scholarly journals Accentual Structure in Spoken English—Has It Been Overanalyzed?

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Shahla Qojayeva
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Research ◽  
Software Package ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Standard English ◽  
British English ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Tone Intensity ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
Modern Standard

<p>Pronouncing words with the correct stress plays an important role in communication. This has been investigated by different phoneticians, Torsuyev and Gibson amongst others, who have analyzed the different accentual patterns of English words and defined a large number of different accentual patterns. In this paper the author experimentally challenges the concept of complex accentual structures by investigating the pattern of standard British English speakers. Using the PRAAT program, a software package which is widely used in phonetic experimental research, the fundamental parameters of frequency of tone, intensity and time were measured and used to define accentual patterns of polysyllabic words as spoken by two modern standard English speakers. This study demonstrated that polysyllabic words, phrases and abbreviations exhibit only four distinct accentual-syllabic patterns. This is in direct contrast to previous work and demonstrates that accentual structure in spoken English has been over analyzed and made unnecessarily complex.</p>

scholarly journals Peculiar Patterns of Juxtapositional Assimilations in Educated Nigerian Spoken English Variety

2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ubong E. Josiah ◽  
Taiwo Soneye
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Standard English ◽  
British English ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Medium Group

Research into the specific phonological features that distinguish Educated Nigerian Spoken English (ENSE) within the purview of the New Englishes is still scarce. In particular, there is hardly any systematic, corpus-driven study on the juxtapositional assimilatory processes in Nigerian English to date, hence this current study. Its main objective is to examine the variety of English spoken by university students categorized as "Educated Nigerian English" (see Eka 1985, 2000; Odumuh 1987; Udofot 2004) and to identify patterns of juxtapositional assimilation that are peculiar to it. This is with a view to increasing the quantum of available data on this variety of English. The study is based on the corpus gathered from one hundred final-year university students from five Federal Government-owned universities in Nigeria. The respondents were drawn from nineteen linguistic groups including the three major Nigerian languages (Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo) and some "minor-group" and "medium-group" languages (see Egbokhare 2003). Such a selection is an attempt to make the data fairly representative of the different parts of Nigeria because of its densely multilingual nature. The study adopts both the taxonomic and generative approaches for its framework. The findings from the research reveal, among others, that 66% of the experimental group (EG) representing Nigerian respondents realized watch you /wɒtʃ juː/ as /wɔtʃ dʒu:/, eliding the palatal glide /j/, and replacing it with the palato-alveolar affricate /dʒ; and 59% of them articulated coach him /kəʊtʃ hɪm/ as /kotʃim/ with the [–h] deletion – expressions not found in the "Control", which is an exponent of the Standard British English (SBE). The work draws the conclusion that Educated Nigerian Standard English is largely endonormative and indicative of an emerging Nigerian English variety.

Recent change in non-present perfect constructions in British and American English

Corpora ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyue Yao ◽  
Peter Collins
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Recent Change ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Present Perfect ◽  
British English ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
General Decline ◽  
Modal Auxiliaries

A number of recent studies of grammatical categories in English have identified regional and diachronic variation in the use of the present perfect, suggesting that it has been losing ground to the simple past tense from the eighteenth century onwards ( Elsness, 1997 , 2009 ; Hundt and Smith, 2009 ; and Yao and Collins, 2012 ). Only a limited amount of research has been conducted on non-present perfects. More recently, Bowie and Aarts’ (2012) study using the Diachronic Corpus of Present-Day Spoken English has found that certain non-present perfects underwent a considerable decline in spoken British English (BrE) during the second half of the twentieth century. However, comparison with American English (AmE) and across various genres has not been made. This study focusses on the changes in the distribution of four types of non-present perfects (past, modal, to-infinitival and ing-participial) in standard written BrE and AmE during the thirty-year period from the early 1960s to the early 1990s. Using a tagged and post-edited version of the Brown family of corpora, it shows that contemporary BrE has a stronger preference for non-present perfects than AmE. Comparison of four written genres of the same period reveals that, for BrE, only the change in the overall frequency of past perfects was statistically significant. AmE showed, comparatively, a more dramatic decrease, particularly in the frequencies of past and modal perfects. It is suggested that the decline of past perfects is attributable to a growing disfavour for past-time reference in various genres, which is related to long-term historical shifts associated with the underlying communicative functions of the genres. The decline of modal perfects, on the other hand, is more likely to be occurring under the influence of the general decline of modal auxiliaries in English.

Perception of Fry Register in Black Dialect and Standard English Speakers

1984 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 885-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Saniga ◽  
Margaret F. Carlin ◽  
Susan C. Farrell
Keyword(s):  
English Speakers ◽  
Standard English

Speech samples from 30 women, grouped by race and use of standard southern English or black dialect, were judged for perception of fry register vocalizations. All subjects speaking standard southern English were perceived to utilize significantly fewer fry vocalizations than were black subjects speaking black dialect.

scholarly journals Orientations towards English among English-medium Instruction Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Karakaş
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
American English ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
British English ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
English Medium Instruction

Abstract Based on the empirical data of my PhD research, this paper analyses the perceptions of 351 undergraduate students enrolled at English-medium universities towards English in terms of the language ideology framework. The students were purposively sampled from three programs at three Turkish universities. The data were drawn from student opinion surveys and semi-structured interviews. The findings paint a blurry picture, with a strong tendency among most students to view their English use as having the characteristics of dominant native varieties of English (American English & British English), and with a high percentage of students’ acceptance of the distinctiveness of their English without referring to any standard variety. The findings also show that many students’ orientations to English are formed by two dominant language ideologies: standard English ideology and native speaker English ideology. It was also found that a large number of students did not strictly stick to either of these ideologies, particularly in their orientation to spoken English, due, as argued in the main body, to their experiences on language use that have made them aware of the demographics of diverse English users and of the diverse ways of using English.

scholarly journals Stressed and Unstressed Syllable Alternation in Educated Edo (Nigerian) English

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Julianah Akindele
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Metrical Theory ◽  
British English ◽  
Perceptual Analysis ◽  
Inappropriate Use ◽  
Filing System ◽  
Unstressed Syllable ◽  
Validated Instrument

Standard British English (SBE) rhythm is characterised by stressed and unstressed syllable alternation. Phonological investigations from non-native English such as Nigerian English (NE) have claimed that NE differs remarkably from SBE, especially in the area of rhythm. Existing phonological studies on Educated Edo English (EEE) – a sub-variety of NE – have been on word and variable stress while studies on stressed and unstressed syllable alternation have been rare. This study, therefore, investigated the extent to which Educated Edo English Speakers (EEES) stressed and unstressed syllable alternation conforms to SBE rhythm. Prince and Liberman’s (1977) metrical theory, which explains the alternation of strong and weak constituents in SBE rhythm units, served as a theoretical framework. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 150 (75 males and 75 females) EEES while 2 SBE speakers served as Native Baselines (NB). Speech Filing System (SFS) version 1.41 was used to record the production of a validated instrument of 40 rhythm units, with stressed and unstressed syllable alternation. The recordings were transcribed and subjected to a perceptual analysis (frequency and percentages). Out of 6000 expected instances of stressed and unstressed syllable alternation, the participants had 694 (11.6%), while inappropriate use was higher, with 5,306 (88.4%). The performance of EEES males showed 5.7% and the females 5.9%. The grids of EEES showed proliferation of Strong/Strong (S/S) juxtaposition of stressed and unstressed syllables in rhythm units, compared to the NB alternation of Weak/Strong (W/S) or Strong/Weak (S/W). Results confirmed that EEES alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables in rhythm units differ ‘markedly’ from those of the SBE form.

scholarly journals Testing claims of a usage-based phonology with Liverpool English t-to-r

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
LYNN CLARK ◽  
KEVIN WATSON
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
British English ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
Oral History Interviews

The variable phenomenon in which /t/ can be realized as a tap or rhotic approximant in varieties of Northern British English (commonly referred to as t-to-r, Wells 1982: 370) has received some attention in English linguistics as debates have appeared over how best to model its phonology (e.g. Carr 1991; Docherty et al. 1997; Broadbent 2008). The occurrence of t-to-r seems to be constrained by the preceding and following phonological environment in a largely systematic way and so it is often accounted for within a rule-based model of grammar. Problematically, however, the rule does not apply blindly across the board to all words which fit the specified phonological pattern. Instead, t-to-r shows evidence of being lexically restricted, and this fact has recently encouraged a usage-based interpretation. Until now, there has been relatively little attempt to test the usage-based thesis directly with fully quantified data gleaned from naturally occurring conversation. This article investigates the extent to which certain usage-based predictions can account for variation attested in t-to-r in Liverpool English. Using oral history interviews with Liverpool English speakers born in the early 1900s, we examine the usage-based predictions first proposed by Broadbent (2008) that t-to-r is more likely in (a) high-frequency words and (b) high-frequency phrases. There is some support for the importance of lexical frequency as a motivating factor in the use of t-to-r, but our data do not fully support either of these claims wholesale. We suggest that t-to-r is not constrained simply by word frequency or phrase frequency alone, but by a combination of both. Finally, we explore the possibility of employing notions from Cognitive Grammar such as schema strength (e.g. Taylor 2002; Bybee 1995: 430) in our interpretation of these data.

Exploring phonetic cues to persuasive oral presentation: A study with British English speakers and English L2 learners

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110376
Author(s):  
Elina Banzina
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Stop Consonant ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
British English ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
English Second Language ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Voiceless Stop ◽  
Phonetic Cues

Persuasiveness in oral communication in English can be expressed with various vocal phonetic cues that may not be readily accessible to English second language (L2) learners whose native language may employ a different set of cues. With a goal to increase L2 learners’ perceived spoken confidence and persuasiveness, and obtain empirical evidence for phonetic adjustments that native English speakers make to influence listeners, the current study explored the use of consonant prolongation in stressed syllable onsets for emphasis by native British English speakers and English L2 learners. The native speakers’ durations of continuant consonants and voiceless stop consonant voice onset times (VOTs) in (1) neutrally-produced speech and (2) persuasively delivered motivational/shocking/emotional messages were compared to Latvian L2 English speakers’ productions. The results revealed that in persuasive speech, the British speakers’ consonantal durations, particularly those of continuants, got significantly longer relative to the vowels that followed them; for English L2 learners, the duration of consonants did not change as a factor of speech type. This is in line with our previous research with American English speakers and carries implications for L2 speech learning and teaching.

Educational failure or success

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Students First ◽  
Use Of Assessment

Within the Australian education system, Aboriginal students’ use of non-standard English features is often viewed simplistically as evidence of non-attainment of literacy and oral-English milestones. One reason for this is the widespread use of assessment tools which fail to differentiate between native- English speakers and students who are learning English as a second language. In these assessments, non-standard English features are framed as ‘mistakes’ and low scores taken as evidence of ‘poor’ performance. This paper will contrast a mistake-oriented analysis with one that incorporates knowledge of the students’ first language. It will clearly show that when consideration is given to the first language, a more nuanced picture of English proficiency emerges: one that is attuned to the specific second language learning pathway and thus far better placed to inform both assessment and classroom instruction.i

Fundamental-Parameters Calculations on a Laboratory Microcomputer

1979 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 93-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Criss
Keyword(s):  
Computer Program ◽  
Full Advantage ◽  
Data Base ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Fluorescence Analysis ◽  
Absorption Coefficients ◽  
Accurate Analysis ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Fundamental Parameters ◽  
Automatic Treatment

Fundamental-parameters calculations can be made on a laboratory microcomputer fo r automatic treatment of interelement absorption and enhancement effects in x-ray fluorescence analysis. A new software package, called XRF-11, uses an efficient combination of fundamental parameters and alpha factors to compensate for any lack of measured reference materials, while taking full advantage of whatever standards are available, even just pure elements. In many cases, one multi-element standard is enough for accurate analysis.The new XRF-11 software uses the same data base of absorption coefficients, fluorescence yields, etc. as the big-computer program NRLXRF, and combines theory with experiment in a consis tent way that is similar to, but more efficient than, the treatment used in NRLXRF.

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