of the speech articulators. We then describe an extension of this model in which invariant speech units (gestural primitives) are identified with context-independent sets of parameters in a dynamical system having two functionally distinct but interacting levels. The intergesturallevel is defined according to a set of activation coordinates; the interarticulator level is defined according to both model articulator and tract-variable coordinates. In the framework of this extended model, coproduction effects in speech are described in terms of the blending dynamics defined among a set of temporally overlapping active units; the relative timing of speech gestures is formulated in terms of the serial dynamics that shape the temporal patterning of onsets and offsets in unit activations. Implications of this approach for certain phonological issues are discussed, and a range of relevant experimental data on speech and limb motor control is reviewed

Articulation in time : Some word-initial segments in Swedish

Speech is both dynamic and distinctive at the same time. This implies a certain contradiction which has entertained researchers in phonetics and phonology for decades. The present dissertation assumes that articulation behaves as a function of time, and that we can find phonological structures in the dynamical systems. EMA is used to measure mechanical movements in Swedish speakers. The results show that tonal context affects articulatory coordination. Acceleration seems to divide the movements of the jaw and lips into intervals of postures and active movements. These intervals are affected differently by the tonal context. Furthermore, a bilabial consonant is shorter if the next consonant is also made with the lips. A hypothesis of a correlation between acoustic segment duration and acceleration is presented. The dissertation highlights the importance of time for how speech ultimately sounds. Particularly significant is the combination of articulatory timing and articulatory duration

Towards a clinical assessment of acquired speech dyspraxia.

No standardised assessment exists for the recognition and quantification of acquired speech dyspraxia (also called apraxia of speech, AS). This thesis aims to work towards development of such an assessment based on perceptual features. Review of previous features claimed to characterise AS and differentiate it from other acquired pronunciation problems (dysarthrias; phonemic paraphasia - PP) has proved negative. Reasons for this have been explored. A reconceptualisation of AS is attempted based on physical studies of AS, PP and the dysarthrias; their position and relationship within coalitional models of speech production; by comparison with normal action control and other dyspraxias. Contrary to the view of many it is concluded that AS and PP are dyspraxias (albeit different types). However, due to the interactive nature of speech-language production and behaviour of the vocal tract as a functional whole AS is unlikely to be distinguishable in an absolute fashion based on single speech characteristics. Rather it is predicted that pronunciation disordered groups will differ relatively on total error profiles and susceptibility to associated effects (variability; propositionality; struggle; length-complexity; latency-utterance times). Using a prototype battery and refined error transcription and analysis procedures a series of studies test predictions on three groups: spastic dysarthrics (n = 6) AS and PP without (n = 12) and with (n = 12) dysphasia. The main conclusions do not support the error profile hypotheses in any straightforward manner. Length-complexity effects and latency-utterance times fail to consistently separate groups. Variability, propositionality and struggle proved the most reliable indicators. Error profiles remain the closest indicators of speakers' intelligibility and therapeutic goals. The thesis argues for a single case approach to differential diagnosis and alternative statistical analyses to capture individual and group differences. Suggestions for changes to the prototype clinical battery and data management to effect optimal speaker differentiation conclude the work

The phonetics and phonology of the Karanga dialect of Shona as spoken in the Midlands region of Rhodesia.

This thesis is in two parts. Part I is a phonetic study of the sounds of the Karanga dialect of Shona, prefaced by a review of some of the major works on Shona phonetics. The review, written from the point of view of current scientific theory, isolates those areas of the subject in which the present author hopes to make a contribution. In order to bring some order to the analysis and classification of the sounds of the dialect, a brief outline of the phoneme theory as set out by the post- Bloomfieldians is given in the first chapter. The review is thus set against the background of that theory and it is argued that the work of Doke (1931) and Fortune (1955, 1968) would have benefitted if it had been conducted within the framework of an explicit theory such as that propounded by the American structuralist phonemicists. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are a phonetic study of the sounds of Karanga: the distinctive segments of the dialect are grouped into classes using articulatory criteria. Then each class is described with a view to pin-pointing some of the outstanding acoustic features which characterise it and such features are compared with those reported for the sounds of other languages in articles and books by other phoneticians. The outstanding phonetic features described in Part I are used as the basis for an inventory of distinctive features used in Part II. In the latter part, in 1. All the instrumental material is contained in Vol. II of the thesis. particular in Chapter 7, the distinction between phonology and grammar has become very narrow indeed. That Chapter (Chapter 6 is on segmental phonological processes) is on the tonal processes caused by the affixation of certain grammatical prefixes on to nominal stems, e.g. what have been called the prefixes of "association" and "similarity", /na-/, "with" or "in the company of..", and /sa-/, "like" or "resembling", respectively. The nouns of Shona fall into a number of classes each of which is made up of items with a variety of tone patterns. The study reported in that chapter is interesting in that the rules which one can posit to account for these tonal processes are, to a large extent, similar, in spite of the fact that the prefixes perform diverse grammatical functions

The english pronunciation problems of EFL students’ speaking: a case study at the fourth semester of teaching speaking and listening class

English pronunciation is quite difficult for Indonesian students since they have been used to speaking their mother tongue since childhood.The purpose of this reseach are to explain the pronunication problem made by the fourth semester students English Education department at University of Walisongo Semarang, in terms of consonants, vowels and also explain the factors can affect the pronunciation problems. The method of research is qualitative using case study research design. The participant of this reseach were 37 students who are still in the fourth semester English Department Students by C class. The data were collected through recording test and interview. The methods of analyzing data were the techniques proposed by Miles and Huberman, namely data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The result of research showed that the pronunciation problems are in segmental features included the problems with consonant sounds were (v), [ð], [θ], [t∫], (z), and deletion the sounds [k], [ɡ], [t], and [s] and the vowel sounds were [iː], [ɛ], [Λ], [ə] and [ɔ:]. The top theree pronunciation problems by consonant sounds: The sound [v]: 26.64%, the sound [θ]: 13.19%, the sound [t∫]: 11.11% and the top three pronunciation problem by vowel sounds: The sound [ə]: 24.37%, the sound [ɛ]: 17.65% and the sound [ɔ:]: 14.77%. There are four factors can affect pronunciation problem, those are: (1) mother tongue, (2)amount of exposure,(3) the age factor and (4) motivation and concern for good pronunciation.It is suggested for the next reseacher to investigate pronunciation problem related suprasegmental features and also it is suggested to investigate the treatments of pronunciation problem so that the students can minimize mispronunciation and the teacher should be introduce course to be trained on phontetics to help students improving their pronunciatio

Repetition avoidance in human language

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 208-225).Repetition is avoided in countless human languages and at a variety of grammatical levels. In this dissertation I ask what it is that makes repetition so bad. I propose that at least three distinct biases against repetition exist. First, repetition of articulatory gestures is relatively difficult. This difficulty results in phonetic variation that may lead to categorical phonological avoidance. I call this set of claims the Biomechanical Repetition Avoidance Hypothesis (BRAH), and support it with evidence from cross-linguistic patterns in repetition avoidance phenomena, articulatory data from music performance, and a series of phonetic experiments that document the proposed types of phonetic variation. Based on these data, I give an evolutionary account for antigemination in particular. The second anti-repetition bias is a perceptual deficit causing speakers not to perceive one of a sequence of repeated items, of any conceptual category. This bias is already well-documented, as are the grammatical effects (primarily haplology). I provide here the evidence of gradient variation in production bridging the two, from avoidance of homophone sequences in English corpora. The third factor is a principle disallowing the repetition of syntactic features in certain configurations within a phase domain. I document categorical effects of it in Semitic syntax of possession and relativization. These elicit repair strategies superficially similar to those of phonology (specifically, deletion and epenthesis/insertion). Repetition effects, then, are traceable to a variety of independent, functional biases. This argues against a unitary, innate constraint against repetition. Rather, multiple anti-repetition biases result in particular avoidance patterns, with their intersection producing additional asymmetries. Possible categorical repairs are further constrained by the nature of the formal grammatical system.by Mary Ann Walter.Ph.D