scholarly journals The relationship between native allophonic experience with vowel duration and perception of the English tense/lax vowel contrast by Spanish and Russian listeners

2008 ◽  
Vol 124 (6) ◽  
pp. 3959-3971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria V. Kondaurova ◽  
Alexander L. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
The Relationship

The Relationship Between Perception and Acoustics for a High-Low Vowel Contrast Produced by Speakers With Dysarthria

2001 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1215-1228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Bunton ◽  
Gary Weismer
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Speech Disorders ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Motor Speech Disorders ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
Consistent Error ◽  
The Relationship

This study was designed to explore the relationship between perception of a high-low vowel contrast and its acoustic correlates in tokens produced by persons with motor speech disorders. An intelligibility test designed by Kent, Weismer, Kent, and Rosenbek (1989a) groups target and error words in minimal-pair contrasts. This format allows for construction of phonetic error profiles based on listener responses, thus allowing for a direct comparison of the acoustic characteristics of vowels perceived as the intended target with those heard as something other than the target. The high-low vowel contrast was found to be a consistent error across clinical groups and therefore was selected for acoustic analysis. The contrast was expected to have well-defined acoustic measures or correlates, derived from the literature, that directly relate to a listeners' responses for that token. These measures include the difference between the second and first formant frequency (F2-F1), the difference between F1 and the fundamental frequency (F0), and vowel duration. Results showed that the acoustic characteristics of tongue-height errors were not clearly differentiated from the acoustic characteristics of targets. Rather, the acoustic characteristics of errors often looked like noisy (nonprototypi-cal) versions of the targets. Results are discussed in terms of the test from which the errors were derived and within the framework of speech perception theory.

Acoustic Differences Between Content and Function Words in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg S. Turner ◽  
Kris Tjaden
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Function ◽  
Impaired Speech ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Studies describing acoustic characteristics of speech produced by individuals with dysarthria may help to explain intelligibility deficits for these speakers. One goal of the current study was to investigate the manner and extent to which nine speakers with mild to moderate dysarthria associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and nine healthy speakers acoustically distinguished /i/, / æ/, /u/, and /α/ in content and function words. A further aim was to evaluate the relationship between impaired speech in ALS and the magnitude of acoustic differences for vowels in content and function words. Speakers read the Farm Passage at a comfortable or habitual rate. F1 and F2 midpoint frequencies were measured, and vowel space areas were calculated. Vowel durations also were measured. The magnitude of F1, F2, vowel space area, and duration differences for vowels in content and function words was not statistically different for speakers with ALS and healthy controls. In addition, with the exception of /i/ produced by some speakers with ALS, vowel duration tended to be shorter in function words. Average F1 and F2 values for function words also tended to be centralized relative to content words. Although vowel space area differences for the two speaker groups were not statistically significant, there was a tendency for the difference in vowel space area for content and function words to be smaller for speakers with ALS than for controls. Regression analyses further indicated that the magnitude of temporal differences for vowels in content and function words was a better predictor of impaired speech than the magnitude of spectral differences for vowels in content and function words. One clinical implication is that individuals with ALS may benefit from therapy techniques targeting temporal properties of the acoustic signal.

scholarly journals Examining the Relationship Between Speech Perception, Production Distinctness, and Production Variability

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Shao Cheng ◽  
Caroline A. Niziolek ◽  
Adam Buchwald ◽  
Tara McAllister
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Auditory Target ◽  
Perceptual Identification ◽  
Production Variability ◽  
Acoustic Space ◽  
Lower Variability ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
The Relationship

Several studies have demonstrated that individuals’ ability to perceive a speech sound contrast is related to the production of that contrast in their native language. The theoretical account for this relationship is that speech perception and production have a shared multimodal representation in relevant sensory spaces (e.g., auditory and somatosensory domains). This gives rise to a prediction that individuals with more narrowly defined targets will produce greater separation between contrasting sounds, as well as lower variability in the production of each sound. However, empirical studies that tested this hypothesis, particularly with regard to variability, have reported mixed outcomes. The current study investigates the relationship between perceptual ability and production ability, focusing on the auditory domain. We examined whether individuals’ categorical labeling consistency for the American English /ε/–/æ/ contrast, measured using a perceptual identification task, is related to distance between the centroids of vowel categories in acoustic space (i.e., vowel contrast distance) and to two measures of production variability: the overall distribution of repeated tokens for the vowels (i.e., area of the ellipse) and the proportional within-trial decrease in variability as defined as the magnitude of self-correction to the initial acoustic variation of each token (i.e., centering ratio). No significant associations were found between categorical labeling consistency and vowel contrast distance, between categorical labeling consistency and area of the ellipse, or between categorical labeling consistency and centering ratio. These null results suggest that the perception-production relation may not be as robust as suggested by a widely adopted theoretical framing in terms of the size of auditory target regions. However, the present results may also be attributable to choices in implementation (e.g., the use of model talkers instead of continua derived from the participants’ own productions) that should be subject to further investigation.

Incomplete neutralization in African American English: The case of final consonant voicing

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Farrington
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
American English ◽  
African American English ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Phonological Contrast ◽  
Glottal Stop ◽  
Conversational Interviews ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Consonant Voicing

AbstractIn many varieties of African American English (AAE), glottal stop replacement and deletion of word-final /t/ and /d/ results in consonant neutralization, while the underlying voicing distinction may be maintained by other cues, such as vowel duration. Here, I examine the relationship between vowel duration, final glottal stop replacement, and deletion of word-final /t, d/ to determine whether the phonological contrast of consonant voicing is maintained through duration of the preceding vowel. Data come from conversational interviews of AAE speakers in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, DC. Results indicate that glottalization and deletion of word-final /t/ and /d/ are widespread across the speakers in the analysis. Additionally, the duration of vowels is significantly longer before underlying /d/ than /t/ for consonant neutralized contexts, thus showing that duration, normally a secondary cue to final voicing, may be becoming a primary cue in AAE.

A phonetic-phonological study of vowel height and nasal coarticulation in French

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-274
Author(s):  
Michael Dow
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Natural Speech ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
High Vowels ◽  
Vowel Nasalization ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Vowel Height

ABSTRACTThe majority of previous studies on nasal coarticulation in French find an inversely proportionate relationship between vowel opening and nasality, such that high vowels are the most nasalized, sometimes exceeding 50% nasality. However, it has been unclear whether this is a mechanical or controlled property of French, given the typically short duration of high vowels in natural speech, as well as the aerodynamic and acoustic factors rendering them more susceptible to spontaneous nasalization. This study uses nasometric data to quantify progressive and regressive nasalization in 20 Northern Metropolitan French speakers as a function of vowel height. Furthermore, the relationship between degree of nasal coupling and overall vowel duration serves as a proxy for distinguishing mechanical from controlled nasalization, in the spirit of Solé (1992, 2007). This study finds evidence that high vowel nasalization in French is mechanical in pre-nasal position, but controlled in post-nasal position. Meanwhile, nasalization of mid and low vowels is blocked in pre-nasal position but, at most, mechanical in post-nasal position. In consequence, French appears to block nasalization in otherwise lexically impossible positions (*ṼN), while passively allowing, though not actively requiring, nasalizing in positions where conflation is possible (both NṼ and NV being permitted in the lexicon).

scholarly journals The relationship between prosodic weakening and sound change: evidence from the German tense/lax vowel contrast

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Harrington ◽  
Felicitas Kleber ◽  
Ulrich Reubold ◽  
Jessica Siddins
Keyword(s):  
Sound Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Target Words

AbstractThe study tests a model of sound change based on how prosodic weakening affects shortening in polysyllabic words. Twenty-nine L1-German speakers produced minimal pairs differing in vowel tensity in both monosyllables /zakt, zaːkt/ and disyllables /zaktə, zaːktə/. The target words were produced in accented and deaccented contexts. The duration ratio between the vowel and the following /kt/ cluster was less for lax than tense vowels and less for disyllables than monosyllables. Under deaccentuation, there was an approximation of tense and lax vowels towards each other but no influence due to the mono- vs. disyllabic difference. On the other hand, Gaussian /a/ vs. /aː/ classifications of these data showed a lesser influence due to the syllable count in deaccented words. Compatibly, when the same speakers as listeners classified synthetic

Speaking-Rate-Induced Variability in F2 Trajectories

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 976-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Gary Weismer
Keyword(s):  
Partial Correlation ◽  
Stop Consonant ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Partial Correlation Analysis ◽  
Target Frequency ◽  
First Occurrence ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Target Words

This study examined speaking-rate-induced spectral and temporal variability of F2 formant trajectories for target words produced in a carrier phrase at speaking rates ranging from fast to slow. F2 onset frequency measured at the first glottal pulse following the stop consonant release in target words was used to quantify the extent to which adjacent consonantal and vocalic gestures overlapped; F2 target frequency was operationally defined as the first occurrence of a frequency minimum or maximum following F2 onset frequency. Regression analyses indicated 70% of functions relating F2 onset and vowel duration were statistically significant. The strength of the effect was variable, however, and the direction of significant functions often differed from that predicted by a simple model of overlapping, sliding gestures. Results of a partial correlation analysis examining interrelationships among F2 onset, F2 target frequency, and vowel duration across the speaking rate range indicated that covariation of F2 target with vowel duration may obscure the relationship between F2 onset and vowel duration across rate. The results further suggested that a sliding based model of acoustic variability associated with speaking rate change only partially accounts for the present data, and that such a view accounts for some speakers' data better than others.

Interlingual identification and the role of foreign language experience in L2 vowel perception

1990 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ocke-Schwen Bohn ◽  
James Emil Flege
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Vowel Perception ◽  
Spectral Cues ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
The Continuum

ABSTRACTThis article examines the perception of four English vowels (/i, i, ε, æ/) by adult native speakers of German. From the standpoint of German, it appears that English /i, i,ε/ are perceptually similar, if not identical, to German /i, i, ε,/ whereas /ε/ is a “new” vowel for German learners of English. The role of foreign language experience in the perception of second language vowels was examined through labeling responses to members of synthetic continua (beat-bit, bet-bat) in which vowel duration and spectrum were varied factorily. The subjects were relatively experienced and inexperienced second language (L2) learners and a monolingual English control group. The results suggest that L2 experience did not affect perception for the continuum with the two “similar” vowels /i/ and /I/. However, for the continuum involving the “new” vowel /æ/, the experienced Germans more closely resembled the native English speakers than the inexperienced Germans. The predominant use of duration cues in differentiating the English /ε/–/æ/ contrast by the inexperienced Germans suggested that when spectral cues are insufficient to differentiate an L2 vowel contrast, duration will be used.

scholarly journals The relationship between the perception and production of four General British vowels by Slovene university students of English

Linguistica ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smiljana Komar
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
The Relationship

This paper presents a study of the influence of orthography and phonemic transcription on the pronunciation of the four GB vowels /e/, /æ/, /ʌ/, and /ɜ:/ by Slovene university students of English. The paper also examines the relation between the perception and production of the four vowels in question by comparing the perception results of the same vowels from a previous study and the production results of this study. The results indicate a positive influence of phonemic transcription on the production of the examined vowels, whereas the influence of orthography on the pronunciation is confusing and leads to pronunciation errors. The results also confirm the findings of the perception study that the most difficult vowel contrast to maintain is between /e/ and /æ/. Interestingly, the perceived vocalic substitutes do not match the pronunciation substitutes for these two vowels. While the pronunciation of /e/ is excellent, its perception is still confused with /æ/.

How explicit instruction improves phonological awareness and perception of L2 sound contrasts in younger and older adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Felker ◽  
Esther Janse ◽  
Mirjam Ernestus ◽  
Mirjam Broersma
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Conscious Awareness ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Identification Task ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Phonetic Instruction

Abstract Despite the importance of conscious awareness in second language acquisition theories, little is known about how L2 speech perception can be improved by explicit phonetic instruction. This study examined the relationship between phonological awareness and perception in Dutch younger and older adult L2 listeners, focusing on English contrasts of two types: a familiar contrast in an unfamiliar position (word-final /t/-/d/) and an unfamiliar contrast (/æ/-/ε/). Awareness was assessed with a task in which written minimal pairs and homophone pairs had to be judged as sounding the same or different. Perception was assessed with a two-alternative forced-choice identification task with auditorily presented words from minimal pairs. We investigated whether listeners’ awareness and perception improved after a video-based explicit instruction that oriented their attention to one of these contrasts, and we tested whether including information about the phonetic cue of vowel duration increased learning. Awareness and perception of each contrast were shown to be moderately correlated at the study’s outset. Furthermore, awareness and perception for each contrast generally improved more after the instruction drawing attention to that contrast. However, the effectiveness of explicit phonetic instruction varied depending on the combination of the contrast, cue information, and listener age group.

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