Understanding Time-Compressed Speech: The Effects of Age and Native Language on the Perception of Audiotext and Menus

1993 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 244-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny DeGroot ◽  
Eileen C. Schwab
Keyword(s):  
Native Language ◽  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Nonnative English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Compression Rate ◽  
Time Compression ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

Time compression increases the rate of speech without altering its pitch. The present study investigated time compression as a means of improving the efficiency of audiotext applications for a variety of user populations. Subjects from three age groups (20-30, 40-50, and 60-70 years old) and two native language groups (native and nonnative English speakers) interacted with a prototype of an Interactive Voice Response system. Four prototypes were constructed, each containing speech compressed at a different rate: 30%, 20%, 10%, and uncompressed. Each subject telephoned one of the prototypes to learn how to use Call Forwarding and to order another telephone service feature. Compression rate did not significantly interact with age or native language. Across compression rates, 60-year-olds spent significantly more time on the phone than did 20- and 40-year-olds. Moreover, 60-year-olds were significantly less successful at forwarding phone calls, and reported more difficulty and confusion, than other subjects. Nonnative English speakers spent significantly more time on the phone than did native English speakers. Despite this difference, nonnative speakers were just as successful at forwarding phone calls, and rated the system and the announcer just as favorably as did native speakers of English. There was no main effect of compression rate on call duration; faster speech did not result in significantly shorter phone calls.

Familiarity and Older Adults' Transcriptions of Native and Nonnative Speech

2005 ◽  
Vol 100 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 939-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela N. Burda ◽  
Dana R. Overhake ◽  
Kimberly K. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Nonnative English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Accented Speech ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

24 adults ages 60+ yr. transcribed 60 words and 30 sentences spoken by native speakers of English, Taiwanese, and Spanish to assess whether familiarity with the nonnative English speakers' accents improved transcription scores. The accuracy of listeners' transcription scores on the first half of the stimulus items was compared with accuracy of listeners' scores on the second half. Analysis indicated accuracy of transcriptions declined on words but improved for sentences, so familiarity and length of the stimuli may influence listeners' accurate transcribing of accented speech.

How To Build a Better Robot . . . for Quick-Service Restaurants

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1235-1269
Author(s):  
Dina Marie V. Zemke ◽  
Jason Tang ◽  
Carola Raab ◽  
Jungsun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Nonnative English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
Robot Technology ◽  
Hospitality Firms ◽  
Technology And Communication ◽  
Quick Service

Hospitality firms are exploring opportunities to incorporate innovative technologies, such as robotics, into their operations. This qualitative study used focus groups to investigate diner perspectives on issues related to using robot technology in quick-service restaurant (QSR) operations. QSR guests have major concerns regarding the societal impact of robotics entering the realm of QSR operations; the cleanliness and food safety of robot technology; and communication quality, especially voice recognition, from both native and nonnative English speakers. Participants also offered opinions about the functionality and physical appearance of robots, the value of the “human touch,” and devised creative solutions for deploying this technology. Surprisingly, few differences in attitudes and perceptions were found between age groups, and the participants were highly ambivalent about the technology. Future research may consider further exploration of robot applications in other restaurant segments, using quantitative methods with a larger sample.

scholarly journals What holds a narrative together? The linguistic encoding of episode boundaries

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 58-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Bamberg ◽  
Virginia A. Marchman
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Developmental Patterns ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Narrative Functions ◽  
Discourse Units ◽  
The Relationship

This paper presents a linguistic analysis of episode boundaries in narratives produced from a 24-page picture book by German and English speakers. We investigate the development of form/function relationships involved in the discursive organization of narratives, attempting to bring together research traditions that typically consider the linguistic structuring and the conceptualization of narratives as two separate domains. Focussing in our analysis on the linguistic realization of discourse boundaries, we integrate a qualitative and quantitative approach to the exploration of (1) the relationship between the existence and commonality (“availability”) of particular markers (e.g., aspect) in a given language and the structure that narratives take, and (2) the developmental patterns in the use of several formal devices for serving discourse (i.e., narrative) functions. Episode boundaries were identified with an “importance” judgment task. These ratings were used guiding the analyses of the narrative productions of 72 subjects in three age groups (5 and 9 years, and adults) and two languages (English and German). The findings suggest that, in general, event boundaries ranking higher in the episode hierarchy are more clearly marked than events that are seen to be less important. Further, comparing the English and German narratives, the availability of devices in a language can influence the explicitness with which episode boundaries are marked. Lastly, developmental analyses suggest that children in both language groups first mark episode boundaries in the service of highlighting and intensifying locally-defined discourse level units. The use of these markers evolves toward packaging larger discourse units, resulting in a global structuring of the episodic configuration of the narrative whole. These cross-linguistic and developmental patterns suggest that marking episode boundaries involves a complex interplay between two kinds of narrative orientations: (a) the horizontal alignment of linearly-ordered narrative events, and (b) the vertical organization of events along a hierarchical axis of narrative structure.

Influence of Age and Native Language on Immediate Verbal Repetition

2009 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela N. Burda ◽  
Melissa Bradley-Potter ◽  
Jessi Dralle ◽  
Jane Murphy ◽  
Sarah Ries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Nonnative English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Medical Vocabulary ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Verbal Repetition

Objectives of this quasi-experimental study were to assess whether age of listeners and native language of the speaker affected the accurate repetition of words, sentences, and utterances, including medical vocabulary. Two experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, 20 young adults and 20 older adults repeated 60 words and 30 sentences produced by native and nonnative English speakers. In Exp. 2, 30 young adults and 30 older adults repeated medically oriented utterances spoken by native and nonnative English speakers. Analysis showed that older adults had significantly lower repetition scores (accuracy) than the young adults on all tasks. Both groups had significantly higher repetition scores on items produced by native English speakers than nonnative English speakers. Investigations should focus on strategies which may aid native English speakers in understanding nonnative English speakers.

Understanding of Aviation Safety Pictograms among Respondents from Europe and the U.S.

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (16) ◽  
pp. 820-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Jentsch
Keyword(s):  
Native Language ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Aviation Safety ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Native Languages ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Passenger Safety ◽  
Pictorial Representations ◽  
The U.S

Conveying safety information to aircraft passengers is an important task for the designers of aircraft passenger safety information cards. Since the information must be understood by all passengers, regardless of native language or nationality, many designers use pictorial representations that are considered “culture free.” The current study investigated the comprehension of 13 pictograms from a sample of actual safety cards among participants from four language groups in Europe and the U.S. One-hundred-and-fifty students whose native languages were English (British and U.S.), French, or German, respectively, interpreted 13 pictograms. From their responses, three main conclusions can be drawn: 1. Conveying aviation safety information by pictorial means appears to be largely effective, as indicated by general comprehension levels above 85%. 2. While passengers may get the “essence” of a particular pictogram, it is often difficult for them to recognize specific details. 3. There are relatively small differences in the comprehension levels between participants from different language groups, pointing towards the “universality” of pictograms in conveying safety information. Future research needs to focus on identifying exactly which features of pictograms are most effective in conveying safety information, without introducing cultural or language biases.

scholarly journals A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Perceptions Regarding Human Trafficking

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Adam Tanielian ◽  
Sangthong Tanielian
Keyword(s):  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Cultural Comparison ◽  
Cultural Perceptions ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

This study surveyed 135 individuals, of which 68 were native speakers of English and 67 were native speakers of Thai. Respondents answered questions on issues related to human trafficking, its causes, and potential solutions. Statistical tests showed significant variance in opinions between language and other groups regarding factors associated with trafficking, and regarding the potential impacts of legalization of prostitution. Thai responses reflected collectivist cultural perceptions while English responses reflected more individualistic views. Males and English speakers were most likely to think legalized prostitution would lead to a reduction in human trafficking while females and Thais were most likely to believe legalized prostitution would increase trafficking. Responses to an open-ended question showed participants felt similarly about potential remedies for human trafficking, including information and awareness campaigns, interaction between civilians and police, increased penalties for offenders, and reduction in macro-environmental variables such as poverty.   

scholarly journals Cross-linguistic evidence for cognitive universals in the noun phrase

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Martin ◽  
Theeraporn Ratitamkul ◽  
Klaus Abels ◽  
David Adger ◽  
Jennifer Culbertson
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Syntactic Theory ◽  
Linguistic Evidence ◽  
General Scope

Of the 24 possible orderings of the nominal modifiers Demonstrative, Numeral, Adjective and the Noun, two specific patterns dominate the typology: Dem Num Adj N (as in English) and its mirror order N Adj Num Dem (as in Thai). This has been argued to follow from a universal underlying structure in which Adj forms a constituent with N first, Num scopes over that constituent, and finally Dem takes widest scope. We refer to noun phrase orders that follow this structure as scope-isomorphic. To test for general scope-isomorphic preferences in language users and assess a possible asymmetry between pre- and postnominal modifiers, we tested two linguistic populations with different NP orderings (English and Thai). Learners were exposed to a new language where modifiers were placed on the opposite side of the noun from their native language (i.e., English speakers learned that modifiers in the new language were postnominal and Thai speakers that they were prenominal). Crucially, though, learners were exposed only to single-modifier NPs (e.g., ‘car green’ or ‘car this’) but were not shown how modifiers were ordered relative to one another in multiple modifier phrases. In a test phase, participants were asked how to translate phrases with multiple modifiers into the new language (e.g., ‘this green car’). Speakers of both languages overwhelmingly inferred scope-isomorphic patterns (i.e., they preferred ‘car green this’ over ‘car this green’). We additionally found that Thai participants showed a stronger preference for scope isomorphism, suggesting the possibility that prenominal orders which violate scope isomorphism are particularly dispreferred. We will discuss these results in light of syntactic theory which predicts a pre-/postnominal asymmetry, but will also consider the possible influence of L2 knowledge (specifically Thai speakers’ knowledge of English) on these results, and outline future studies designed to tackle this issue.

scholarly journals Diagnostic Accuracy of Traditional Measures of Phonological Ability for Bilingual Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Fabiano-Smith ◽  
Katherine Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech Sound Disorders ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves ◽  
Phonological Disorders ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Good Diagnostic Accuracy

Purpose Bilingual children whose phonological skills are evaluated using measures designed for monolingual English speakers are at risk for misdiagnosis of speech sound disorders (De Lamo White & Jin, 2011). Method Forty-four children participated in this study: 15 typically developing monolingual English speakers, 7 monolingual English speakers with phonological disorders, 14 typically developing bilingual Spanish–English speakers, and 8 bilingual children with phonological disorders. Children's single-word speech productions were examined on Percentage Consonants Correct–Revised (Shriberg, Austin, Lewis, McSweeny, & Wilson, 1997a) and accuracy of early-, middle-, and late-developing sounds (Shriberg, 1993) in English. Consonant accuracy in English was compared between monolinguals and bilinguals with and without speech sound disorders. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to observe diagnostic accuracy of the measures examined. Results Percentage Consonants Correct–Revised was found to be a good indicator of phonological ability in both monolingual and bilingual English-speaking children at the age of 5;0. No significant differences were found between language groups on any of the measures examined. Conclusions Our results suggest that traditional measures of phonological ability for monolinguals could provide good diagnostic accuracy for bilingual children at the age of 5;0 years. These findings are preliminary, and children younger than 5;0 years should be examined for risk of misdiagnosis.

scholarly journals The use of discourse markers but and so by native English speakers and Chinese speakers of English

Pragmatics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binmei Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Oral Discourse ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

Abstract Previous studies have found that but and so occur frequently in native and non-native English speakers’ speech and that they are easy to acquire by non-native English speakers. The current study compared ideational and pragmatic functions of but and so by native and non-native speakers of English. Data for the study were gathered using individual sociolinguistic interviews with five native English speakers and ten L1 Chinese speakers. The results suggest that even though the Chinese speakers of English acquired the ideational functions of but and so as well as the native English speakers, they underused the pragmatic functions of them. The findings indicate that there is still a gap between native and non-native English speakers in communicative competence in the use of but and so. The present study also suggests that speakers’ L1 (Mandarin Chinese) and overall oral proficiency in oral discourse affect their use of but and so.

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