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

Persian ITAs and Speech Comprehensibility: Using CAPT for Pronunciation Improvement

Abstract It has been shown in the past that International Teaching Assistants (ITAs) struggle with phonological and communication issues in the classroom (Pickering, 1999; 2001). This issue leads to misunderstandings between ITAs and undergraduate students, frustrating them both as well as the parents of the students and the departments. However, studies have shown that with the right training, ITAs can focus on suprasegmental features, improving their speech comprehensibility and intelligibility (Gorusch, 2011). This study investigates the effect of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Teaching (CAPT) via tutorial videos and visual feedback on the improvement of ITAs’ speech comprehensibility. Across 5 US universities, 60 Persian ITAs, a video group (n=20), a visual feedback group(n=21), and a control group (n=19), completed an oral production pretest and recorded five diagnostic sentences plus spontaneous speech files. Over the next six weeks, all groups received in-person non-CAPT instruction, but the video group received and watched extra eight tutorial videos designed to target suprasegmental features and the feedback group was exposed to Praat visual feedback. Participants were also paired with a pronunciation tutor who provided instruction and feedback once a week. A perception posttest was administered, and the same 5 sentences with the spontaneous talk were once again recorded. The pre-and post-treatment sentences were then rated by 169 undergraduate students for comprehensibility. The findings of this study provide a greater understanding of how explicit instruction of pronunciation through CAPT can improve the speech comprehensibility of ITAs. The number of international people in academic and professional contexts is rising, it is necessary to guide them through appropriate instruction to improve their communication quality. The results of this study suggest that even short intervention programs that include targeted in-person tutoring, tutorial videos, and visual feedback may improve ITAs’ communications. Results also imply the need for pronunciation support for ITAs in their respective academic institutions

マルチメディア教材活用による日本人EFL学習者の発音改善に関する研究

関西大

“A better me”: Using acoustically modified learner voices as models

This paper presents the results of a brief mixed-methods intervention which sought to modify the production of prominence-related features in L2 English by four native French-speaking university lecturers, in read-aloud speech. Selected parts of participants’ productions were acoustically modified and then used as the model in a Listen-and-Repeat protocol, where both quantitative (acoustic measures) and qualitative (free comments from discussion) data were collected. Acoustic measures were taken again from productions realized three months after the protocol, to trace longer term retention of modifications; expert listeners compared a selection of these productions to the original, diagnostic renditions, rating the degree of native-like rhythm and melody. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results confirm that imitating oneself can help individuals to modify prominence-related features of their pronunciation, that such changes can be retained over a 3-month period, but that people cannot reliably judge what they have modified. New potential is thus shown for Listen-and-Repeat, using one’s own modified voice, as an effective technique in pronunciation instruction

Analyzing Navajo Discourse: Investigating Form and Function of Intonational Units in Referential Discourse

Extensive research has been conducted on the Navajo verb complex (prefix morphology) and specific constructions (i.e. relative clause structure, subject-object-inversion), but to date the proposed establishment of a method to analyze actual discourse from a functional or usage based approach has not occurred. The goal of this study is twofold. The first is to establish a method to analyze spoken Navajo using the Intonation Units (IU) as a measure as it occurs in natural, uninterrupted speech, according to the parameters outlined by Chafe (1994), and show the influence of the morphological complexity of Navajo on the size of the IU. Secondly, analyzing the function of the IU within discourse from the intonation-as-information-flow\u27 approach (Couper-Kuhlen 2005) including deliberate manipulation by speakers in a sequential manner and the framing in which story threads are woven together expressing various points of view within a single text. IUs (Chafe 1994, DuBois et al. 1993) are portions of speech occurring under a single prosodic contour that reveal how speakers naturally segment their speech. Prosodic structure, including the suprasegmental phonetic cues of intonation, pitch, rhythm, duration and pauses, has been studied in many languages, but to date, there has not been an analysis of Navajo that has attempted to define an IU and its function in discourse. The hope is the research presented will leave the reader with a better understanding of communicative process, how syntactic structural features are interrelated to cognitive constraints and interlocutor motivation which ultimately may influence and impact actual performance which are revealed via various voices (Dinwoodie 1999) represented within a text. By proposing a unit larger than the morphologically complex verb for analysis, a specific type of clause (i.e., relative or subordinate), or even a culturally relevant structure (i.e., subject-object inversion), the desire is the results presented will both foster and aid subsequent Navajo discourse analysis studies and ultimately positively impact Navajo language education efforts

Is There a Bilingual Advantage in Phonetic and Phonological Acquisition? The Initial Learning of Word-Final Coronal Stop Realization in a Novel Accent of English

Research question: We address the question of whether the cognitive advantage of the bilingual mind, already demonstrated in the case of auditory processing or novel word acquisition, also applies to other linguistic domains, specifically to phonetic and phonological learning. Design: We compare the performance of 17 monolinguals and 25 bilinguals from Canada in a production experiment with two tasks: imitation and spontaneous reproduction of a novel foreign accent, specifically Sussex English. Data and analysis: To eliminate potential sources of variability, our focus is on a sound already existing in the subjects’ production (the glottal stop), but differently mapped to surface representations in the novel accent to which they were exposed (i.e. as an allophone of coronal stops in word-final position). We measured the glottal stop rates of our subjects in baseline, training, and post-training. Results: The two groups behaved differently, with bilinguals showing a larger increase of their glottal stop rate post-training. Our results are thus consistent with a bilingual advantage in phonetic and phonological learning. Originality: We interpret these findings in light of recent psycholinguistic work and conclude that echoic memory strategies, possibly underlain by stronger subcortical encoding of sound in bilinguals, may account for our results by facilitating the re-mapping between existing mental representations of sounds and existing articulatory command configurations. Significance: Our study adds to the body of work showing that there is an advantage of bilingualism in second dialect learning in adulthood, and provides an explanation in terms of perceptual strategies in which echoic memory is involved. We also contribute to the recent body of research suggesting that imitation of an action can result in improved understanding of that action

“ELSA SPEAK” IN AN ONLINE PRONUNCIATION CLASS: STUDENTS’ VOICES

ABSTRACTDeveloping productive skills such as pronunciation requires more than just comprehension. Students should have ample opportunities to practice their knowledge. With the strike of Covid-19 that has abruptly shifted learning from offline to an online setting, lecturers have tried to employ technologies such as Elsa Speak in teaching pronunciation online. With the rising popularity of this application, there should be a study investigating how the students perceive Elsa Speak in online pronunciation learning. To do so, this present study employed a mixed-method approach to know the attitudes of 112 English Department students toward Elsa Speak used in their online pronunciation class. Through an analysis of data collected from questionnaires and interviews, the study found that most participants had a positive attitude toward Elsa Speak concerning its use in their online pronunciation class. Even though there were some negative comments from the participants, the benefits outweighed the downside. To make the integration of Elsa Speak into online pronunciation learning more accommodating to students’ needs, lecturers could take some pedagogical measures, such as supplementing the materials provided by Elsa Speak with those from other resources, increasing their involvement during the learning process, and promoting collaborative activities. ABSTRAKMengembangkan keterampilan produktif seperti pengucapan membutuhkan lebih dari sekedar pemahaman. Siswa harus diberi banyak kesempatan untuk mempraktikkan pengetahuan mereka. Dengan adanya wabah Covid-19 yang mengubah sistem pembelajaran dari luring ke daring, dosen menggunakan teknologi seperti Elsa Speak dalam mengajar mata kuliah pengucapan secara daring. Dengan meningkatnya popularitas dari aplikasi ini, harus ada penelitian yang menyelidiki bagaimana persepsi siswa tentang Elsa Speak dalam pembelajaran pengucapan secara daring. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan metode campuran untuk mengetahui sikap 112 mahasiswa Jurusan Bahasa Inggris terhadap Elsa Speak yang digunakan di kelas pengucapan daring mereka. Melalui analisis data yang dikumpulkan dari kuesioner dan wawancara, peneliti menemukan bahwa sebagian besar mahasiswa memiliki sikap positif terhadap Elsa Speak terkait penggunaannya di kelas mereka. Meskipun terdapat beberapa komentar negatif dari partisipan, manfaat Elsa Speak lebih besar daripada kerugian yang ditimbulkan. Supaya integrasi Elsa Speak ke dalam pembelajaran pengucapan secara daring lebih mengakomodasi kebutuhan mahasiswa, dosen dapat mengambil beberapa langkah pedagogis, seperti menggunakan materi tambahan untuk memberi variasi terhadap materi yang disediakan oleh Elsa Speak, meningkatkan keterlibatan dosen selama proses pembelajaran, dan mengimplementasikan kegiatan pembelajaran yang kolaboratif

Introduction to linguistics : Understanding the Basic Theory

This book will discuss about introduction to linguistics understanding the basic theory