Development of the voiceless sibilant fricative contrast in three-year-olds: an ultrasound and acoustic study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Natalia ZHARKOVA
Keyword(s):  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Shape Dynamics ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Dynamic Patterns

Abstract The study analysed spectral and tongue shape dynamics of voiceless alveolar and postalveolar fricatives produced by ten children learning Scottish English. Synchronised ultrasound tongue imaging data and acoustic data were used to characterise children's productions of the phonemic contrast. Six children had consistently accurate productions of both fricative targets, with some cross-consonant phonetic differences in the direction previously demonstrated for older children and adults, as well as some immature acoustic and articulatory dynamic patterns. Instrumental analyses made it possible to describe tongue shape for phonemic errors and phonetically distorted realisations. There was some evidence of articulatory contrast in production preceding contrast in perception. The observed patterns can be explained by the complex articulatory demands on the fricative production, in combination with the developing control of articulators. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the results for phonological theory and for speech therapy practice.

Galician coda restrictions and plural clusters

Linguistics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1433-1460
Author(s):  
Sonia Colina ◽  
Miquel Simonet
Keyword(s):  
Theoretic Analysis ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Production Experiment ◽  
Nasal Consonant ◽  
The Right

Abstract The present study investigates the phonology and phonetics of Galician post-vocalic velar nasals. Galician has very strict coda restrictions – it does not allow for complex codas. One exception to this restriction is found in the plurals of words ending in a nasal consonant, which add /s/ to the “right” of a noun or adjective: man ‘hand’, mans ‘hands’; pan ‘bread’, pans ‘breads’. The present study puts forward a proposal, initially based on synchronic, formal phonological grounds, according to which post-vocalic, pre-/s/ nasals in plural forms are not nasal stops, but nasal glides. Their nature as nasal glides allows for their syllabification in the nucleus rather than in the coda, thus preserving (i.e., not violating) the restriction on complex codas. This proposal is then tested with a production experiment based on quantitative acoustic data. The acoustic study reveals indeed a difference in the degree of weakening of post-vocalic nasals, with pre-/s/ nasals in the plural forms showing a significantly higher degree of weakening than pre-/s/ nasals in the singular forms. The article concludes with an Optimality-Theoretic analysis of the phonological facts.

Acoustic Similarity of Inner and Outer Circle Varieties of Child-Produced English Vowels

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 722-737
Author(s):  
André Coy ◽  
Stefan Watson
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Acoustic Similarity ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Educational Applications ◽  
Sociopolitical Influences ◽  
First Time ◽  
Children's Speech

Purpose This article compares acoustic data of normally developing children from two dominant and one nondominant variety of English in order to determine phonetic proximity. Method The study focuses on one variety of American English (AE), one British English (BE) variety, and one Jamaican English (JE) variety owing to the historical and sociopolitical influences of both dominant varieties on JE. The work examines the four corner vowels (/a/, /ɑ/, /u:/, and /i:/) of the specified varieties. Speech from children aged 8–11 years was processed to extract duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency as well as the first three formants (F1, F2, and F3) of each vowel. Results Analysis of the acoustic variables showed, for the first time, that child-produced JE is phonetically closer to the variety of BE studied, than it is to the American variety. The acoustic properties of the child-produced JE vowels were found to be similar to those of adult-produced vowels, suggesting that, as has been shown for adult speech, there appears to be a limited impact of AE on JE. Conclusions This is the first acoustic study of children's speech to show that, despite the proximity to BE, the Jamaican variety is clearly a distinct variety of English. As the first study comparing AE, BE, and JE, the article provides experimental evidence of the acoustic differences in the varieties and points to the implications for automatic speech recognition and educational applications for children who speak JE.

Georgian harmonic clusters: phonetic cues to phonological representation

Phonology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Chitoran
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Signal ◽  
Phonological Representation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Phonetic Cues ◽  
The One ◽  
Simple Sequence

Georgian, a South Caucasian language belonging to the Kartvelian family, is characterised by the ability of its consonants to combine in extensive clusters. Among the possible combinations are a series of two-member clusters which are argued to behave phonologically as single segments (Tschenkeli 1958, Vogt 1958, 1971, Aronson 1982, 1991, Deprez 1988 and others). They are known as ‘harmonic’ clusters, because the laryngeal quality is constant across the cluster. Its two members are both voiced ([dg bg dγ bγ]), both aspirated ([thkh tshkh thχ tshχ]) or both ejective ([t'k' ts'k' p'k' t'q' ts'q']). They can occur either word-initially or in word-medial position. Harmonic clusters do not contrast with identical sequences of segments, except for sequences formed at the junction of two words. There is no evidence that across word boundaries harmonic clusters are derived by some sort of restructuring.The purpose of the present study is to review the phonological arguments brought in the literature in favour of treating harmonic clusters as single segments, and to look for acoustic evidence that would motivate the distinction made between harmonic clusters behaving as single segments, on the one hand, and simple sequences of consonants, on the other hand. The study uses phonetic data to address the issue of phonological representation. If the difference between a harmonic cluster and a simple sequence of segments is present in the phonology, then it should ideally also be visible in the acoustic signal, for example in the presence or absence of a release burst, or in timing differences, as suggested by previous studies of complex vs. simple segments in various languages (Maddieson & Ladefoged 1989, Maddieson 1989, 1990). The results show that the treatment of Georgian harmonic clusters as complex segments is not supported by the acoustic data.The paper is organised as follows: § 2 presents the phonological behaviour of consonant clusters in Georgian, § 3 reviews phonetic evidence for complex segments, and spells out the predictions made by the present study. The acoustic study is described in § 4, followed by the presentation and discussion of results in § 5. The conclusions and areas for further study are presented in § 6.

Services for Children with Down Syndrome

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Phil Foreman
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Severe Intellectual Disability ◽  
School Placement ◽  
Health And Development

Parents of 221 school-aged children with Down syndrome completed a questionnaire about their experiences with service-providers from the time of diagnosis of their child’s disability. These experiences were compared with those of 782 parents of children with moderate or severe intellectual disability, with disabilities other than Down syndrome. Down syndrome was the earliest diagnosed disability, the average age of suspicion being two weeks and of diagnosis four weeks. Two-thirds of the children with Down syndrome had at least one additional disability, some having up to four additional disabilities. Some differences were apparent between older and younger children in the sample. Parents of younger children with Down syndrome were less likely to report inaccurate predictions about their child’s health and development. Children with Down syndrome were significantly more likely than children with other disabilities to be receiving speech therapy and significantly less likely to be receiving occupational therapy or physiotherapy. Parents of younger children with Down syndrome were more likely than parents of older children with Down syndrome or of children with other disabilities to regard an integrated school placement as ideal for their child, and their children were more likely to be in integrated settings.

Visual feedback of acoustic data for speech therapy

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Ferguson ◽  
Andrew Johnston ◽  
Kirrie Ballard ◽  
Chek Tien Tan ◽  
Dharani Perera-Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Visual Feedback ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Acoustic Data

International Confederation for Cleft Lip and Palate and Related Craniofacial Anomalies Task Force Report: Palatoplasty in the Speaking Individual with Unrepaired Cleft Palate

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 122-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C. Sommerlad
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Task Force Report ◽  
Palate Repair ◽  
Set Up ◽  
International Multicenter Study

Introduction The benefits or otherwise of late palate repair in older children or adults are uncertain. The outcomes, particularly without appropriate speech therapy, are often disappointing. The issue is of special importance in the poorer countries where these patients are most commonly seen and where limited capacity and facilities may have to be rationed. Method A task force was set up to report back to the International Congress in Orlando in May 2013. The chairman and some members were nominated by the organizers and further members were added during the discussion process. Some of the members had considerable experience of late palate repair. The task force compiled a report after 9 months of e-mail correspondence. The report includes reports of some previously unpublished studies. A summary of the report was presented at Cleft 2013 in Orlando. Conclusions There was a general consensus that late palate repair is of benefit for many patients and that, even if normal speech is not attained, outcomes are positive. Outcomes depend on the age of the patient (the younger the better), on the skill of the surgeon and, ideally, on the availability of appropriate speech therapy. A protocol for a prospective international multicenter study is proposed.

Broadband extended images by joint inversion of multiple blended wavefields

Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. WA147-WA158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Vasconcelos ◽  
James Rickett
Keyword(s):  
Joint Inversion ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Joint Point ◽  
Source Data ◽  
Dual Source ◽  
Wavefield Inversion ◽  
Simultaneous Source

Estimation of seismic velocities and subsurface reservoir properties in deep, complex, geologic environments calls for the coordination of new acquisition technology with novel depth-domain inversion methods. Here, we propose a method for inversion of subsurface reflectivity image gathers that jointly relies on broadband data acquired by multimeasurement methods (vector-acoustic data; pressure and its gradients) from monopole (pressure) and dipole (e.g., gradient) sources. Our inversion retrieves depth-domain extended images (EIs), which represent the full nonlinear reflectivity operators with pseudosources and pseudoreceivers within the subsurface, as a function of time or frequency. Based on recent advances in interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution (MDD), we present two MDD-based imaging conditions for an EI inversion. One imaging condition consists of deconvolving correlation-based EIs with the so-called joint point-spread function (JPSF). These methods can, in principle, account for imaging primaries as well as internal and free-surface multiples. Because it is based on MDD, our JPSF approach can fully account for blended/simultaneous-source data in imaging with no need to deblend/separate the simultaneous-source data prior to imaging. Using dual-source vector-acoustic data, we describe how the EI JPSF system is constructed by separating source and receiver wavefields from receiver-side upgoing and ghost data, from pressure and gradient sources. With numerical examples, we demonstrate how the method successfully inverts for EIs representing subsurface reflectivity, while benefiting from the increase in temporal and spatial bandwidth brought on by the joint use of dual-source vector-acoustic data. Although here we focus on broadband streamer seismic applications, our joint wavefield inversion approach provides a framework for jointly imaging data from multiple experiments of any kind (e.g., surface and borehole, active and passive) with acoustic, elastic, and electromagnetic fields.

scholarly journals UltraSuite: A Repository of Ultrasound and Acoustic Data from Child Speech Therapy Sessions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aciel Eshky ◽  
Manuel Sam Ribeiro ◽  
Joanne Cleland ◽  
Korin Richmond ◽  
Zoe Roxburgh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Child Speech ◽  
Therapy Sessions

Correlation of Pore Structure and Permeability by SEM-Image Analysis

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 428-429
Author(s):  
C. A. Callender ◽  
Wm. C. Dawson ◽  
J. J. Funk
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Pore Structure ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Image Analyzer ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Sem Images ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Rock Types

The geometric structure of pore space in some carbonate rocks can be correlated with petrophysical measurements by quantitatively analyzing binaries generated from SEM images. Reservoirs with similar porosities can have markedly different permeabilities. Image analysis identifies which characteristics of a rock are responsible for the permeability differences. Imaging data can explain unusual fluid flow patterns which, in turn, can improve production simulation models.Analytical SchemeOur sample suite consists of 30 Middle East carbonates having porosities ranging from 21 to 28% and permeabilities from 92 to 2153 md. Engineering tests reveal the lack of a consistent (predictable) relationship between porosity and permeability (Fig. 1). Finely polished thin sections were studied petrographically to determine rock texture. The studied thin sections represent four petrographically distinct carbonate rock types ranging from compacted, poorly-sorted, dolomitized, intraclastic grainstones to well-sorted, foraminiferal,ooid, peloidal grainstones. The samples were analyzed for pore structure by a Tracor Northern 5500 IPP 5B/80 image analyzer and a 80386 microprocessor-based imaging system. Between 30 and 50 SEM-generated backscattered electron images (frames) were collected per thin section. Binaries were created from the gray level that represents the pore space. Calculated values were averaged and the data analyzed to determine which geological pore structure characteristics actually affect permeability.

RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine targeting pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-537
Author(s):  
Lorenz von Seidlein ◽  
Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn ◽  
Podjanee Jittmala ◽  
Sasithon Pukrittayakamee
Keyword(s):  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
European Medicines Agency ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Pivotal Phase ◽  
Malaria Epidemiology ◽  
Maximum Benefit ◽  
Sub Saharan

RTS,S/AS01 is the most advanced vaccine to prevent malaria. It is safe and moderately effective. A large pivotal phase III trial in over 15 000 young children in sub-Saharan Africa completed in 2014 showed that the vaccine could protect around one-third of children (aged 5–17 months) and one-fourth of infants (aged 6–12 weeks) from uncomplicated falciparum malaria. The European Medicines Agency approved licensing and programmatic roll-out of the RTSS vaccine in malaria endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO is planning further studies in a large Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, in more than 400 000 young African children. With the changing malaria epidemiology in Africa resulting in older children at risk, alternative modes of employment are under evaluation, for example the use of RTS,S/AS01 in older children as part of seasonal malaria prophylaxis. Another strategy is combining mass drug administrations with mass vaccine campaigns for all age groups in regional malaria elimination campaigns. A phase II trial is ongoing to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the RTSS in combination with antimalarial drugs in Thailand. Such novel approaches aim to extract the maximum benefit from the well-documented, short-lasting protective efficacy of RTS,S/AS01.

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