scholarly journals A Pilot Study of Four Phonetic Changes in General British

Verbum ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Lina Bikelienė ◽  
Laura Černelytė
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Standard Language ◽  
British English ◽  
Loan Words ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Pronunciation Dictionary

The pilot study reports on the prevalence of four phonetic changes (yod coalescence, yod dropping, /ʒ/ versus /ʤ/ in loan words, and GOAT allophony) in General British. The study consists of two stages to address the question from different perspectives: native speakers’ preferences and documentation of the changes in current pronouncing dictionaries.Sixty words likely to undergo one of the changes are chosen for the analysis. The survey is based on the framework by Wells (1998). Though the descriptive study resultsreveal a high degree of the respondents’ preference for ‘modern’ pronunciation, it varies across categories. The comparative analysis of the manifestation of the changes in the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2008), the Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (2011), and the Current British English Searchable Transcriptions (N/A) indicate their gradual way into the ‘standard’ language.

scholarly journals Phonetic Imitation of Vowel Duration in L2 Speech

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Zając
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
English Speaker ◽  
British English ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
L2 Pronunciation

This paper reports the results of a pilot study concerned with phonetic imitation in the speech of Polish learners of English. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether native speakers of Polish imitate the length of English vowels and to determine whether the extent of phonetic imitation may be influenced by the model talker being a native or a non-native speaker of English. The participants were asked to perform an auditory naming task in which they indentified objects and actions presented on a set of photos twice, with and without the imitation task. The imitation task was further sub-divided depending on the model talker being a native or non-native speaker of English (a native Southern British English speaker and a native Polish speaker fluent in English). As the aim was to investigate the variability in durational characteristics of English vowels, the series of front vowels /æ e ɪ iː/ were analysed in the shortening and lengthening b_t vs. b_d contexts. The results of the study show that the participants imitated the length of the investigated vowels as a result of exposure to the two model talkers. The data suggest that the degree of imitation was mediated both by linguistic and social factors and that the direction of convergence might have been affected by the participants’ attitude toward L2 pronunciation.

The Concept of Wife in Russian and English Linguistic Consciousness

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Tat’yana V. Borisenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Common Response ◽  
Assimilation Process ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
World Image

This paper aimed to study the content of the concept of wife in Russian and English-speaking linguocultures. The research will broaden the understanding of linguistic consciousness of Russian and English native speakers as well as identify some peculiarities of their world image. It is important to study the national world image today, as it can help to improve mutual understanding between cultures and simplify the assimilation process for those who decide to immigrate for some reason or other. The author utilized the methods of linguocultural and comparative analysis, as well as of associative-verbal nets study suggested by Yu.N. Karaulov. They include comparing associative-verbal nets by respondents’ first two reactions, identifying the most frequent types of answers, and grouping the responses into semantic zones. Further, the article analyses the synonymic chains of the word wife and explains the significance of this concept in Russian and English-speaking linguocultures, as well as identifies common semantic groups for the concept (wedding, household) and determines a common response to the stimulus in the two linguocultures. In addition, the paper traces differences in the perception of the concept of wife and singles out various semantic zones and their key elements. The research found that for many Russian native speakers, this concept contains such features as faith and belonging to someone, while in English linguistic consciousness it includes gender and partnership.

LUVE: A Constructive Learning Approach for Working with Parents

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucía Santelices Cuevas ◽  
Verónica Astroza
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Constructive Learning ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Teachers And Parents ◽  
Two Stages

This study examines the application of a didactic teaching strategy called LUVE. Based on a constructivist learning approach, LUVE's purpose is to develop collaborative links between schools and parents, so that parents can improve their daily educational practices with their children and assume a more active role in their children's education. The project took place in Santiago, Chile, and was implemented in two stages. The first stage included a cross-sectional descriptive study with an experimental design, focusing on parents. The second stage involved teachers and parents who applied and carried out the LUVE strategy, The project's content focused on sex education, as this was the topic of interest to parents. The findings indicate that the strategy was a successful experience for the parents.

Attempting to reconcile large differences in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies recovery rates

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1153-1158
Author(s):  
Scott H Waltman
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Public Funds ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Psychological Therapies ◽  
Percent Recovery ◽  
Small N ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Limited Scope

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative has a reported 50 percent recovery rate. Recently, Scott published a scathing report asserting that 9.2 percent is the correct rate. This alarming assertion requires a closer look and further scrutiny of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies. Scott’s study is fundamentally flawed in many ways; chiefly, the small ( n = 87), forensically involved, convenience sample is not representative of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies population. Scott’s study is more a limited-scope non-representative-sampled audit (or pilot study audit) of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies. Given the large amount of public funds involved in the project, further research and a high degree of transparency is warranted.

scholarly journals Lexical Alignment to Non-native Speakers

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-173
Author(s):  
Iva Ivanova ◽  
Holly Branigan ◽  
Janet McLean ◽  
Albert Costa ◽  
Martin Pickering
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Audience Design ◽  
Additional Increase ◽  
British English ◽  
Correct Usage ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
Matching Performance ◽  
Communicative Success ◽  
Castilian Spanish ◽  
Conversation Partner

Two picture-matching-game experiments investigated if lexical-referential alignment to non-native speakers is enhanced by a desire to aid communicative success (by saying something the conversation partner can certainly understand), a form of audience design. In Experiment 1, a group of native speakers of British English that was not given evidence of their conversation partners’ picture-matching performance showed more alignment to non-native than to native speakers, while another group that was given such evidence aligned equivalently to the two types of speaker. Experiment 2, conducted with speakers of Castilian Spanish, replicated the greater alignment to non-native than native speakers without feedback. However, Experiment 2 also showed that production of grammatical errors by the confederate produced no additional increase of alignment even though making errors suggests lower communicative competence. We suggest that this pattern is consistent with another collaborative strategy, the desire to model correct usage. Together, these results support a role for audience design in alignment to non-native speakers in structured task-based dialogue, but one that is strategically deployed only when deemed necessary.

scholarly journals The polyfunctional lexeme /fard/ in the Arabic dialects of Iraq and Khuzestan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-44
Author(s):  
Bettina Leitner ◽  
Stefan Prochazka
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Definite Article ◽  
Epistemic Status ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
Text Corpora ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Spoken Arabic ◽  
Very High

Abstract The primary aim of this paper is to explore the functions of the word /fard/ in Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic. The study is based on the analysis of various text corpora and the elicitation of further examples from native speakers of the varieties investigated. The analysis of these data has shown that /fard/ is a polyfunctional item. Its various functions are the result of several grammaticalization processes. In the first stage, the noun “individual” has become a quantifier that expresses singularity. From this stage it developed into an intensifier, a marker of approximation and the scalar adverb “only.” It has been demonstrated that, from its use as a presentative marker, it developed toward an indefinite article. In contrast to the definite article, which is a grammatical category in nearly every variety of Arabic, the use of an indefinite article is rarely found in spoken Arabic. In Iraqi and Khuzestani Arabic, /fard/ is an indefinite article that possesses a wide range of applications and only a limited set of constraints. Its use, however, remains optional to a very high degree. Its main function is that of a presentative—i.e., introducing a new referent into a discourse. In addition, it also functions as an individuation marker, as a marker for expressing the speaker’s epistemic status (knowledge/ignorance) regarding a referent, and indicating free choice from a set of potential referents. Related to this last function is its use as a mitigating device in imperatives and polite requests.

scholarly journals Aspects of Ergonyms Perception and Understanding in Cross-Cultural Communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 110-125
Author(s):  
Elena V. Kharchenko ◽  
◽  
Shu Man ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Multicultural Environment ◽  
Proper Name ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
The City

The article describes aspects of perception and understanding of Russian ergonyms by native speakers of Russian and Chinese. The issue under study is of great relevance due to the increase in cross-cultural contacts, the tendency for the free travelling between the countries and the formation of a multicultural environment in cities. The modern metropolis is increasingly becoming a place of residence for representatives of different linguistic cultures, so we decided to check how successfully modern ergonyms perform their main function, i.e. help residents and guests of the city navigate in space. The aim of the study is to identify the universal and specific features in the perception and understanding of ergonyms by the representatives of different linguistic cultures. The study object is the perception and understanding of a proper name, with the subject being the strategies of ergonyms perception and understanding. The article describes a survey of Russian and Chinese students who were asked to determine the organization’s field of activity by its name. The experiment consisted of two stages: at the first stage, only a word was presented, while at the second one - the word and the photo of the sign. As a result, the main ways of identifying ergonyms were identified.

scholarly journals ACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT ON VOWEL PRODUCTION OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE BY INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Rudha Widagsa ◽  
Ahmad Agung Yuwono Putro
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
British English ◽  
Formant Frequencies ◽  
English Vowels ◽  
Second Formant

Indonesian is the most widely spoken language in Indonesia. More than 200 million people speak the language as a first language. However, acoustic study on Indonesian learners of English (ILE) production remains untouched. The purpose of this measurement is to examine the influence of first language (L1) on English vowels production as a second language (L2). Based on perceptual magnet hypothesis (PMH), ILE were predicted to produce close sounds to L1 English where the vowels are similar to Indonesian vowels. Acoustic analysis was conducted to measure the formant frequencies. This study involved five males of Indonesian speakers aged between 20-25 years old. The data of British English native speakers were taken from previous study by Hawkins & Midgley (2005). The result illustrates that the first formant frequencies (F1) which correlates to the vowel hight of Indonesian Learners of English were significantly different from the corresponding frequencies of British English vowels. Surprisingly, the significant differences in second formant (F2) of ILE were only in the production of /ɑ, ɒ, ɔ/ in which /ɑ/=p 0.002, /ɒ/ =p 0,001, /ɔ/ =p 0,03. The vowel space area of ILE was slightly less spacious than the native speakers. This study is expected to shed light in English language teaching particularly as a foreign language.Keywords: VSA, EFL, Indonesian learners, formant frequencies, acoustic

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document