scholarly journals Influence of linguistic properties and hearing impairment on lip reading skills in the German language

Author(s):  
Nina Suess ◽  
Anne Hauswald ◽  
Verena Zehentner ◽  
Jessica Depireux ◽  
Gudrun Herzog ◽  
...  

Visual input is crucial for understanding speech under noisy conditions, but there are hardly any tools to assess the individual ability to lip read. With this study, we wanted to (1) investigate how linguistic characteristics of language on the one hand and hearing impairment on the other hand have an impact on lip reading abilities and (2) provide a tool to assess lip reading abilities for German speakers. 170 participants (22 prelingually deaf) completed the online assessment, which consisted of a subjective hearing impairment scale and silent videos in which different item categories (numbers, words, and sentences) were spoken and the task for our participants was to recognize the spoken stimuli just by visual inspection. We used different versions of one test and investigated the impact of item categories, word frequency in the spoken language, articulation, sentence frequency in the spoken language, sentence length, and differences between speakers on the recognition score. We found an effect of item categories, articulation, sentence frequency, and sentence length on the recognition score, but no effect of word frequency or version of the test. With respect to hearing impairment we found that higher subjective hearing impairment is associated with higher test score. We did not find any evidence that prelingually deaf individuals show enhanced lip reading skills over people with postlingual acquired hearing impairment. However, we see an effect of education on enhanced lip reading skills only in the prelingual deaf, but not in the population with postlingual acquired hearing loss. This points to the fact that there are different factors contributing to enhanced lip reading abilities depending on the onset of hearing impairment. Overall, lip reading skills vary strongly in the general population independent of hearing impairment. Based on our findings we constructed a new and efficient lipreading assessment tool (SaLT) that can be used to test behavioural lip reading abilities in the German speaking population.

Author(s):  
Beverly Trezek ◽  
Connie Mayer ◽  
Ye Wang

While evidence of phonologically related abilities among individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) has been available for decades, educational interventions specifically aimed at teaching DHH learners these reading skills are relatively new. At times, these interventions have been considered controversial, particularly when implemented within a sign bilingual setting. Given the differing viewpoints historically associated with this topic, the chapter begins with a brief discussion of the various perspectives on reading instruction for DHH learners, followed by an overview of studies examining the impact of phonologically based interventions conducted in both spoken language and sign bilingual settings. The overall findings of the investigations are discussed in the broader framework of current reading and writing research, as well as in light of the changing context in the field of DHH education. Directions for future research are also explored.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 641-650
Author(s):  
Samina Ashraf ◽  
Musarrat Jahan ◽  
Saamia Aqib ◽  
Rabia Bahoo

Being a vital aspect of literacy, writing skills have great importance in the academics of students with hearing impairment. Improvement in writing skills is one of the prominent purposes of school education.   Limitations in hearing impact the writing skills of students with hearing impairment (SWHI) in addition to reading skills. The present study was designed to highlight the writing problems of SWHI and to improve their creative writing skills using a cognitive model of teaching writing skills proposed by Flower and Hayes. The true experimental research design was used to see the impact of cognitive-based teaching strategies on the writing skills of SWHI.  Pretest, treatment, posttest design were used to conduct this study. The targeted population for this research was SWHI studying in the grade 7th in the schools of Lahore city. A total number of 10 SWHI of Grade 7th was selected from one school in Lahore city. An equal number of students were assigned to control (N=5) and experimental group(N=5). Four different types of instruments were used to conduct the study. The experiment was conducted in one school in Lahore city for two months. The treatment comprised of instructional strategies developed in the light of Flower and Hayes's model of cognitive development. The study explored a statistically significantdifference between the writing skills of the students of the experimental group (EG) than the writing skills of the control group's students. The writing skills of students who belong to EG have upgraded after receiving treatment. The study recommended the use of cognitive-based strategies for the improvement of writing skills of students with hearing impairment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1299-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Beechey ◽  
Jörg M. Buchholz ◽  
Gitte Keidser

Objectives This study investigates the hypothesis that hearing aid amplification reduces effort within conversation for both hearing aid wearers and their communication partners. Levels of effort, in the form of speech production modifications, required to maintain successful spoken communication in a range of acoustic environments are compared to earlier reported results measured in unaided conversation conditions. Design Fifteen young adult normal-hearing participants and 15 older adult hearing-impaired participants were tested in pairs. Each pair consisted of one young normal-hearing participant and one older hearing-impaired participant. Hearing-impaired participants received directional hearing aid amplification, according to their audiogram, via a master hearing aid with gain provided according to the NAL-NL2 fitting formula. Pairs of participants were required to take part in naturalistic conversations through the use of a referential communication task. Each pair took part in five conversations, each of 5-min duration. During each conversation, participants were exposed to one of five different realistic acoustic environments presented through highly open headphones. The ordering of acoustic environments across experimental blocks was pseudorandomized. Resulting recordings of conversational speech were analyzed to determine the magnitude of speech modifications, in terms of vocal level and spectrum, produced by normal-hearing talkers as a function of both acoustic environment and the degree of high-frequency average hearing impairment of their conversation partner. Results The magnitude of spectral modifications of speech produced by normal-hearing talkers during conversations with aided hearing-impaired interlocutors was smaller than the speech modifications observed during conversations between the same pairs of participants in the absence of hearing aid amplification. Conclusions The provision of hearing aid amplification reduces the effort required to maintain communication in adverse conditions. This reduction in effort provides benefit to hearing-impaired individuals and also to the conversation partners of hearing-impaired individuals. By considering the impact of amplification on both sides of dyadic conversations, this approach contributes to an increased understanding of the likely impact of hearing impairment on everyday communication.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-85
Author(s):  
Sarah French Russell

Under the First Step Act of 2018, federal prisoners may now petition courts directly for reduction of their sentences, and judges may grant such requests if “extraordinary and compelling reasons” support reduction. Judges are also in the process of imposing reduced sentences in thousands of cases where the First Step Act has retroactively reduced statutory penalties. Not only does the First Step Act offer prisoners new opportunities for sentence reduction, but the law also may change how federal judges understand the impact of their sentencing decisions. Before now, in federal cases, judges rarely had the chance to take a second look at the prison sentences they (or their colleagues) imposed. Encounters between judges and the people they sentenced typically occurred only if a person violated the terms of supervised release after leaving prison. Now, judges can reassess sentence length while someone is still in prison and evaluate whether a reduction in the sentence is warranted. This newfound power allows judges to see their sentencing decisions in a new light and may influence how they conceive of the prison time they impose in future cases.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Ryker ◽  
◽  
Karen S. McNeal ◽  
Rachel Atkins ◽  
Nicole LaDue ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 000348942110157
Author(s):  
Amarbir S. Gill ◽  
Joshua Hwang ◽  
Angela M. Beliveau ◽  
Jeremiah A. Alt ◽  
Edward Bradley Strong ◽  
...  

Background: Patient satisfaction has a significant bearing on medical therapy compliance and patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe patient satisfaction, as characterized by the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18), in the care of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and (2) analyze the impact of comorbidities on satisfaction using the functional comorbidity index (FCI). Methods: Patient demographics, disease severity measures, and PSQ-18 scores for patients with CRS presenting to a tertiary rhinology clinic between November 2019 and April 2020 were collected and analyzed. FCI was calculated retrospectively using the electronic medical record; individual comorbidities were tabulated. Spearman’s correlations followed by multivariate regression was used to assess the relationship between medical comorbidities and PSQ-18. Results: Sixty-nine patients met criteria for analysis. There were no significant differences in age, gender, and Sinonasal Outcomes Test-22 scores between CRS patients with (CRSwNP) and without (CRSsNP) nasal polyps. There was no significant difference in the mean FCI for patients with CRSwNP versus CRSsNP (5.1 and 4.3, respectively) ( P = .843). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the mean sum PSQ-18 score (78/100 in both) between these cohorts ( P = .148). The mean sum PSQ-18 score was not significantly associated with anxiety ( P = .728), depression ( P = .624), or FCI ( P = .282), but was significantly associated with hearing impairment ( P < .001). Conclusion: Patient satisfaction in the care of CRS is generally high with a diagnosis of comorbid hearing impairment demonstrating a negative association with satisfaction in this cohort.


JURNAL SPHOTA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
I Wayan Sidha Karya ◽  
Ida Bagus Adhika Mahardika

Long and short sentences affect the reader’s pace of reading story since they have to farce the complexity of the sentences and words used in it. In this study the impact of the use of long and short sentences on the pace of the story as implemented by Anthony Horowitz, a novelist, in his novel Raven’s Gate, is being explored. Especially the researchers looked at what types of long and short sentences were being used in the novel and how they were building up the story line and their effect on the pace of the story. A sentence with the length of up-to fourteen (14) words is considered to be short and the one over 14 words is considered to be long in spite its grammatical form, whether it is simple or complex. The criteria are based on empirical study as mentioned by Casi Newell in the AJE (American Journal Experts) retrieved from https://www.aje.com/en/arc/editing-tip-sentence-length/, that “the average sentence length in scientific manuscripts is 12-17 words,” with JK Rowling—the writer of Harry Potter—who can be considered to be representative of a modern English writer with a general audience, having the average of 12 words. For convenience we take the liberty of taking 14 words for the longest sort sentences and those which have 15 or more words are considered to be long sentences


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Harris ◽  
Stefan Th. Gries

In this study, we address various measures that have been employed to distinguish between syllable and stress- timed languages. This study differs from all previous ones by (i) exploring and comparing multiple metrics within a quantitative and multifactorial perspective and by (ii) also documenting the impact of corpus-based word frequency. We begin with the basic distinctions of speech rhythms, dealing with the differences between syllable-timed languages and stress-timed languages and several methods that have been used to attempt to distinguish between the two. We then describe how these metrics were used in the current study comparing the speech rhythms of Mexican Spanish speakers and bilingual English/Spanish speakers (speakers born to Mexican parents in California). More specifically, we evaluate how well various metrics of vowel duration variability as well as the so far understudied factor of corpus-based frequency allow to classify speakers as monolingual or bilingual. A binary logistic regression identifies several main effects and interactions. Most importantly, our results call the utility of a particular rhythm metric, the PVI, into question and indicate that corpus data in the form of lemma frequencies interact with two metrics of durational variability, suggesting that durational variability metrics should ideally be studied in conjunction with corpus-based frequency data.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDRA GOTTARDO ◽  
ADRIAN PASQUARELLA ◽  
XI CHEN ◽  
GLORIA RAMIREZ

ABSTRACTThe relationships among first language (L1) and second language (L2) phonological awareness and reading skills were examined in English L2 learners with a variety of L1s, specifically Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese (maximum N = 252). Longitudinal and concurrent relations between word reading and subcomponents of phonological awareness (i.e., syllable, onset-rime, phoneme, and, where applicable, tone awareness) were examined in kindergarten and first and second grades. The relationships between reading and specific subcomponents of phonological awareness were associated with the orthography being read, English or the L1. Phonological awareness subcomponents related to English reading were generally similar for the three English L2 groups, despite differences in the orthographies of learners’ native language. The findings support the psycholinguistic grain size theory with regard to links between phonological sensitivity and the sound–symbol correspondences used to read the specific languages.


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