Durational correlates of Japanese phonemic quantity contrasts by Cantonese-speaking L2 learners

This paper reports a production study of Japanese phonemic quantity contrasts by native speakers, beginner learners, and advanced learners speaking Cantonese as L1. The three groups were compared using various standard durational measures. It was found that both learner groups successfully distinguished all the quantity conditions, although they did so differently from their Japanese peers. Specifically, whereas the short vs. long contrasts were enhanced in slow speech by native speakers, such enhancement was absent in both learner groups. The pedagogical and typological implications of these data are discussed.published_or_final_versio

Eesti välte akustilised tunnused ja taju

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Eesti keele vältesüsteem on maailma keelte hulgas tähelepanuväärne, kuna haruharva leidub kvantiteedisüsteeme, mis ei oleks pelgalt binaarne lühikese ja pika vokaali opositsioon. Kolmevältesüsteeme on teada umbes kümnekonnas keeles ja enamasti eristavad need ainult vokaalide pikkust. Eesti vältesüsteem on osutunud aga oluliselt keerukamaks. Kolmese vastanduse võivad moodustada nii vokaalid (nt sada – saada – saada), konsonandid (nt kada – kata – katta) kui vokaali-konsonandi kombinatsioonid (nt sade – saate – saate). Foneetiliselt antakse väldet edasi aga häälikukestuste suhtega rõhulise ja rõhutu silbi piires. Lisaks temporaalsele struktuurile eristab teist ja kolmandat väldet ka põhitoonikontuur. Doktoritöö keskendub eesti vältesüsteemi kahele peamisele aspektile: esiteks, mis roll on toonikontuuril, ja teiseks, kuidas realiseeruvad erinevad vältega seotud akustilised tunnused spontaankõnes. Nii tajutestid kui akustiline analüüs tõestasid põhitooni olulist rolli eesti vältesüsteemis. Kui arvestada sõnatasandi intonatsiooniga, siis eristab põhitoon teist ja kolmandat väldet ka seotud kõnes, mitte ainult laborikõnes. Vokaalikvaliteedi poolest eristuvad lühike ja pikk, aga mitte pikk ja ülipikk välde. Vokaalikvaliteedi varieerumine ei ole nii suur, et eesti keele lühikesi ja pikki vokaale eri foneemidena peaks käsitlema, kuid siiski piisav, et seda võidaks tajus arvestada vokaali pikkuse hindamisel. Tajutestid näitavad, et põhitoon võib osutuda teise ja kolmanda välte eristamisel määravaks. Ühelt poolt konflikt teise välte põhitooni ja kolmanda välte temporaalse struktuuri vahel takistab kolmanda välte tajumist, teiselt poolt võib kolmanda välte põhitoon esile kutsuda kolmanda välte tajumist ka siis, kui temporaalsed tunnused viitavad teisele vältele. Kuid põhitooni olulisus teise ja kolmanda välte eristamisel on murdeti varieeruv: kui Kesk- ja Lääne-Eestist pärit katseisikud olid põhitooni suhtes tundlikud, siis Ida- ja Lõuna-Eestist pärit katseisikud seda eriti ei olnud.More than binary length oppositions are extremely rare among the world’s languages. Also in the few languages that do exhibit a three-way opposition, it is usually productive only for vowels. The nature of the Estonian quantity system has turned out to be rather complex. In Estonian there can be three-way oppositions of vowels (e.g. sada – saada – saada), consonants (e.g. kada – kata – katta), or sequences of vowels and consonants (e.g. sade – saate – saate). Phonetically the quantity is manifested by the duration ratio of the sounds within a sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables. Additionally the long and overlong quantity degrees are also marked by different pitch patterns. The thesis focuses on two main aspects: firstly, what is the role of the tonal component in Estonian quantity system, and secondly, how are the acoustic features of quantity realized in spontaneous Estonian? Both the perception tests and the acoustic study show the importance of the pitch in Estonian word prosody. If the phrase-level intonation is considered, pitch is a decisive factor between long and overlong quantities also in connected speech. The vowel quality distinguishes short from long, but not long from overlong quantity. This variation is not as great as to give a reason to treat short and long vowels as different phonemes, but it is great enough to be evaluated as a cue for the perceived duration. The perception tests show that the pitch is decisive cue for choosing between long and overlong quantity. The conflict between the pitch cue of long and temporal structure of overlong quantity fails the perception of overlong quantity on the one hand, and on the other hand the pitch of overlong quantity can evoke overlong perception also in case of temporal structure of long quantity. And yet the power of the pitch cue varies regionally in Estonian: listeners from Central and Western Estonia are more sensitive to the pitch cue than listeners from Eastern and Southern Estonia

Acquisition of Japanese quantity contrasts by L1 Cantonese speakers

This paper explores the acquisition of Japanese vowel and consonant quantity contrasts by Cantonese learners. Our goal is to examine whether transfer from L1 is possible when L1 experience is phonemic but restricted to a small set of sounds (short vs. long vowels) and when the experience is non-phonemic, derived only at morpheme boundaries (short vs. long consonants). We recruited 20 Cantonese learners (beginner and advanced learners) and 5 native speakers of Japanese, who produced target stimuli varying in consonant and vowel quantity framed in a carrier sentence. The resultant data were converted into several durational ratios for analyses. Results showed that both the beginners and advanced learners were able to distinguish between short vs. long vowels and consonants in Japanese, but only the native speakers enhanced the contrasts in slower speech. It was also found that in most cases the learners were able to lengthen the vowel before a geminate (i.e. long consonant), a secondary cue to Japanese consonant quantity known to be rare across languages. These results are discussed in terms of current theories of second language acquisition.postprin

Konsonandikeskne vältesüsteem eesti ja inarisaami keeles

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneKolme pikkuskategooriaga konsonandikeskne vältesüsteem esineb väga vähestes keeltes, teadaolevalt ainult soome-ugri keeltes: eesti, liivi ja inarisaami keeles ning veel mõningates saami keeltes. Doktoritöö keskendub neist kahele – eesti ja inarisaami keelele, millest esimene kuulub soome-ugri keelte läänemeresoome ja teine saami keelterühma. Eesti keeles esineb keerukas kolmevältesüsteem, kus vastandus moodustatakse nii vokaalide, konsonantide kui ka mõlema põhjal. Inarisaami keeles leiab kolm pikkuskategooriat vaid konsonantide puhul, vokaalidel esineb kahene vastandus. Eksperimentaalfoneetiline väitekiri uurib, kuidas kolmene konsonandikeskne kvantiteedisüsteem nendes keeltes foneetiliselt avaldub kõnetaktis. Vaadeldakse omadusi, mis kolme väldet üksteisest eristavad. Teise suurema teemana käsitleb doktoritöö segmentaalse konteksti rolli eesti keele konsonandivälte avaldumisel. Töö tulemused näitavad, et kolme konsonandikeskset väldet eristab nii eesti kui ka inarisaami keeles konsonandi enda kestus, mis on suuremas vältes pikem. Keeltevahelised erinevused tulevad välja kategooriate omavaheliste kestussuhete kaudu: eesti keeles eristuvad teineteisest rohkem esimene ja teine välde, inarisaamis aga teine ja kolmas välde. Kui eesti keeles lüheneb konsonandile järgnev rõhutu silbi vokaal vastavalt konsonandivälte kasvades, siis inarisaamis lühenevad mõlemad, nii konsonandile eelnev rõhulise silbi vokaal kui ka sellele järgnev rõhutu silbi vokaal. Põhitoonikontuurid inarisaami eri struktuuriga kahesilbilistes sõnades märkimisväärselt ei varieeru, kuid konsonandivälte kasvades intensiivsuse väärtuste erinevus esimese ja teise silbi vokaali vahel suureneb. Samas eri vältes oleva vokaalidevahelise helilise konsonandi enda intensiivsus ei muutu. Põhitoon on eesti keeles oluline teise ja kolmanda välte eristamisel, kuid klusiilide puhul, kus põhitooni liikumist jälgida ei saa, on ka leitud, et välte tajumiseks piisab kestuslikest tunnustest. Doktoritöö eesti keele artikulatsioonikatse tulemused näitavad, et kolmese konsonandikeskse välte avaldumisel on oluline osa segmentaalsel kontekstil. Kui mõningate artikulatoorsete liigutuste puhul saab näha vältega seotud kolmeseid mustreid (huulte sulgemisliigutuse kestuses konsonandi hääldamisel, keeleliigutuste kestuses üleminekul konsonandile eelnevalt vokaalilt järgnevale), siis erineva sõnaalgulise konsonandi ja ümbritseva vokaalikonteksti tõttu esineb varieerumist, kus esimene ja teine välde vastanduvad kolmandale või vastandub esimene välde teisele ja kolmandale. Ka spontaankõne materjali põhjal tehtud akustiline analüüs näitas, et erinevate konsonantide puhul realiseerub kolmene välde mõnevõrra erinevalt ning sealjuures on oluline seos konsonandi ja seda ümbritsevate vokaalide omaduste vahel.Quantity systems with three length categories for consonants can be found in a small number of languages, all of which belong to the Finno-Ugric languages: Estonian, Livonian, Inari Saami, and some other Saami languages. The focus of this dissertation is on two of them, Estonian and Inari Saami, the former belonging to the Finnic and the latter to the Saamic branch. Estonian exhibits a complex quantity system forming ternary length categories with vowels, consonants, or combinations of both. In Inari Saami, ternary length distinction is found for consonants, while vocalic quantity shows binary oppositions. This thesis comprises experimental phonetic studies answering two main questions: how is ternary consonantal quantity in Estonian and Inari Saami realized phonetically, and how does quantity interact with segmental context. The results showed that, in both languages, the three-way consonantal quantity is manifested in consonant durations that are longer in higher quantity degrees. While Estonian first and second quantity are further apart from each other, in Inari Saami second and third quantity are more distinct. Cross-linguistic differences also appear in the relations between intervocalic consonants and neighboring vowels. In Estonian, the vowel following the consonant is shorter after a long and overlong consonant than after a short one. Quantity differences in Inari Saami are realized in shorter durations of both vowels in terms of increasing consonantal quantity. Fundamental frequency contours in Inari Saami are roughly the same in words with different structures. Intensity measures, however, show greater differences between the vowels surrounding the consonant when the quantity of the consonant increases. The intensity of the sonorant consonant does not change in different quantities. The results of the articulatory study of this thesis show variation in quantity manifestations in Estonian geminate consonants due to varied segmental context. Some articulatory movements exhibit three-way patterns associated with quantity categories (in the duration of the lip closing gesture for the consonant and tongue transition gesture from the preceding vowel to the following vowel); for others the first and second quantity are opposed to the third quantity or the first quantity degree is opposed to the second and third ones. Similar patters were found in the acoustic data from spontaneous speech. The durational properties of ternary quantity are realized differently for different intervocalic consonants, and variation is also caused by coarticulatory effects of the surrounding vowels.https://www.ester.ee/record=b524109

Interneti võimalused ja ohud: noorte online-praktikate mõju nende subjektiivsele heaolule

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Teismelised on ühed kõige aktiivsemad internetikasutajad ja internet moodustab loomuliku osa nende igapäevaelust. Kuna internet on siiski suhteliselt uus meedium, mille kasutust ei raamista väga kindlad normid, kuid mille noored on väga kiirelt ja aktiivselt omaks võtnud, ärgitab see küsima, millist mõju internetikasutus noortele avaldab – kas positiivset või negatiivset. Heaolu kontseptsioonist lähtudes on doktoritöös vaatluse all nii internetikasutuse positiivsed kui ka negatiivsed küljed ning nende mõju noorte elukvaliteedile. Viimane aspekt on eriti oluline, kuna teismeiga on üks olulisemaid arenguperioode. Doktoritöös olid vaatluse all noorte online-praktikad – ühelt poolt blogimine kui positiivne ja teiselt poolt ülemäärane internetikasutus kui problemaatiline praktika – ning see, kuidas ja missugustel tingimustel need suurendavad või vähendavad noore heaolu. Nii meediumi valikut kui kasutust kujundavad laiemad kontekstuaalsed tegurid nagu vanus, sugu ja sotsiaalne keskkond (näiteks suhted pere ja eakaaslastega) ning ühiskondlikud tingimused (kultuuriline tasand), milles inimene elab, aga ka meediumi enda või selle rakenduste omadused. Seega võib järeldada, et just kontekst loob ja määrab internetikasutuse võimalikud positiivsed või negatiivsed tulemid. Internetikasutusel võivad olla erinevad tagajärjed. Näiteks avaldavad noored blogides enamasti tõele vastavat sisu, millega nad kujundavad enda identiteeti ja hoiavad sotsiaalseid suhteid, või mis pakub võimalust pälvida tunnustust eakaaslaste hulgas. Samas jagavad noored blogis enda kohta intiimset infot, millel võivad olla negatiivsed tagajärjed. Ülemäärane internetikasutus on seotud nii psühholoogiliste probleemide, internetis veedetava aja kui ka noore digitaalsete oskustega ja sellega, mida ta online-keskkonnas teeb. Ülemäärane internetikasutus võib olla ühelt poolt toimetulekustrateegia, saamaks üle negatiivsetest emotsioonidest, kuna just noortele ekspertkasutajatele pakub internet mitmesuguseid võimalusi meelelahutuseks ja tujutõstmiseks. Teiselt poolt võib see toimetulekumehhanism avaldada pikemas perspektiivis noore heaolule negatiivset mõju.Teenagers have become the most prominent users of the Internet as they effortlessly incorporate the medium into their everyday lives. Due to the newness of the medium, only partially settled norms surrounding usage, and intensity with which the online space was adopted by the youth, much attention has been paid to dwell upon whether the usage of the Internet by the young people brings along positive or negative outcomes. The concept of well-being is used in the thesis to simultaneously look both at the positive and negative aspects of Internet use and to ask how these phenomena are related to young people’s quality of life. The latter question is especially important as adolescence is the formative period in young people’s development. The thesis looked at online practices – blogging as a positive side, and excessive Internet use as a problematic one – and how and in what condition they increase or decrease the well-being of the young. The findings suggest that both media choice and usage, as well as the well-being of the young Internet users, are framed by larger contextual factors – age and gender of the user; social environment (e.g. family and peer influence) and societal (cultural level) conditions individuals live in; and the structural characteristics of the medium or its applications. Hence, the thesis suggests that it is the context which creates and defines the positivity and negativity of certain outcomes of Internet usage. For instance, adolescent bloggers primarily stay truthful to their offline selves in their blogs, and hence the practice could be seen as a mechanism for maintaining one’s identity and social contacts, but also as an opportunity to seek prestige and competence among the peer group. At the same time, revealing intimate details about one’s life in a blog can also lead to possible negative consequences. Excessive Internet use among the young is related to psychological distress and the time spent online but also to one’s digital skills and the activities one engages in online. Hence, on the one hand, excessive Internet use may be a coping strategy, especially for more expert young users of the medium, as it offers a wide range of opportunities for mood management and entertainment; on the other hand, it may have negative outcomes on one’s well-being in the long run

Dialectal variation of duration patterns in Finnmark North Sámi quantity

Ternary length contrast is a rare phonological feature, investigated here both in terms of its realization and possible undergoing changes. In North Sami, a phonetically under-documented and endangered Fenno-Ugric language spoken by indigenous people in Northern Europe, the ternary quantity contrast is assumed to be signalled by a progressive lengthening of a consonant and a compensatory shortening of the previous vowel. This study evaluates this assumption and compares the realization of the length contrasts in two dialects, the Western and Eastern Finnmark North Sami. The results show that while the contrast between the short and the two longer quantities is robustly signaled regardless of the dialect, the durational differences between the two longer quantities are maintained only in the Eastern dialect. On the other hand, a vowel quantity contrast independent of the quantity of the following consonant is present in the Western but not in the Eastern dialect. Further, comparing the phonetic realization of the ternary quantity contrast for speakers of different ages presents evidence of a language change: the results indicate an ongoing neutralization of the ternary contrast in younger speakers, which points to a possible disappearance of this rare typological feature in Finnmark North Sami.Peer reviewe

Prosodic boundary phenomena

Synopsis: In spoken language comprehension, the hearer is faced with a more or less continuous stream of auditory information. Prosodic cues, such as pitch movement, pre-boundary lengthening, and pauses, incrementally help to organize the incoming stream of information into prosodic phrases, which often coincide with syntactic units. Prosody is hence central to spoken language comprehension and some models assume that the speaker produces prosody in a consistent and hierarchical fashion. While there is manifold empirical evidence that prosodic boundary cues are reliably and robustly produced and effectively guide spoken sentence comprehension across different populations and languages, the underlying mechanisms and the nature of the prosody-syntax interface still have not been identified sufficiently. This is also reflected in the fact that most models on sentence processing completely lack prosodic information. This edited book volume is grounded in a workshop that was held in 2021 at the annual conference of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft (DGfS). The five chapters cover selected topics on the production and comprehension of prosodic cues in various populations and languages, all focusing in particular on processing of prosody at structurally relevant prosodic boundaries. Specifically, the book comprises cross-linguistic evidence as well as evidence from non-native listeners, infants, adults, and elderly speakers, highlighting the important role of prosody in both language production and comprehension

Digital Divide in Estonia and How To Bridge It

Estonia is one of the most rapidly developing information societies in Central and Eastern Europe. Still, 61% of the Estonian adult population does not use the Internet. The analysis, carried out by the research company Emor and PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies, looked thoroughly at the reasons and motivation for not using the Internet of this particular population group. The research did not address the issue of the digital divide between countries. The research clearly shows that one third of the current non-users understand the opportunities offered by the Internet and want to take advantage of them, but are limited by a lack of skills and access. Two- thirds of the non-users (40% of the adult population) do not consciously think of the Internet as of an interesting and useful tool; more practical services and an awareness campaign are thus needed for them. The latter group depends on daily routine and already shaped-out habits – it is hard for them to accept the Internet as a new channel of information and management of public affairs. The research draws several interesting conclusions. Among them is that people believe that an Internet bank as a fully developed web-service is a trustworthy partner for managing one’s business independently. At the same time, regarding public sector e-services, people are certain that much depends on the discretion of the public servant and that therefore electronic services do not suffice. Hence, if the public sector were able to offer its services fully on the web like Internet banks, its reliability will increase and negative opinions decline. The fact that “light-users” of the Internet do not consider security on the net a problem is an acknowledgement of the successful efforts by service providers so far. Medical services were pointed out most often by the present non-users as having the potential to motivate them to start using the Internet. PRAXIS and Emor also compiled policy recommendations based on the research results, which are all listed in the final report. The research was carried out by Emor and PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies from January to July 2002. The research was commissioned and financed by the Open Estonia Foundation, the Look@World Foundation and the State Chancellery of the Republic of Estonia. It was co-financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Open Society Institute in Budapest (OSI - Budapest).Internet, Information Technology, Digital Divide, Transition country, Rural development, Telecommunication, Estonia