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Terband H, Namasivayam A, Maas E, van Brenk F, Mailend ML, Diepeveen S, van Lieshout P, Maassen B. Assessment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Review/Tutorial of Objective Measurement Techniques. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:2999-3032. [PMID: 31465704 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-csmc7-19-0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Background With respect to the clinical criteria for diagnosing childhood apraxia of speech (commonly defined as a disorder of speech motor planning and/or programming), research has made important progress in recent years. Three segmental and suprasegmental speech characteristics-error inconsistency, lengthened and disrupted coarticulation, and inappropriate prosody-have gained wide acceptance in the literature for purposes of participant selection. However, little research has sought to empirically test the diagnostic validity of these features. One major obstacle to such empirical study is the fact that none of these features is stated in operationalized terms. Purpose This tutorial provides a structured overview of perceptual, acoustic, and articulatory measurement procedures that have been used or could be used to operationalize and assess these 3 core characteristics. Methodological details are reviewed for each procedure, along with a short overview of research results reported in the literature. Conclusion The 3 types of measurement procedures should be seen as complementary. Some characteristics are better suited to be described at the perceptual level (especially phonemic errors and prosody), others at the acoustic level (especially phonetic distortions, coarticulation, and prosody), and still others at the kinematic level (especially coarticulation, stability, and gestural coordination). The type of data collected determines, to a large extent, the interpretation that can be given regarding the underlying deficit. Comprehensive studies are needed that include more than 1 diagnostic feature and more than 1 type of measurement procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayo Terband
- Utrecht Institute of Linguistics-OTS, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Aravind Namasivayam
- Oral Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edwin Maas
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Frits van Brenk
- Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, NY
| | - Marja-Liisa Mailend
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Moss Rehabilitation Hospital, Elkins Park, PA
| | - Sanne Diepeveen
- HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal van Lieshout
- Oral Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ben Maassen
- Center for Language and Cognition, Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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Bauerly KR, Paxton J. Effects of emotion on the acoustic parameters in adults who stutter: An exploratory study. JOURNAL OF FLUENCY DISORDERS 2017; 54:35-49. [PMID: 29195626 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfludis.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kim R Bauerly
- Plattsburgh State University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Plattsburgh, NY, United States.
| | - Jessica Paxton
- Plattsburgh State University, Department of Psychology, Plattsburgh, NY, United States
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Graetzer S, Fletcher J, Hajek J. Locus equations and coarticulation in three Australian languages. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 137:806-821. [PMID: 25698015 DOI: 10.1121/1.4904488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Locus equations were applied to F2 data for bilabial, alveolar, retroflex, palatal, and velar plosives in three Australian languages. In addition, F2 variance at the vowel-consonant boundary, and, by extension, consonantal coarticulatory sensitivity, was measured. The locus equation slopes revealed that there were place-dependent differences in the magnitude of vowel-to-consonant coarticulation. As in previous studies, the non-coronal (bilabial and velar) consonants tended to be associated with the highest slopes, palatal consonants tended to be associated with the lowest slopes, and alveolar and retroflex slopes tended to be low to intermediate. Similarly, F2 variance measurements indicated that non-coronals displayed greater coarticulatory sensitivity to adjacent vowels than did coronals. Thus, both the magnitude of vowel-to-consonant coarticulation and the magnitude of consonantal coarticulatory sensitivity were seen to vary inversely with the magnitude of consonantal articulatory constraint. The findings indicated that, unlike results reported previously for European languages such as English, anticipatory vowel-to-consonant coarticulation tends to exceed carryover coarticulation in these Australian languages. Accordingly, on the F2 variance measure, consonants tended to be more sensitive to the coarticulatory effects of the following vowel. Prosodic prominence of vowels was a less significant factor in general, although certain language-specific patterns were observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Graetzer
- Phonetics Laboratory, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Janet Fletcher
- Phonetics Laboratory, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John Hajek
- Phonetics Laboratory, School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Montgomery A, Reed PE, Crass KA, Hubbard HI, Stith J. The effects of measurement error and vowel selection on the locus equation measure of coarticulation. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2014; 136:2747-2750. [PMID: 25373974 DOI: 10.1121/1.4896460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Effects on the slope of introducing error in the F2 Hz values in locus equations (LEs) and of using fewer than ten vowels were investigated. For each of the initial consonants /b, d, g/, 2000 simulated sets were generated using Monte Carlo techniques. The sets were altered with 50, 100, or 200 Hz error being randomly applied to each F2 value within a set. Selected vowels were then removed from the sets and the effects on the slopes were measured. Results suggest that the LE slopes are generally resistant to error and reduced number of vowels. Effects of adding 50 Hz of random error to the F2 values in sets using eight or ten vowels were minimal, yielding a mean absolute change in slope less than 0.07.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen Montgomery
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Paul E Reed
- Linguistics Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Kimberlee A Crass
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - H Isabel Hubbard
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Joanna Stith
- Listen Foundation, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
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Myers-Schulz B, Pujara M, Wolf RC, Koenigs M. Inherent emotional quality of human speech sounds. Cogn Emot 2013; 27:1105-13. [PMID: 23286242 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2012.754739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
During much of the past century, it was widely believed that phonemes-the human speech sounds that constitute words-have no inherent semantic meaning, and that the relationship between a combination of phonemes (a word) and its referent is simply arbitrary. Although recent work has challenged this picture by revealing psychological associations between certain phonemes and particular semantic contents, the precise mechanisms underlying these associations have not been fully elucidated. Here we provide novel evidence that certain phonemes have an inherent, non-arbitrary emotional quality. Moreover, we show that the perceived emotional valence of certain phoneme combinations depends on a specific acoustic feature-namely, the dynamic shift within the phonemes' first two frequency components. These data suggest a phoneme-relevant acoustic property influencing the communication of emotion in humans, and provide further evidence against previously held assumptions regarding the structure of human language. This finding has potential applications for a variety of social, educational, clinical, and marketing contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake Myers-Schulz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 94720, USA
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Stephens JDW, Holt LL. A standard set of American-English voiced stop-consonant stimuli from morphed natural speech. SPEECH COMMUNICATION 2011; 53:877-888. [PMID: 21666844 PMCID: PMC3110698 DOI: 10.1016/j.specom.2011.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Linear predictive coding (LPC) analysis was used to create morphed natural tokens of English voiced stop consonants ranging from /b/ to /d/ and /d/ to /g/ in four vowel contexts (/i/, /æ/, /a/, /u/). Both vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) and consonant-vowel (CV) stimuli were created. A total of 320 natural-sounding acoustic speech stimuli were created, comprising 16 stimulus series. A behavioral experiment demonstrated that the stimuli varied perceptually from /b/ to /d/ to /g/, and provided useful reference data for the ambiguity of each token. Acoustic analyses indicated that the stimuli compared favorably to standard characteristics of naturally-produced consonants, and that the LPC morphing procedure successfully modulated multiple acoustic parameters associated with place of articulation. The entire set of stimuli is freely available on the Internet (http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~lholt/php/StephensHoltStimuli.php) for use in research applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D. W. Stephens
- Psychology Department and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
| | - Lori L. Holt
- Psychology Department and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA
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Feng Y, Hao GJ, Xue SA, Max L. Detecting anticipatory effects in speech articulation by means of spectral coefficient analyses. SPEECH COMMUNICATION 2011; 53:842-854. [PMID: 21686055 PMCID: PMC3115659 DOI: 10.1016/j.specom.2011.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Few acoustic studies have attempted to examine anticipatory effects in the earliest part of the release of stop consonants. We investigated the ability of spectral coefficients to reveal anticipatory coarticulation in the burst and early aspiration of stops in monosyllables. Twenty American English speakers produced stop (/k,t,p/) - vowel (/æ,i,o/) - stop (/k,t,p/) sequences in two phrase positions. The first four spectral coefficients (mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis) were calculated for one window centered on the burst of the onset consonant and two subsequent, non-overlapping windows. All coefficients showed an influence of vowel-to-consonant anticipatory coarticulation. Which onset consonant showed the strongest vowel effect depended on the specific coefficient under consideration. A context-dependent consonant-to-consonant anticipatory effect was observed for onset /p/. Findings demonstrate that spectral coefficients can reveal subtle anticipatory adjustments as early as the burst of stop consonants. Different results for the four coefficients suggest that comprehensive spectral analyses offer advantages over other approaches. Studies using these techniques may expose previously unobserved articulatory adjustments among phonetic contexts or speaker populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqiang Feng
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Acoustics, 21 North 4th Ring West Road, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Grace J. Hao
- North Carolina Central University, Department of Communication Disorders, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Steve A. Xue
- University of Hong Kong, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, 34 Hospital Road, Hong Kong
| | - Ludo Max
- University of Washington, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, 1417 N.E. 42nd Street, Seattle, WA 98105-6246, USA
- Haskins Laboratories, 300 George Street, Suite 900, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
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Mok PKP. Language-specific realizations of syllable structure and vowel-to-vowel coarticulation. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2010; 128:1346-1356. [PMID: 20815469 DOI: 10.1121/1.3466859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigates the effects of syllable structure on vowel-to-vowel (V-to-V) coarticulation using Thai and English data. Languages differ in syllable complexity and their realizations of syllable structure. It was hypothesized that languages with complex syllable structure (English) would allow more V-to-V coarticulation than languages with simple syllable structure (Thai). Onset and coda consonants are different acoustically, articulatorily, typologically and perceptually. Onsets are generally 'stronger' and more stable than codas because they are longer, louder, and involve tighter articulatory constrictions. It was hypothesized that closed syllables (that end in a consonant C, i.e., VC#V) would allow more V-to-V coarticulation than open syllables (V#CV). /C(1)V(1)#C(2)V(2)/ and /C(1)V(1)C(2)#V(2)t/ sequences were recorded from six native speakers in Thai and six in English. First and second formant frequencies were measured. Results show that English allows more V-to-V coarticulation than Thai regardless of the intervocalic duration and vowel quality difference, but open and closed syllables only affect V-to-V coarticulation minimally. In addition to syllable structure, other possible factors contributing to the language difference in V-to-V coarticulation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P K Peggy Mok
- Department of Linguistics, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, United Kingdom.
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Ames H, Grossberg S. Speaker normalization using cortical strip maps: a neural model for steady-state vowel categorization. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2008; 124:3918-3936. [PMID: 19206817 DOI: 10.1121/1.2997478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Auditory signals of speech are speaker dependent, but representations of language meaning are speaker independent. The transformation from speaker-dependent to speaker-independent language representations enables speech to be learned and understood from different speakers. A neural model is presented that performs speaker normalization to generate a pitch-independent representation of speech sounds, while also preserving information about speaker identity. This speaker-invariant representation is categorized into unitized speech items, which input to sequential working memories whose distributed patterns can be categorized, or chunked, into syllable and word representations. The proposed model fits into an emerging model of auditory streaming and speech categorization. The auditory streaming and speaker normalization parts of the model both use multiple strip representations and asymmetric competitive circuits, thereby suggesting that these two circuits arose from similar neural designs. The normalized speech items are rapidly categorized and stably remembered by adaptive resonance theory circuits. Simulations use synthesized steady-state vowels from the Peterson and Barney [Peterson, G. E., and Barney, H.L., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 24, 175-184 (1952).] vowel database and achieve accuracy rates similar to those achieved by human listeners. These results are compared to behavioral data and other speaker normalization models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Ames
- Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Center for Adaptive Systems, and Center of Excellence for Learning In Education, Science, and Technology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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McCaffrey Morrison H. The locus equation as an index of coarticulation in syllables produced by speakers with profound hearing loss. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2008; 22:726-740. [PMID: 18608246 DOI: 10.1080/02699200802176402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Locus equations (LEs) were derived from consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) syllables produced by four speakers with profound hearing loss. Group data indicated that LE functions obtained for the separate CVC productions initiated by /b/, /d/, and /g/ were less well-separated in acoustic space than those obtained from speakers with normal hearing. A general trend of reduced anticipatory coarticulation was obtained for contexts in which speakers with normal hearing ordinarily coarticulate. One speaker engaged more coarticulation than did speakers with normal hearing. Speakers' productions could be ordered in a way that locus functions appeared to progressively collapse upon one another, suggesting a progressive reduction of consonant separation in acoustic space. The applications of the locus equation as an index of coarticulation and intervention outcome measure are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen McCaffrey Morrison
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA.
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Gibson T, Ohde RN. F2 locus equations: phonetic descriptors of coarticulation in 17- to 22-month-old children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2007; 50:97-108. [PMID: 17344551 DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2007/008)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The general purpose of this research was to describe coarticulation across voiced stop consonant place of articulation in 10 children younger than 2 years of age. A total of 1,182 voiced stop CV productions was analyzed using the locus equation metric, which yielded 3 regression lines that described the relation of F2 onset and F2 vowel for /bV/, /dV/, and /gV/ productions. The results revealed significant differential effects for slope and y-intercept as a function of stop consonant place of articulation. The ordering of the mean slope values for stop consonant place of articulation was /g/>/b/ and /d/, indicating that /g/ was produced with significantly greater coarticulation than /b/ or /d/. However, the unique vowel allophonic pattern of [g] coarticulation reported in the literature for English-speaking adults was generally not learned by these young children. Group and individual coarticulation trends are described in relation to developmental theories of sound acquisition. Results suggest that early coarticulation patterns are phoneme specific.
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Ohde RN, Haley KL, Barnes CW. Perception of the [m]-[n] distinction in consonant-vowel (CV) and vowel-consonant (VC) syllables produced by child and adult talkers. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2006; 119:1697-711. [PMID: 16583913 DOI: 10.1121/1.2140830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of the nasal murmur and vocalic formant transition to the perception of the [m]-[n] distinction by adult listeners was investigated for speakers of different ages in both consonant-vowel (CV) and vowel-consonant (VC) syllables. Three children in each of the speaker groups 3, 5, and 7 years old, and three adult females and three adult males produced CV and VC syllables consisting of either [m] or [n] and followed or preceded by [i ae u a], respectively. Two productions of each syllable were edited into seven murmur and transitions segments. Across speaker groups, a segment including the last 25 ms of the murmur and the first 25 ms of the vowel yielded higher perceptual identification of place of articulation than any other segment edited from the CV syllable. In contrast, the corresponding vowel+murmur segment in the VC syllable position improved nasal identification relative to other segment types for only the adult talkers. Overall, the CV syllable was perceptually more distinctive than the VC syllable, but this distinctiveness interacted with speaker group and stimulus duration. As predicted by previous studies and the current results of perceptual testing, acoustic analyses of adult syllable productions showed systematic differences between labial and alveolar places of articulation, but these differences were only marginally observed in the youngest children's speech. Also predicted by the current perceptual results, these acoustic properties differentiating place of articulation of nasal consonants were reliably different for CV syllables compared to VC syllables. A series of comparisons of perceptual data across speaker groups, segment types, and syllable shape provided strong support, in adult speakers, for the "discontinuity hypothesis" [K. N. Stevens, in Phonetic Linguistics: Essays in Honor of Peter Ladefoged, edited by V. A. Fromkin (Academic, London, 1985), pp. 243-255], according to which spectral discontinuities at acoustic boundaries provide critical cues to the perception of place of articulation. In child speakers, the perceptual support for the "discontinuity hypothesis" was weaker and the results indicative of developmental changes in speech production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph N Ohde
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1215 21st Avenue South, Room 8310 Nashville, Tennessee 37232-8242, USA
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Khouw E, Ciocca V. An acoustic and perceptual study of final stops produced by profoundly hearing impaired adolescents. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2006; 49:172-85. [PMID: 16533082 DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2006/014)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2004] [Revised: 11/07/2004] [Accepted: 05/27/2005] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated formant frequencies for their role as acoustic and perceptual correlates to the place of articulation of Cantonese final stops produced by profoundly hearing impaired speakers. METHOD Speakers were 10 Cantonese adolescents (mean age=13;5 [years;months]) who were profoundly hearing impaired (HI). Control speakers were 10 adolescents (mean age=13;5) with normal hearing. Stimuli were Cantonese words that were minimally contrastive in place of final stops (/p, t, k/). Listeners were 10 final-year speech therapy students. The frequencies of F1, F2, and F3 were measured at the middle, 40 ms before the end, and at the end of the vocalic segments. RESULTS Control speakers distinguished place contrasts through formant frequency differences at the end positions of the vowels. HI speakers produced final stops with missing formant transitions and neutralized vowels preceding final stops. Listeners relied on F2 transition cues for stops produced by control speakers, whereas F1 and F3 transition cues were used for stops produced by HI speakers. CONCLUSIONS Formant frequencies of final stops produced by HI speakers showed reduced place distinction. When listeners identified the place of final stops produced by HI speakers, they relied on formant frequency cues that were different from those used for stops produced by control speakers.
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Hahn U, Bailey TM. What makes words sound similar? Cognition 2005; 97:227-67. [PMID: 16260261 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2004.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2003] [Revised: 06/16/2004] [Accepted: 09/10/2004] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Although similarity plays an important role in accounts of language processing, there are surprisingly few direct empirical studies of the phonological similarity between words, and it is therefore not clear whether similarity comparisons between words involve processes similar to those involved in other cognitive domains. In five experiments, participants chose which of two monosyllabic pseudo-words sounded more similar to a target pseudo-word. Our results are generally consistent with the structural alignment theory of comparisons between complex mental representations, suggesting that phonological word similarity parallels similarity involving other kinds of information including visual objects and scenes, events, and word meanings. We use our results to test new metrics of word similarity, and identify predictions for future similarity research both in the domain of word sounds and in other cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Hahn
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK.
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Geudens A, Sandra D, Van den Broeck W. Segmenting two-phoneme syllables: developmental differences in relation with early reading skills. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2004; 90:338-352. [PMID: 15172551 DOI: 10.1016/s0093-934x(03)00446-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/03/2003] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study explored developmental differences in children's segmentation skills of VC and CV syllables (e.g., /af/ and /fa/) in relation to their early reading abilities. To this end, we followed a subgroup of Dutch speaking prereaders who participated in, and replicated the segmentation task in first grade, at the outset of phonics reading instruction. Reading abilities were assessed after 6 and 9 months. First, we confirmed that VCs offer an easier context to isolate phonemes than CVs. Second, matching analyses showed that this development from VC to CV segmentation posed comparatively increasing difficulties for poor segmenters. Third, this qualitatively different development was reflected in early reading performance. Our data emphasize the importance of phonetic factors and instruction-based experiences in phonological development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Geudens
- University of Antwerp-UFSIA, Center for Psycholinguistics, Antwerp 2000, Belgium.
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Modarresi G, Sussman H, Lindblom B, Burlingame E. Stop place coding: an acoustic study of CV, VC#, and C#V sequences. PHONETICA 2004; 61:2-21. [PMID: 15258455 DOI: 10.1159/000078660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2003] [Accepted: 01/06/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated stop + vowel coarticulation as a coding mechanism for differentiation of stop place categories in an F2-defined stimulus space. Locus equations (LEs) were used to index the extent of coarticulation in three contexts: (1) onset stop + vowel utterances [.CV]; (2) within-syllable vowel + coda stop utterances [VC#], and (3) across-syllable/word coda stop + vowel utterances [C#V]. Five speakers of American English and 2 speakers of Persian produced [CV1.CV2] (English and Persian), [tV1C#V2t] (English) and [dV1C#V2t] (Persian) tokens with voiced labial, alveolar/dental, and velar stops surrounded by a variety of vowels. In the across-syllable/word boundary condition [C#V2] the extent of anticipatory coarticulation was much reduced relative to traditionally measured onset [CV2] syllables. LE slopes derived across the syllable/word boundary, however, still differed between stop places in the same order as onset CVs. LE slopes derived from within-syllable [V1C#] sequences, however, did not differ between stop places.
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Subramanian A, Yairi E, Amir O. Second formant transitions in fluent speech of persistent and recovered preschool children who stutter. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2003; 36:59-75. [PMID: 12493638 DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9924(02)00135-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This study investigated frequency change and duration of the second formant (F2) transitions in perceptually fluent speech samples recorded close to stuttering onset in preschool age children. Comparisons were made among 10 children known to eventually persist in stuttering, 10 who eventually recovered from stuttering, and 10 normally fluent controls. All were enrolled in the longitudinal Stuttering Research Project at the University of Illinois. Subjects fluently repeated standard experimental sentences. The same 36 perceptually fluent target segments (syllables embedded in words) from each subject's repeated sentences were analyzed. The syllables were divided into three phonetic categories based on their initial consonant: bilabial, alveolar, and velar placement. The frequency change and duration of F2 transitions were analyzed for each of the target CV segments. F2 transition onset and offset frequencies and their interval (duration) were measured for each utterance. Data indicate that near stuttering onset, children whose stuttering eventually persisted demonstrated significantly smaller frequency change than that of the recovered group. It is suggested that the F2 transitions should continue to be investigated as a possible predictor of stuttering pathways. LEARNING OUTCOMES (1) Readers will learn about studies regarding second formant transition related to stuttering. (2) Readers will learn about differences between children who persist in stuttering and those who recover from stuttering. (3) Readers will learn about research concerned with early identification of risk criteria in persistent stuttering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Subramanian
- University of Illinois, Speech and Hearing Science, 901 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
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18
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Tabain M. Voiceless consonants and locus equations: a comparison with electropalatographic data on coarticulation. PHONETICA 2002; 59:20-37. [PMID: 11961419 DOI: 10.1159/000056203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The appropriateness of using locus equations in a study of voiceless consonants is examined. The consonants investigated are the stops /t k/ and the fricatives /theta s integral/. The slope value of the locus equation, indicating degree of coarticulation in the CV syllable, is compared with electropalatographic (EPG) data on coarticulation. It is shown that, overall, there is a very poor correlation between locus equation and EPG data as regards coarticulation. It is also shown that more accurate locus equation results - in terms of their correlation with EPG data - are obtained for stop consonants when F2 onset is sampled at stop release, rather than at the onset of voicing for the vowel. Finally, results for the voiceless consonants are compared with results for their homorganic voiced counterparts. Whilst there is no significant difference between voiced and voiceless consonants in the EPG data, there is a significant difference between voiced and voiceless consonants in the locus equation data. These results suggest that locus equations cannot provide invariant cues for stop and fricative place of articulation across the voiced-voiceless distinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Tabain
- Speech, Hearing and Language Research Centre, Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
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19
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Sussman HM. Representation of phonological categories: a functional role for auditory columns. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2002; 80:1-13. [PMID: 11817886 DOI: 10.1006/brln.2001.2489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A speculative model for representing phonological categories for stop place of articulation is offered. The model is analogous to neural columns in both inferotemporal cortex in the macaque for achieving constancy in object recognition and in the inferior colliculus of the barn owl for resolving ambiguous phase disparities for sound localization. Hypothetical auditory columns for encoding the vowel context-induced variability of F2 transitions are described using acoustic data from locus equation scatterplots of human speech. Such analyses serve to absorb the allophonic variability inherent in coarticulated speech utterances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harvey M Sussman
- Department of Linguistics, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78746, USA.
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20
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Baillargeon M, McLeod A, Metz DE, Schiavetti N, Whitehead RL. Preservation of second formant transitions during simultaneous communication: a locus equation perspective. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2002; 35:51-62. [PMID: 11949972 DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9924(01)00066-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This study investigated the preservation of second formant transition acoustic cues to intelligibility in speech produced during simultaneous communication (SC) from a locus equation perspective. Twelve normal hearing, experienced sign language users were recorded under SC and speech alone (SA) conditions speaking a set of sentences containing monosyllabic words designed for measurement of second formant frequencies in consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) syllables. Linear regression fits made to coordinates representing second formant transition onset and offset frequencies following stop consonant release of CVC syllables (locus equations) were used to examine place of articulation cues in both SA and SC conditions. Although results indicated longer sentence durations for SC than SA, locus equation slopes and intercepts obtained from speech produced during SC were virtually identical to those obtained during SA, indicating no degradation of stop consonant acoustic cues during SC. This conclusion is consistent with previous research indicating that temporal alterations produced by SC do not involve violations of other rules of spoken English. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to (1) describe SC; (2) explain the role of SC in communication with children who are deaf; (3) describe second formant transitions in English speech; and (4) identify second formant transition patterns in speech produced during SC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Baillargeon
- Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, State University of New York, Geneseo 14454, USA
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21
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Nelson MA, Hodge MM. Effects of facial paralysis and audiovisual information on stop place identification. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2000; 43:158-171. [PMID: 10668659 DOI: 10.1044/jslhr.4301.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated how listeners' perceptions of bilabial and lingua-alveolar voiced stops in auditory (A) and audiovisual (AV) presentation modes were influenced by articulatory function in a girl with bilateral facial paralysis (BFP) and a girl with normal facial movement (NFM). The Fuzzy Logic Model of Perception (FLMP) was used to make predictions about listeners' identifications of stop place based on assumptions about the nature (clear, ambiguous, or conflicting) of the A or AV cues produced by each child during /b/ and /d/ CV syllables. As predicted, (a) listeners' identification scores for NFM were very high and reliable, regardless of presentation mode or stop place, (b) listeners' identification scores for BFP were high for lingua-alveolar place, regardless of presentation mode, but more variable and less reliable than for NFM; significantly lower (overall at a chance level) for bilabial place in the A mode; and lowest for bilabial place in the AV mode. Conflicting visual cues for stop place for BFP's productions of /bV/ syllables influenced listeners' perceptions, resulting in most of her bilabial syllables being misidentified in the AV mode. F2 locus equations for each child's /bV/ and /dV/ syllables showed patterns similar to those reported by previous investigators, but with less differentiation between stop place for BFP than NFM. These acoustic results corresponded to the perceptual results obtained. (That is, when presented with only auditory information, on average, listeners perceived BFP's target /b/ syllables to be near the boundary between /b/ and /d/.)
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Nelson
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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22
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Sussman HM, Duder C, Dalston E, Cacciatore A. An acoustic analysis of the development of CV coarticulation: a case study. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 1999; 42:1080-1096. [PMID: 10515507 DOI: 10.1044/jslhr.4205.1080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This study analyzed stop consonant-vowel productions from babbling to meaningful speech in a single female child spanning the period from age 7 months to age 40 months. A total of 7,888 utterances (3,103 [bV], 3,236 [dV], and 1,549 [gV]) were analyzed to obtain frequencies at F2 onset and F2 at vocalic center for each utterance. A linear regression line ("locus equation") was fit to the cluster of F2 coordinates per stop place category produced during each month. The slope of the regression lines provided a numerical index of vowel-induced coarticulation on consonant productions. Labial, alveolar, and velar CV productions followed distinct articulatory paths toward adult-like norms of coarticulation. Inferences about the gradual emergence of segmental independence of the consonant and vowel in the three stop place environments were made from locus equation scatterplots and mean F2 onset and F2 midvowel frequencies obtained across babbling, early words, and natural speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Sussman
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Texas, Austin 78712, USA.
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23
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Löfqvist A. Interarticulator phasing, locus equations, and degree of coarticulation. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1999; 106:2022-30. [PMID: 10530025 PMCID: PMC2821019 DOI: 10.1121/1.427948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
A locus equation plots the frequency of the second formant at vowel onset against the target frequency of the same formant for the vowel in a consonant-vowel sequence, across different vowel contexts. It has generally been assumed that the slope of the locus equation reflects the degree of coarticulation between the consonant and the vowel, with a steeper slope showing more coarticulation. This study examined the articulatory basis for this assumption. Four subjects participated and produced VCV sequences of the consonants /b, d, g/ and the vowels /i, a, u/. The movements of the tongue and the lips were recorded using a magnetometer system. One articulatory measure was the temporal phasing between the onset of the lip closing movement for the bilabial consonant and the onset of the tongue movement from the first to the second vowel in a VCV sequence. A second measure was the magnitude of the tongue movement during the oral stop closure, averaged across four receivers on the tongue. A third measure was the magnitude of the tongue movement from the onset of the second vowel to the tongue position for that vowel. When compared with the corresponding locus equations, no measure showed any support for the assumption that the slope serves as an index of the degree of coarticulation between the consonant and the vowel.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Löfqvist
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA.
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24
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Redford MA, Diehl RL. The relative perceptual distinctiveness of initial and final consonants in CVC syllables. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 1999; 106:1555-65. [PMID: 10489711 DOI: 10.1121/1.427152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Among the world's languages, syllable inventories allowing only initial consonants predominate over those allowing both initial and final consonants. Final consonants may be disfavored because they are less easy to identify and/or more difficult to produce than initial consonants. In this study, two perceptual confusion experiments were conducted in which subjects identified naturally produced consonant-vowel-consonant syllables in different frame sentences. Results indicated that initial consonants were significantly more identifiable than final consonants across all conditions. Acoustic analyses of the test syllables indicated that the relative identifiability of initial and final consonants might be explained in terms of production differences as indicated by the greater acoustic distinctiveness of initial consonants.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Redford
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin 78712, USA.
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25
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Sussman HM, Dalston E, Gumbert S. The effect of speaking style on a locus equation characterization of stop place of articulation. PHONETICA 1998; 55:204-225. [PMID: 9933780 DOI: 10.1159/000028433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Locus equations were employed to assess the phonetic stability and distinctiveness of stop place categories in reduced speech. Twenty-two speakers produced stop consonant + vowel utterances in citation and spontaneous speech. Coarticulatory increases in hypoarticulated speech were documented only for /dV/ and [gV] productions in front vowel contexts. Coarticulatory extents for /bV/ and [gV] in back vowel contexts remained stable across style changes. Discriminant analyses showed equivalent levels of correct classification across speaking styles. CV reduction was quantified by use of Euclidean distances separating stop place categories. Despite sensitivity of locus equation parameters to articulatory differences encountered in informal speech, stop place categories still maintained a clear separability when plotted in a higher-order slope x y-intercept acoustic space.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Sussman
- Department of Linguistics, University of TexasAustin, Tex., USA.
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