scholarly journals PROSODIC CONVERGENCE AS A RESULT OF SPEAKERS’ INTERACTION IN SPONTANEOUS DIALOGUE

2019 ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Anastasia V. Gorbyleva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Terminal Part ◽  
Mean Intensity ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Syllable Duration ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Research Show

In conversation, speakers become more alike in various dimensions. This phenomenon, commonly called convergence, or entrainment, is widely believed to be crucial to the success and naturalness of human interactions. We investigate three aspects of convergence in prosodic dimensions: automatic entrainment, turn-taking and role relations between speakers. We explore whether speakers coordinate with each other in these dimensions over the conversation globally as well as locally, on a turn-taking basis. The results of the research show that the female speaker had a leading part in the course of the conversation, while the male speaker was a follower. Some prosodic characteristics, such as pitch and syllable duration at the end of the turn, show either individuals' identity in contrast to that of another individual or similar strategies of accommodation. Conversely, the male speaker applied more convergence strategies in the terminal part of the conversation within such prosodic features as mean intensity and duration of pauses marking the transition to a new speaker.

Effects of Gender on Listeners' Judgments of Speech Intelligibility

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 771-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Ellis ◽  
Donald Fucci ◽  
Loriann Reynolds ◽  
Barbaranne Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Female Subjects

Effects of gender on listeners' judgments of intelligibility were investigated. Subjects (15 women; 15 men) provided magnitude-estimation scaling responses and over-all impressions of the intelligibility of a male and female speaker's comparable versions of audiotaped speech samples varying systematically in terms of the number of phonemes produced correctly. There was no significant difference between male and female subjects' magnitude-estimation scaling responses; however, their over-all impressions of the intelligibility of the speakers tended to differ. Women indicated that the male speaker was more understandable, and men indicated that the female speaker was more understandable. Magnitude-estimation scaling may provide an objective means for evaluating a speaker's intelligibility. It appears to transcend gender-biases associated with judgments of speech intelligibility.

scholarly journals Setswana (South African)

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wm. G. Bennett ◽  
Maxine Diemer ◽  
Justine Kerford ◽  
Tracy Probert ◽  
Tsholofelo Wesi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
National Language ◽  
Language Group ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
North West ◽  
University Of Botswana ◽  
Bantu Language ◽  
North West Province ◽  
Male Speaker

Setswana (also known as ‘Tswana’ or, more archaically, ‘Chuana’ or ‘Sechuana’) is a Bantu language (group S.30; ISO code tsn) spoken by an estimated four million people in South Africa. There are a further one million or more speakers in Botswana, where it is the dominant national language, and a smaller number of speakers in Namibia. The recordings accompanying this article were mostly produced with a 21-year-old male speaker from the area of Taung, North-West province, South Africa. Some of the accompanying recordings are of a 23-year-old female speaker from Kuruman (approximately 150 km west of Taung). The observations reported here are based on consulting with both these speakers, as well as a third speaker, from Kimberley. All three were speakers of South African Setswana varieties. For discussion of some differences between these varieties and more Northern and Eastern Setswana dialects – including those spoken in Botswana – see (Doke 1954, Cole 1955, University of Botswana 2001).

Effects of gender and verbal aggression on perceptions of U.S. political speakers

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Nau ◽  
Craig O. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Verbal Aggression ◽  
The Other ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Political Speeches

Abstract Two experiments tested whether male and female political speakers in the United States are judged differently when they use verbal attacks. Participants read eight short excerpts of political speeches, half of which contained character and competence attacks (the other half without such attacks), and half of which were attributed to a female speaker (the other half a male speaker), and rated these in terms of agreement with the message, and perceptions of credibility, appropriateness, and aggressiveness. In both experiments, messages containing verbally aggressive attacks resulted in less perceived credibility and appropriateness, and these negative effects were consistent regardless of the speaker’s gender. In Experiment 1, women tended to penalize aggressive speakers more so than did men, suggesting the men are less sensitive to verbal aggression in their evaluations of political speakers. However, women tended to perceive non-aggressive female speakers as more aggressive than male speakers. Most of these interaction effects were not replicated in Experiment 2.

scholarly journals The homogeneity of audibility and prosody of Zulu words for Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) testing

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Panday ◽  
Harsha Kathard ◽  
Mershen Pillay ◽  
Cyril Govender
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
First Language ◽  
Laboratory System ◽  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Speech Reception ◽  
Pitch Pattern ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Pitch Contours ◽  
Low Tone

The aim of this investigation was to determine which of 58 preselected Zulu words developed by Panday et al. (2007) could be used for Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) testing. To realize this aim the homogeneity of audibility of 58 bisyllabic Zulu low tone verbs was measured, followed by an analysis of the prosodic features of the selected words. The words were digitally recorded by a Zulu first language male speaker and presented at 6 intensity levels to 30 Zulu first language speakers (18 -25 years, mean age of 21.5 years), whose hearing was normal. Homogeneity of au­dibility was determined by employing logistic regression analysis. Twenty eight words met the cri­terion of homogeneity of audibility. This was evidenced by a mean slope of 50% at 5.98%/dB. The prosodic features of the twenty eight words were further analyzed using a computerized speech laboratory system. The findings confirmed that the pitch contours of the words followed the pro­sodic pattern apparent within Zulu linguistic structure. Eighty nine percent of the Zulu verbs were found to have a difference in the pitch pattern between the two syllables i.e. the first syllable was low in pitch, while the second syllable was high in pitch. It emerged that the twenty eight words could be used for establishing SRT within a normal hearing Zulu speaking population. Fur­ther research within clinical populations is recommended.

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged’…, you know?

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Romero-Trillo
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Model ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Pragmatic Markers ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Meaning Theory ◽  
Structural Perspective

This article describes the prosodic features of the most frequent pragmatic markers in English conversations that contribute to the management of context in interaction. Often, turn-taking has been analyzed either from a structural perspective, in which the participants are treated as subjects that pursue rules, accommodating to pre-established patterns, or (more recently) from a pragmatic perspective with a focus on the intentionality of the speaker in the use of pragmatic markers. It is my contention in this article that pragmatic markers are ancillary to context within the Dynamic Model of Meaning theory, and that prosody plays an essential role in adaptive management as the fourth element of context.

Responses within activities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Marmorstein ◽  
Nadav Matalon
Keyword(s):  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Egyptian Arabic ◽  
Turn Taking

Abstract Large conversational activities (e.g., storytelling) necessitate a suspension of ordinary turn-taking rules. In the resulting constellation of main speaker and recipient, minimal displays of cooperative recipiency become relevant at particular junctures. We investigate this mechanism by focusing on the Egyptian Arabic particle ʔāh ‘yeah’ when thus used. We observe that tokens of ʔāh are mobilized by main speakers via the opening of prosodic slots at local pragmatic completion points. The prosodic design of the particle at these points is sensitive to prior talk and displays recipients’ alignment at the structural, action-sequential, and relational levels. This is done through variation of three prosodic features, namely, rhythm-based timing, pitch configuration, and prominence. The measure of alignment proposed by ʔāh is implicative for the continuation of the turn. While smooth progression suggests that ʔāh is understood to be sufficiently fitted and aligned, expansions are traceable to a departure from the terms set by prior talk, which can be heard to indicate lesser alignment. We propose to view ʔāh response tokens as a subset of positionally sensitive responses to part-of-activity actions that are crucial for the co-accomplishment of a large activity.

The Voice Gives It Away

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-113
Author(s):  
Barbara Krahé ◽  
Andreas Uhlmann ◽  
Meike Herzberg
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Gender Stereotyping ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Voice Pitch ◽  
High Pitch ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Text Content ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Voice

Abstract. Two experiments examined the impact of voice pitch on gender stereotyping. Participants listened to a text read by a female (Study 1; N = 171) or male (Study 2, N = 151) speaker, whose voice pitch was manipulated to be high or low. They rated the speaker on positive and negative facets of masculinity and femininity, competence, and likability. They also indicated their own gendered self-concept. High pitch was associated with the ascription of more feminine traits and greater likability. The high-pitch female speaker was rated as less competent, and the high-pitch male speaker was perceived as less masculine. Text content and participants’ gendered self-concept did not moderate the pitch effect. The findings underline the importance of voice pitch for impression formation.

Niuean

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Brown ◽  
Kara Tukuitonga
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
The South ◽  
Vowel Length ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Modern Language ◽  
Northern Area ◽  
Southern Area ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Number Of Individuals

Niuean (ISO 639-3 code niu) is a Polynesian language spoken on the island of Niue, with an additional population of speakers living in New Zealand. Figure 1 indicates where Niue is located with respect to other neighboring islands in the South Pacific. The 2011 Niue Census of Populations and Households cited the number of individuals who had either basic or fluent spoken abilities at 1121 (with 101 non-speakers) (Statistics Niue 2012). English is the second most widely used language on the island. The 2013 New Zealand census cited 4548 individuals living in New Zealand who listed Niuean as one of their languages (Statistics New Zealand 2013). Niuean is classified as ‘definitely endangered’ by UNESCO (Moseley 2010). There are historically two distinct dialects: the older Motu dialect from the northern area, and the more recent Tafiti from the southern area. These dialect differences were once reflected in slight phonological differences in vocabulary items, but the differences have since eroded in the modern language (see McEwen 1970: ix). Previous research on Niuean phonetics and phonology includes a brief outline in Seiter (1980: x), two dictionaries (McEwen 1970, Sperlich 1997), and an article on vowel length (Rolle & Starks 2014). While these works provide an overview of some of the phenomena to be addressed below, this sketch attempts a more thorough documentation of the phonetic structures of Niuean, and provides novel acoustic and articulatory data from the language. Recordings accompanying this paper are of a male speaker (Mr. Krypton Okesene) and a female speaker (the second author).

DEMENTIA AND THE ‘COCKTAIL PARTY’ PROBLEM

2015 ◽  
Vol 86 (11) ◽  
pp. e4.138-e4
Author(s):  
Salwa Kamourieh ◽  
Richard Wise
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Cholinesterase Inhibition ◽  
Cocktail Party ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Cocktail Party Problem ◽  
Significant Impairment ◽  
Male Speaker

BackgroundListening to one speaker in the presence of others (the ‘cocktail party’ problem) increases demands on attention and cognitive control. This study investigated the function of fronto-parietal systems and auditory regions in patients with progressive memory impairment.MethodsTwenty-five healthy volunteers (controls) and 32 patients were studied with functional MRI. The task involved attending to a female speaker, either in the absence or the presence of a masking male speaker.ResultsA behavioural measure designed to assess success at attending to the female speaker demonstrated a significant impairment in the patient group compared to the controls. This was associated with reduced activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), involved in attention and cognitive control, and in the left planum temporale (lPT), an auditory region central to solving the ‘cocktail party’ problem. However, treatment with galantamine in 18 patients resulted in no behavioural improvement and no increase in dACC or lPT activity.ConclusionsAn inability to register verbal information when listening in the presence of distracting background speech will contribute to complaints of ‘impaired memory’ and social isolation. We did not find evidence that central cholinesterase inhibition can improve this function in patients complaining of progressive memory decline.

scholarly journals Igbo Speech Surrogacy: Preliminary Findings Based on the Oja Flute

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Carter-Ényì ◽  
Nnaemeka C. Amadi ◽  
Quintina Carter-Ényì ◽  
Charles Chukwudozie ◽  
Jude Nwankwo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Flute Music ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Contour Analysis ◽  
Southeastern Nigeria ◽  
Functional Load ◽  
Female Speaker ◽  
Male Speaker ◽  
Igbo Culture

This research report presents analyses of recordings from the Ìgbò culture of southeastern Nigeria of an ọ̀jà flute player, a female speaker, and a male speaker. After a prepared performance, the participants completed two tasks: (1) mapping speech to flute playing and (2) identifying phrases played on the flute. Contour analysis is applied to annotated recordings to study the mapping of speech tone and rhythm from voice to instrument in parallel utterances by the three participants (male, female, and flute). Response time between the flute playing and spoken phrase identification indicates each prompt’s relative clarity. Using a limited but not predetermined inventory of related praise epithets, participants successfully converted speech to music and music to speech. In the conversion of speech to music, we found that declination was not part of the mapping, indicating it is a phonetic artifact of speech and does not carry a functional load. In identifying surrogate phrases played on the flute (music to speech), we found that dialectical variation caused some misidentification because idioms known in one area of the Igbo dialect cluster are not necessarily known throughout the region. However, òòjà speech surrogacy is found throughout the region. Possibilities and predictions for further research are presented.

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