Intonation Patterns in Pijal Media Lengua

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Current Literature ◽  
Content Word ◽  
Pitch Accent ◽  
Transcription System ◽  
Investigative Tool ◽  
Mixed Language ◽  
Acoustic Analyses

Pijal Media Lengua (pml) is a mixed language described as having Quichua morphosyntactic and phonological systems where nearly every content word (89%), including pronouns and determiners, is replaced by its Spanish-derived counterpart through the process of relexification. pml speakers however, often regard their language as intonationally distinct from both Quichua and Spanish. This paper offers a basic description of the pitch accent and boundary tone configurations found in pml using the autosegmental framework (Pierrehumbert, 1980) in a ToBI transcription system (Silverman, 1984). This paper also explorers the current literature on mixed language phonetics and attempts to promote acoustic analyses of intonation as a useful investigative tool for analyzing the origins of prosodic material. The results suggest that pml predominantly makes use of Quichua-like intonation patterns along with innovative and/or preserved structures.

“Pitch” Accent in Alaryngeal Speech

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1106-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. van Rossum ◽  
G. de Krom ◽  
S. G. Nooteboom ◽  
H. Quené
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Pitch Perception ◽  
Pitch Accent ◽  
Alaryngeal Speech ◽  
Preceding Context ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Pitch System ◽  
Laryngeal Control

Highly proficient alaryngeal speakers are known to convey prosody successfully. The present study investigated whether alaryngeal speakers not selected on grounds of proficiency were able to convey pitch accent (a pitch accent is realized on the word that is in focus, cf. Bolinger, 1958). The participating speakers (10 tracheoesophageal, 9 esophageal, and 10 laryngeal [control] speakers) produced sentences in which accent was cued by the preceding context. For each utterance, a group of listeners identified which word conveyed accent. All speakers were able to convey accent. Acoustic analyses showed that some alaryngeal speakers had little or no control over fundamental frequency. Contrary to expectation, these speakers did not compensate by using nonmelodic cues, whereas speakers using F0 did use nonmelodic cues. Thus, temporal and intensity cues are concomitant with the use of F0; if F0 is affected, these nonmelodic cues will be as well. A pitch perception experiment confirmed that alaryngeal speakers who had no control over F0 and who did not use nonmelodic cues were nevertheless able to produce pitch movements. Speakers with no control over F0 apparently relied on an alternative pitch system to convey accents and other pitch movements.

Can a bilingual lexicon be sustained by phonotactics alone?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-365
Author(s):  
John M. Lipski
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Decision ◽  
False Memory ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Content Word ◽  
Related Question ◽  
Language Identification ◽  
Bilingual Lexicon ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Mixed Language

Abstract This study focuses on bilingual speakers of Ecuadoran Quichua and the mixed language known as Media Lengua, which consists of Quichua morphosyntactic frames with all content word roots relexified from Spanish. For all intents and purposes, only the lexicon – more specifically, lexical roots – separate Media Lengua from Quichua, and yet speakers generally manage to keep the two languages apart in production and are able to unequivocally distinguish the languages in perception tasks. Two main questions drive the research effort. The first, given the very close relationships between Quichua and Media Lengua, is whether each language has a distinct lexicon, or a single lexical repository is shared by the two languages. A second and closely related question is the extent to which language-specific phonotactic patterns aid in language identification, possibly even to the extent of constituting the only robust language-tagging mechanism in a joint lexicon. Using lexical-decision and false-memory tasks to probe the Quichua-Media Lengua bilingual lexical repertoire, the results are consistent with a model based on a single lexicon, partially differentiated by subtle phonotactic cues, and bolstered by contemporary participants’ knowledge of Spanish as well as Quichua.

Pitch Accent Distribution and Focus Structure in Taifi Arabic: A Production Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Muhammad Swaileh A. Alzaidi
Keyword(s):  
Important Implication ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Content Word ◽  
Pitch Accent ◽  
Contrastive Focus ◽  
Focus Structure ◽  
Production Study ◽  
Production Experiment ◽  
Lebanese Arabic ◽  
Information Focus

Prosodic encoding of focus in Taifi Arabic is not yet fully understood. A recent production study found significant acoustic differences between syntactically identical sentences with information focus, contrastive focus and without focus. This paper presents results from a production experiment investigating whether information and contrastive focus have prosodic effects on the pitch-accent distributions. Using question-answer paradigms, 16 native speakers of Taifi Arabic were asked to read three target sentences in different focus conditions. Results reveal that every content word is pitch-accented in utterances with and without focus. However, there are very few cases (23.12%) in which the post-focus words are deaccented. The largest percentage of deaccentuation was observed in the utterances with initial contrastive focus. The results show that focus structures in Taifi Arabic show both deaccentuation and post-focus compression. Therefore, the prosodic realization of focus in Taifi Arabic is different from their counterparts in other Arabic dialects such as Egyptian and Lebanese Arabic. These findings have an important implication for both the prosodic typology and focus typology.

Word Prompt Programs

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Wood ◽  
Joan L. Rankin ◽  
David R. Beukelman
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Basic Word ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Language Needs

Word prompt programs are computer software programs or program features that are used in addition to basic word processing. These programs provide word lists from which a user selects a desired word and inserts it into a line of text. This software is used to support individuals with severe speech, physical, and learning disabilities. This tutorial describes the features of a variety of word prompt programs and reviews the current literature on the use of these programs by people with oral and written language needs. In addition, a matrix that identifies the features contained in eight sample word prompt programs is provided. The descriptions of features and the matrix are designed to assist speech-language pathologists and teachers in evaluating and selecting word prompt programs to support their clients' oral and written communication.

Rule Invention in the Acquisition of Morphology Revisited

1988 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Camarata ◽  
Lisa Erwin
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Impaired Child ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Intensity Parameters ◽  
Suprasegmental Features ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Suprasegmental Cues

This paper presents a case study of a language-impaired child who signaled the distinction between English singular and plural using suprasegmental cues rather than the usual segmental form used within the parent language. Acoustic analyses performed within the first study in the paper revealed that the suprasegmental features used to maintain this distinction included various duration, fundamental frequency, and intensity parameters. Acoustic analyses Were also performed on a set of matched two- and four-item plural forms within a second study. The results of these analyses indicated that the same acoustic parameters were used to distinguish two-item plural forms from four-item plural forms. This case of linguistic creativity is offered as further evidence in support of the model of language acquisition that emphasizes the active role children take in the acquisition process. Additionally, the phonological, morphological, and psycholinguistic factors that may contribute to such rule invention are discussed.

Abstracts of Current Literature

1952 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-156
Author(s):  
Franklin Hollander
Keyword(s):  
Current Literature
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