Promoting Increased Pitch Variation in Oral Presentations with Transient Visual Feedback

This paper investigates learner response to a novel kind of intonation feedback generated from speech analysis. Instead of displays of pitch curves, the feedback our system produces is flashing lights of different colors, which show how much pitch variation the speaker has produced rather than an absolute measure of frequency. The variable used to generate the feedback is the standard deviation of fundamental frequency (as measured in semitones) over the previous ten seconds of speech. Flat or monotone speech causes the system to show yellow lights, while more expressive speech that has used pitch to give focus to any part of an utterance generates green lights. The system is designed to be used with free, rather than modeled, speech. Participants in the study were 14 Chinese-native students of English at intermediate and advanced levels. A group that received feedback was compared with a group that received no feedback other than the ability to listen to recordings of their speech, with the hypothesis that the feedback would stimulate the development of a speaking style that used more pitch variation. Pitch variation was measured at four stages of our study: in a baseline oral presentation; for the first and second halves of roughly three hours of training; and finally in the production of a new oral presentation. Both groups increased their pitch variation with training, and the effect lasted after the training had ended. The test group showed a significantly higher increase than the control group, indicating that the feedback is effective. These positive results imply that the feedback could be beneficially used in a system for practicing oral presentations

Strategies for ESL Students in Community Colleges to Develop Their Public Speaking Skills

The purpose of this project was to identify strategies for ESL students in community colleges to develop their public speaking skills. Effective oral communication skills are commonly needed by employees in the workplace at all different levels. The project focused on three key areas: 1) ways to reduce the fear and anxiety associated with public speaking; 2) the role of small groups in planning and presenting oral presentations; and 3) the use of feedback and self-help strategies to improve public speaking skills. The project presented a handbook of strategies in each of these areas for students to use as a resource in developing these skills. With increased self-confidence and strengthened public speaking skills, community college ESL students will be better prepared to succeed in their further education and as employees in the workforce

Cross-Linguistic Comparison of the Pitch and Temporal Profiles between L1 and Chinese L2 Speakers of Spanish

Cross-linguistic studies between intonational languages suggest that there is a universal trend during the L2 learning process regarding pitch and temporal characteristics. We extend these hypotheses to Chinese learners of Peninsular Spanish-a new pairing of tone and non-tone languages. Using six pitch and temporal metrics, we examine how Chinese learners’ pitch and temporal profiles deviated from those of L1 native speakers and explore the factors that may contribute to L2 speech deviations. The Discourse Completion Task was conducted to elicit five question types produced by 37 participants, who were divided into three language groups. Consistent with previous literature, our study shows that Chinese L2 learners had a compression of pitch span (at both the utterance and syllable levels) and pitch variability, as well as a strong reduction of pitch change rate, speech rate, and articulation rate compared to L1 Spanish speakers. Most pitch and temporal deviations in L2 Spanish intonation are closely linked to psychological and cognitive attributes rather than being determined by physiological factors or L1 tonal transfer. Moreover, the lack of prosodic knowledge of the target intonation patterns concerning the different question types may also hinder L2 learners from approaching a native-like pitch and temporal profile.Algunos estudios interlingüísticos entre lenguas entonativas sugieren que puede existir una tendencia universal durante el proceso de aprendizaje de la L2 con respecto a las características tonales y temporales. Extendemos estas hipótesis a los aprendices chinos de español peninsular -una nueva combinación lingüística entre lenguas tonales y entonativas. Usando seis métricas tonales y temporales, pretendemos examinar cómo los aprendices chinos se desvían de los hablantes nativos en los perfiles tonales y temporales, y explorar los factores que contribuyen a las desviaciones en el habla de la L2. Se ha realizado la Tarea de Finalización del Discurso para elicitar cinco tipos de preguntas producidas por los 37 participantes divididos en tres grupos lingüísticos. En línea con la bibliografía anterior, nuestro estudio muestra que los aprendices chinos presentaban una compresión de rango tonal (tanto a nivel oracional como a nivel silábico) y variación tonal, así como una reducción significativa en la tasa del cambio tonal, la velocidad del habla y la tasa de articulación en comparación con los hablantes nativos de español. La mayoría de las desviaciones tonales y temporales en la entonación de la L2 están estrechamente relacionadas con atributos psicológicos y cognitivos más que con factores fisiológicos o con la transferencia tonal de la L1. Además, la falta de conocimiento prosódico de los patrones entonativos relativos a los diferentes tipos de preguntas en la lengua meta también impide que los aprendices de L2 se asimilen a un perfil tonal y temporal similar a los nativos

Perception of English Prominence by Native Mandarin Chinese Speakers

Native-like perception of intonational prominence is important for spoken language competency. Non-native speakers may have trouble interpreting prosodic variation in a second language like English, where intonational variation can critically influence utterance semantics. By identifying types of prosody non-native learners find difficult to perceive, we can improve our ability to teach L2 speakers a language. In this paper we present results of a perception study in which Mandarin speakers with knowledge of English were tested on their ability to identify prosodic prominence in English in a variety of contexts. Through this analysis we identify particular contexts which make it difficult for Mandarin speakers to recognize pitch accent in English

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

A Multimodal Learning System for Individuals with Sensorial, Neuropsychological, and Relational Impairments

This paper presents a system for an interactive multimodal environment able (i) to train the listening comprehension in various populations of pupils, both Italian and immigrants, having different disabilities and (ii) to assess speech production and discrimination. The proposed system is the result of a research project focused on pupils with sensorial, neuropsychological, and relational impairments. The project involves innovative technological systems that the users (speech terabits psychologists and preprimary and primary schools teachers) could adopt for training and assessment of language and speech. Because the system is used in a real scenario (the Italian schools are often affected by poor funding for education and teachers without informatics skills), the guidelines adopted are low-cost technology; usability; customizable system; robustness

A multimodal approach to persuasion in oral presentations : the case of conference presentations, research dissemination talks and product pitches

Esta tesis presenta un estudio multimodal y etnográfico del uso de estrategias persuasivas en tres géneros orales: presentaciones en conferencias, charlas de divulgación científica, y presentaciones de productos. Estos géneros comparten un importante componente persuasivo: los tres se dirigen a una audiencia tratando de convencerles del valor de un producto, servicio, o investigación. Sin embargo, se usan en dos contextos profesionales diferentes: el académico y el económico, por lo que cabe esperar que consigan su propósito comunicativo de forma diferente. Por otra parte, recientes estudios muestran como distintos discursos, tienden a adoptar cada vez más rasgos promocionales (promocionalización del discurso). En vista de ello, es factible establecer como hipótesis que los tres géneros están relacionados interdiscursivamente, y un estudio multimodal y etnográfico del uso de la persuasión en dichos géneros puede ayudar a clarificar las relaciones existentes entre ellos, así como sus diferencias.This thesis is a multimodal and ethnographic study of the use of persuasive strategies in three oral genres conference presentations, research dissemination talks and product pitches. These presentations share a strong persuasive component in their communicative purpose: the three of them address an audience to convince them of the value of a product, a service or a piece of research. However, they are used in business and academia by different discourse communities in different contexts, and therefore they can be expected to achieve their communicative goals in different ways. In addition, research suggests that there is a trend towards promotionalization of different discourses, among which academic discourse is included. In view of this, I hypothesize that these three genres are intertextually and interdiscursively related, and that a multimodal and ethnographic study of the use of persuasion in them can help to shed some light on these relationships and differences

Encouraging engineering undergraduates to voice their ideas worth sharing

[EN] TED Talks have these days become a valuable tool for online information dissemination in a wide range of areas of expertise. The use of TED Talks in a course of Technical English offers numerous advantages. TED teaches how to communicate by linking different modes (i.e. the visual, gestural, verbal, written and spatial) to technological production. Students can construct communication when they attentively observe and make meaning from this ensemble of modes which go beyond the verbal. TED Talks might also give rise to different tasks that entail some type of critical multimodal analysis, by which students can study the aptness of modes. They can explore why the speaker says something visually and not verbally, or which mode is best for which purpose. Yet, TED and its zeal for sharing and transmitting ideas to a wide audience should not be regarded as a means incompatible with more traditional models of information. 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