Filled pauses in multilingual speech: an acoustic analysis

Many users of signed languages also have access to a spoken language. They are bilin- gual in two modalities : spoken language and signed language. Here we consider some fmri findings relevant to bimodal bilingualism. We explored comprehension of signs and of seen spoken words in bimodal bilinguals - native signers of British Sign Language (bsl) who are proficient speechreaders of English. Both deaf and hearing bimodal bilinguals were tested. Seen words and signs activated different regions of the temporal lobes bilaterally. Signs activated more posterior and inferior regions, whereas seen speech activated middle and superior posterior temporal regions to a greater extent. We also observed characteristic dissociations within BsL in the bimodal bilingual participants depen- dent on hearing status. In deaf respondents, manual signs with 'mouthings' (oral speechlike actions) and manual signs with 'mouth gestures' (oral non-speechlike actions) showed distinctive patterns that resembled those where speech and sign were contrasted directly. The dissociated pattern was only partly replicated in hearing bimodal bilinguals. That is, hearing status can moderate cortical activation related to oral and manual actions in sl processing. A further analysis identified amodal language regions in the deaf bimodal brain. Superior temporal regions that were activated for both si- gns and seen speech in deaf bilinguals were only activated by seen speech in hearing monolinguals.

نگاهِ علمی به فرهنگ ­نگاری و دور شدن از فرهنگ ­نگاریِ سنتی، نیازمندِ درکِ عمیق­ تر پژوهشگرانِ این حوزه و همچنین بهره‌گیری از رویکردی موشکافانه­ تر به رویاروییِ نظریه و عمل در فرهنگ­ نگاری است. یکی از زمینه ­های قابلِ پژوهش در این حوزة زبا­ن­شناسی، نقد فرهنگ ­های دوزبانه است. ناگفته پیداست که نقدِ فرهنگ، می­تواند زمینۀ بهبود فرآیندِ فرهنگ‌نگاری را فراهم سازد که پیامدِ آن افزایشِ کاراییِ این گونه فرهنگ ­ها و در نتیجه بهره ­مندی مطلوب­ترِ کاربران خواهد بود. در این راستا، هدفِ اصلیِ این نوشتار با روش پژوهش توصیفی-تحلیلی، شناساندنِ برخی ویژگی­های ساختار خردِ سه فرهنگ­ دوزبانه بر پایة مقایسۀ آن‌ها با یک‌دیگر و با فرهنگ پیشرفتة زبان­ آموز آکسفورد از دیدگاه نظریۀ معناشناسی قالبی چارلز فیلمور است. یافته‌های بررسی، ضعفِ ساختاربندیِ پایگانی و تفاوت در برش­های معنایی، ناهمگونی در اجزایِ کلام موردِ اشاره در هر مدخل، ناسازگاری معانی و معادل­های ارائه شده با قالب را نشان می‌دهد. مهم­تر از همه، این یافته‌ها نیاز به بهبود کمّی و کیفی سه فرهنگ گسترده پیشرو آریان­پور، معاصر هزاره و معاصر پویا از جنبة ارائۀ همایند، نمونه و توصیف ظرفیت در مقایسه با فرهنگ مبنا را نمایان می‌سازند.

Objective: To evaluate the laryngostroboscopic and acoustic analysis findings in patients with vocal nodules and functional dysphonias in Galicia.Patients and Methods: 97 patients diagnosed of vocal nodules and 65 patients diagnosed of functional dysphonisa were examined by laryngostroboscopy, following a standardized protocol which includes: analysis of glottal closure, vocal fold vibration and the mucosal wave. For acoustic analysis we used the program Dr. Speech Science evaluating the mean fundamental frequency (F0) and its standard deviation, jitter, shimmer, and Normalized Noise Energy (NNE).Results: All patients showed alteration of at least one laryngostroboscopic parameter. Acoustic analysis indicated that most patients showed a reduction of fundamental frequency, an increase of perturbation (jitter and shimmer), and an increase of NNE.Conclusion: Laryngostroboscopy, systematized through a protocol, is a very useful technique for the diagnosis of structural and functional abnormalities in patients with vocal nodules and functional dysphonia, while acoustic analysis of voice can be useful as a complementary tool in the diagnosis of these patients.

A comparison of voice quality following radiotherapy or transoral laser microsurgery of T1a laryngeal carcinomas

This study examines the empirical validity of the hierarchy of system and content morphemes on Tamazight bilingual corpora. This dichotomy is one of the underlying principles of the Matrix Language Frame model and the 4-M model as they have been advocated by Myers- Scotton in 1997, 2002 and 2016. These socio-psychologically based syntactic models have been used by contact linguists as viable alternatives in the investigation and interpretation of the morphosyntactic processes underlying bilingual corpora. The present paper investigates Kabyle and Mzabi bilingual data; it focuses on these two Berber or Tamazight varieties as they are in contact with Algerian Arabic, Standard Arabic and French in an Algerian context, namely Oran city. The study of the communities under light here reveals that the languages composing the verbal repertoire of these Tamazight minorities living in Oran overlap at different linguistic levels including the morpho-syntactic one.

A phenomenon of language contact between different speech communities is that of code switching which is a result of language contact between speakers of diverse language(s) and/or dialect(s). The aim of this thesis is to quantitatively and qualitatively detail the grammatical outcomes of intra-sentential code switching in natural parsing by bilingual speakers of Moroccan Arabic and English in the UK and to assess the way in which the Matrix Language Frame Model (MLF) (Myers-Scotton 1993b, 2002) is a suitable linguistic model for bilingual discourse. Such natural switching is highly regularized and syntactic features are maintained through normal grammatical constraints as will be detailed. A description of grammatical approaches to code switching is outlined with focus on one particular model, the Matrix Language Frame the concept of which was first pioneered by Joshi (1985) and elaborated upon in further detail by Myers-Scotton (1993b, 2002). I also draw upon the Minimalist model MacSwan (1999) for further analysis of inter-language parameters and language universals with regard to constraints on code switching as well as comparisons made with the Monolingual Structure Approach (Boumans, 1998). It is not the aim of this thesis to advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to constraints on code switching as this has proved to be the Achilles heel of all theoretical approaches to code switching over the last few decades (Pfaff 1979, Poplack 1980, Di Sciullo, Muysken & Singh 1986, Bentahila & Davies 1983) but to validate and corroborate the viability of the Matrix Language Frame Model. Natural data of Moroccan Arabic and English code switched discourse collated for this thesis provide further empirical support required to test the validity of the Matrix Language Frame model well as providing a quantitative database for further research. I advocate my own set of eleven generalizations pertaining to intra-sentential code switching and highlight a new emerging speech style amongst second and third generation speakers I have termed Reactive Syntax where it becomes evident that innovative speech styles and syntactic strings of utterances highlight creativity amongst these generational groups. This thesis concludes with an evaluation of the data collated together with an examination of the suitability of the Matrix Language Frame Model and suggestions for further research.

Objective To investigate the early efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of subthalamic nucleus (STN) in the treatment of dysarthria in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods From May 2017 to November 2017, 10 PD patients treated with STN-DBS at Neurosurgery Department affiliated to Nanjing Medical University and 10 healthy volunteers (healthy control group) were recruited retrospectively. Ten PD patients without anti-Parkinson disease medication were recorded in a relatively quiet room at the states of 1 month after operation with stimulation-off, 1 month after operation with stimulation-on, and 3 months after stimulation-on. The speech signal was analyzed by Praat software and 3 fundamental frequency parameters were extracted which were the mean fundamental frequency, the range and standard deviation of fundamental frequency. The speech signals from the healthy control subjects were collected and analyzed at the same time. Results The speech fundamental frequency range (PD group: 15.5±4.8 St, control group: 22.5±5.6 St, t=-2.962, P=0. 008) and the standard deviation of fundamental frequency (PD group: 2.4±0.7 St, control group: 3.7±0.8 St, t=-4.017, P=0. 001) in PD group with stimulation-off 1 month post operation were significantly lower than those in healthy control group. There was no significant difference in any parameter of fundamental frequency of the PD patients between the state of 1 month after stimulation-on and the state of 1 month after operation (all P > 0.05). At 3 months after stimulation-on, the fundamental frequency range (19.23.8 St, P=0.017) and the fundamental frequency standard deviation (3.20.8 St, P=0.001) of the speech were significantly higher than those at 1 month after operation with stimulation-off, and those was not significant statistical different compared with controls (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Early stage of STN-DBS treatment could improve the phonological tone of PD patients and relieve the stiffness of laryngeal muscles and vocal cord. Key words: Parkinson disease; Dysarthria; Deep brain stimulation; Subthalamic nucleus; Acoustic analysis

Introduction: Flaccid dysarthria is a group of motor speech disorders. Muscle weakness and reduced muscle tone, speed, range, and accuracy of speech movements are the primary speech features in these patients. Speech acoustic patterning in these patients shows deficits in motor control including problems in timing, articulatory coordination and laryngeal control. The aim of the present study was to investigate the speech timing through second-formant transition (F2T) acoustic analysis. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional and case-control study, ten speakers with flaccid dysarthria and ten speakers without dysarthria were participated. After exposure to the test environment, acoustic signals related to target words including voiced and voiceless stops were collected and recorded. After recording data through the software of Praat, spectrogram of each word was carefully examined to determine the second-formant transition. Results: The people with mild to moderate flaccid dysarthria possessed longer second-formant transition comparing with normal individuals and also differences between the two groups in bilabial and dental consonants were significant (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Increased duration of the second-formant transition in individuals with mild to moderate flaccid dysarthria indicates that in these patients, there are defects in the coordination, timing of movements and articulatory implementation to produce the target segment. In addition, the clinical implication of these results is that different consonants show varying sensitivity to the problem of speech motor control. Speech-language pathologists should pay special attention to duration of second-formant transition (bilabial, dental) and rate of variation in the program for flaccid dysarthria.

Purpose: The zebra finch is used as a model to study the neural circuitry of auditory-guided human vocal production. The terminology of birdsong production and acoustic analysis, however, differs from human voice production, making it difficult for voice researchers of either species to navigate the literature from the other. The purpose of this research note is to identify common terminology and measures to better compare information across species.Method: Terminology used in the birdsong literature will be mapped onto terminology used in the human voice production literature. Measures typically used to quantify the percepts of pitch, loudness, and quality will be described. Measures common to the literature in both species will be made from the songs of 3 middle-age birds using Praat and Song Analysis Pro. Two measures, cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and Wiener entropy (WE), will be compared to determine if they provide similar information.Results: Similarities and differences in terminology and acoustic analyses are presented. A core set of measures including requency, frequency variability within a syllable, intensity, CPP, and WE are proposed for future studies. CPP and WE are related yet provide unique information about the syllable structure.Conclusions: Using a core set of measures familiar to both human voice and birdsong researchers, along with both CPP and WE, will allow characterization of similarities and differences among birds. Standard terminology and measures will improve accessibility of the birdsong literature to human voice researchers and vice versa.Supplemental Material S1. The full dataset of mean and standard deviation for each of the 25 copies of every syllable. Badwal, A., Poertner, J., Samlan, R. A., & Miller, J. E. (2018). Common terminology and acoustic measures for human voice and birdsong. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-S-18-0218

The goal of the present thesis was to investigate the production of code-switched utterances in bilinguals’ speech production. This study investigates the availability of grammatical-category information during bilingual language processing. The specific aim is to examine the processes involved in the production of Persian-English bilingual compound verbs (BCVs). A bilingual compound verb is formed when the nominal constituent of a compound verb is replaced by an item from the other language. In the present cases of BCVs the nominal constituents are replaced by a verb from the other language. The main question addressed is how a lexical element corresponding to a verb node can be placed in a slot that corresponds to a noun lemma. This study also investigates how the production of BCVs might be captured within a model of BCVs and how such a model may be integrated within incremental network models of speech production. In the present study, both naturalistic and experimental data were used to investigate the processes involved in the production of BCVs. In the first part of the present study, I collected 2298 minutes of a popular Iranian TV program and found 962 code-switched utterances. In 83 (8%) of the switched cases, insertions occurred within the Persian compound verb structure, hence, resulting in BCVs. As to the second part of my work, a picture-word interference experiment was conducted. This study addressed whether in the case of the production of Persian-English BCVs, English verbs compete with the corresponding Persian compound verbs as a whole, or whether English verbs compete with the nominal constituents of Persian compound verbs only. Persian-English bilinguals named pictures depicting actions in 4 conditions in Persian (L1). In condition 1, participants named pictures of action using the whole Persian compound verb in the context of its English equivalent distractor verb. In condition 2, only the nominal constituent was produced in the presence of the light verb of the target Persian compound verb and in the context of a semantically closely related English distractor verb. In condition 3, the whole Persian compound verb was produced in the context of a semantically unrelated English distractor verb. In condition 4, only the nominal constituent was produced in the presence of the light verb of the target Persian compound verb and in the context of a semantically unrelated English distractor verb. The main effect of linguistic unit was significant by participants and items. Naming latencies were longer in the nominal linguistic unit compared to the compound verb (CV) linguistic unit. That is, participants were slower to produce the nominal constituent of compound verbs in the context of a semantically closely related English distractor verb compared to producing the whole compound verbs in the context of a semantically closely related English distractor verb. The three-way interaction between version of the experiment (CV and nominal versions), linguistic unit (nominal and CV linguistic units), and relation (semantically related and unrelated distractor words) was significant by participants. In both versions, naming latencies were longer in the semantically related nominal linguistic unit compared to the response latencies in the semantically related CV linguistic unit. In both versions, naming latencies were longer in the semantically related nominal linguistic unit compared to response latencies in the semantically unrelated nominal linguistic unit. Both the analysis of the naturalistic data and the results of the experiment revealed that in the case of the production of the nominal constituent of BCVs, a verb from the other language may compete with a noun from the base language, suggesting that grammatical category does not necessarily provide a constraint on lexical access during the production of the nominal constituent of BCVs. There was a minimal context in condition 2 (the nominal linguistic unit) in which the nominal constituent was produced in the presence of its corresponding light verb. The results suggest that generating words within a context may not guarantee that the effect of grammatical class becomes available. A model is proposed in order to characterize the processes involved in the production of BCVs. Implications for models of bilingual language production are discussed.

Objective To explore the localization of brain functional area in a Chinese-English-French multilingual patient with low-grade glioma and study the surgical method of low-grade glioma in the eloquent area using awake craniotomy and direct cortical electrical stimulation. Methods A cerebral operation was performed in a Chinese multilingual patient with low-grade glioma in the eloquent region, who spoke Mandarin, English and French. Based on semantic, speech and reading test of Chinese, English and French, functional MRI (fMRI) was conducted to map the Chinese-English-French eloquent cerebral cortex before operation. The patient received microsurgery for tumor resection with monitoring of Chinese, English and French multilingual eloquent areas under awake anesthesia, and the surgical program was guided by cortical-subcortical direct electrical stimulation, with tumor locating by B-mode ultrasound in the operation. Results Chinese, English and French eloquent cerebral cortexes were found by fMRI. All eloquent areas were located in the inferior-anterior region near the tumor, namely the posterior part of left middle-inferior frontal gyrus and superior temperal gyrus. But cortical direct electrical stimulation identified that Chinese eloquent cerebral cortex was not totally coincided with English and French eloquent cerebral cortexes, which were in the unique cortical area in the posterior part of the upper temporal gyrus; these results were different from those of fMRI. Transient supplementary motor area syndrome in the left middle-frontal gyrus was observed by subcortical direct stimulation; subtotal resection of the tumor was achieved. The patient suffered from multilingual motor aphasia of all 3 languages for 3 months. Then his Chinese recovered first, followed by English and French. After 1 year follow-up, the patient went back to his work free of aphasia of all 3 languages and had normal life with free of epilepsy. Conclusion Mapping eloquent areas using fMRI based on multilingual mission and multilingual monitoring under a waking state of the patient makes it possibe to remove the tumor in the multilingual eloquent area. Protection of mother tongue is the precondition of this kind of surgery. Linguistic function may be recovered after the maximal resection of the tumor. Key words: Multilingualism; Eloquent area; MRI; Wake-up surgery; Electric Stimulation; Glioma

This paper will review the currently adopted terminology regarding multilingualism. Speech and language acquisition in children exposed to more than one language is discussed in relation to that of monolingual children. The challenges related to assessment and the identification of multilingual children with communication disorder will be the focus of the paper. Opportunities for multilingual children to acquire optimal communication skills as well as intervention strategies that are currently applied to enhance speech and language acquisition of multilingual children with communication impairment are discussed in the light of the recommendations of learned societies and current literature. Finally, a case study of a specific language pair will be presented whereby research findings related to the speech and language acquisition of young Maltese children is reported.

Objectives: To observe the patterns of speech sounds and language disorders. To find out associated risk factors of speech sounds and language disorders. Background: Communication is the very essence of modern society. Communication disorders impacts quality of life. Patterns and factors associated with speech sounds and language impairments were explored. The association was seen with different environmental factors. Methodology: The patients included in the study were 200 whose age ranged between two and sixteen years presented in speech therapy clinic OPD Mayo Hospital. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire assessed the patient's bio data, socioeconomic background, family history of communication disorders and bilingualism. It was a descriptive study and was conducted through cross-sectional survey. Data was analysed by SPSS version 16. Results: Results reveal Language disorders were relatively more prevalent in males than those of speech sound disorders. Bilingualism was found as having insignificant effect on these disorders. It was concluded from this study that the socioeconomic status and family history were significant risk factors. Conclusion: Gender, socioeconomic status, family history can play as risk for developing speech sounds and language disorders. There is a grave need to understand patterns of communication disorders in the light of Pakistani society and culture. It is recommended to conduct further studies to determine risk factors and patterns of these impairments. Key words: Speech sound disorder, language disorder, gender, family history, socioeconomic status.

Chapter 7 - Multilingual speech and language development and disorders

Recent advancements in language modeling have led to the emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) capable of various natural language processing tasks.Despite their success in text-based tasks, applying LLMs to the speech domain remains limited and challenging.This paper presents BLOOMZMMS, a novel model that integrates a multilingual LLM with a multilingual speech encoder, aiming to harness the capabilities of LLMs for speech recognition and beyond.Utilizing a multi-instructional training approach, we demonstrate the transferability of linguistic knowledge from the text to the speech modality.Our experiments, conducted on 1900 hours of transcribed data from 139 languages, establish that a multilingual speech representation can be effectively learned and aligned with a multilingual LLM.While this learned representation initially shows limitations in task generalization, we address this issue by generating synthetic targets in a multiinstructional style.Our zero-shot evaluation results confirm the robustness of our approach across multiple tasks, including speech translation and multilingual spoken language understanding, thereby opening new avenues for applying LLMs in the speech domain.