Development Of Speech Skills Research Articles

Psychological premises for using literary texts in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language

The article deals with the problem of using a literary text in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language, in particular, the need to take into account psychological factors when working with a literary text in a language class.The universal nature of fiction literature motivates and justifies the usage of such educational material. Fiction deals with universal and eternal problems: love, separation, hope, faith, struggle, death, betrayal, etc. Therefore, the literary text can excite people of different nationalities. The paper analyzes the psychological and psycholinguistic approaches to reading fiction and using it in teaching. A complete perception of a literary text is possible provided that the semantic fields of the text and semantic fields (primarily emotional) of the reader intersect. Stimulation of the emotional sphere contributes to the effective development of speech skills and facilitates the memorization of lexical units and grammatical and stylistic norms. Therefore, taking into account the interests of foreign students is a main factor for selecting literary texts and organizing effective work with them in the process of teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language. The author defines the specifics of communication “an author – a literary text in a foreign language – a reader”. It is carried out with the help of an intermediary. Such an intermediary is a teacher or an author of a book on literary reading. They select a literary text appealing to the audience, adapt it if necessary, offer comments and a task system, and draw the readers’ attention to important points that can inspire interest and cause discussion, help to establish a parallel between the literary text and the students’ life experience. Thus, the teacher acts as the moderator of the reading process helping to bring the artistic space of the literary text close to the foreign reader’s personality. The author gives examples from her own experience in teaching the Ukrainian language to foreigners using literary texts. Motivated reading and effective discussion of the texts are possible if the students are personally interested in the problems, the events, the heroes’ fate, and the author’s position.

Speech development in young children with Mondini dysplasia who had undergone cochlear implantation

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the development of speech skills in young children with Mondini dysplasia and age-matched deaf children with radiologically normal inner ears over a period of 5 years after cochlear implantation (CI). MethodsIn total, 700 congenitally severely to profoundly deaf children (281 girls and 419 boys) participated in this study. All of the participants had undergone unilateral CI surgery before 36 months of age. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the absence or presence of Mondini dysplasia in the implanted ear, as assessed via high-resolution, thin-slice computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging: group A comprised 592 children with radiologically normal inner ears and group B comprised 108 children with Mondini dysplasia. The Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) were used to evaluate the speech performance of all young children at various time points: pre-surgery and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months after switch-on programming. ResultsThe mean scores of SIR and MUSS in children from both group A and group B showed significant improvements over time. No significant differences were found in the mean scores of SIR between the two groups at any time interval during the 5-year follow-up. The mean score of MUSS was significantly different between group A and group B at 12, 24, and 36 months after implantation, whereas no obvious differences were noted pre-surgery, and at 1, 3, 6, 48, and 60 months post-operation. ConclusionsYoung children with Mondini dysplasia develop their speech skills at a fast rate and achieve similar speech acquisition compared to age-matched children with radiologically normal inner ears 5 years post-operation. Therefore, CI is an effective intervention method for young children with Mondini dysplasia.

Обучение младших школьников созданию текста-рассуждения

The article reveals the content of the work on the formation of universal cognitive actions for younger schoolchildren in accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education, including analysis, comparison, explanation, and the development of speech skills necessary for creating text-discourse. Different types and genres of texts are characterized and their structure is described. On specific examples, methodological methods and forms of organization of the process of teaching children of primary school age to the compilation of texts-discourse are considered.

Comparison of characteristics of acoustic analysis and non-verbal intelligence in preschool children with normal hearing and with hearing loss

An important role in development of speech and language belongs to the threshold characteristics of auditory sensitivity as well as to the degree of maturation of central mechanisms of auditory processing. The ability of differentiation of sounds, analysis of temporal characteristics and the level of intelligence affect the development of speech skills. A comprehensive assessment of auditory perception and cognitive development was conducted in two groups of preschool children aged 4.5 to 6 years. The main group consisted of 10 children with permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, all of them were experienced users of hearing aids; 10 children with normal hearing were included in the control group. All children underwent psychophysical testing (whisper test, repetition of “quasi-words”, identification of speech signals with similar acoustic characteristics, pairs of consonants “z-s”, “p-t”, “g-k”); acoustical analysis of speech samples with the reproduction of speech from hearing; assessment of non-verbal intelligence (by means of the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices). The obtained results indicate significant differences in the characteristics of the acoustic analysis of speech signals of children with normal hearing and hearing impairments, no significant differences have been observed in non-verbal intelligence characteristics of children in these groups. Besides, the children with hearing loss have high fatigability. These data may indicate the symptoms of central auditory processing disorders in hearing impaired children. To identify these problems it is necessary to use psychophysical tests and specialized questionnaires.

АУДІОВІЗУАЛЬНА СКЛАДОВА В ЦИКЛІ ФОРМУВАННЯ ІНШОМОВНОЇ КОМУНІКАТИВНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ У МОНОЛОГІЧНОМУ МОВЛЕННІ СТУДЕНТІВ НЕМОВНИХ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТЕЙ НА ЗАСАДАХ ІМПЛІЦИТНОЇ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ОРІЄНТАЦІЇ

Background: Video is an audio-visual medium, with the sound and vision being separate components or played together. On the strength of these two modes of video application methodologists distinguish between two basic approaches: 1) manip­ulative prognostic strategy and 2) integrated audio and video combined strategy. The former fosters students’ ability to predict developments in the video content in prospect or retrospect and produce utterances on the basis of what the learners have seen or heard. But the latter strategy is of more communicative value as it presents complete communicative situations with verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication in the real world. Purpose. The purpose of our research is to devise audiovisual implicit specializing with the view to developing integrated socio-cultural and professionally oriented communicative foreign language competence of non-linguistic students at the prima­ry stage of higher education on the basis of integrated audio and video combined strategy. Results. The implementation of audiovisual component implies: 1) meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum for Universities in English for Specific Purposes (ESP); 2) using video for implicit specializing; 3) following successive stages of gradual speech skills development; 4) employing collective interaction patterns. Guided by the Curriculum, we selected videos with typical communicative situations in the areas of economy and tourism. Though covering communication in non-professional spheres, these videos contain quite a number of lexical units that can be employed to develop integrated socio-cultural and professionally oriented communicative foreign language competence at the primary stage of higher education. We also devised successive stages of gradual speech skills development with video and proposed exercises based on role play and collective interaction patterns. Discussion. If compared with implicit specializing on the basis of printed materials audiovisual implicit specializing has a number of advantages. Audiovisual component: - increases the number of lexical units memorized by students twice; - provides the articulation patterns for lexical units of economic and tourist registers to be perceived and followed by stu­dents; - promotes the development of speech fluency at the stage of synchronized reproductive speaking while viewing the video with the sound off; - imparts dynamic character to communicative exercises.

History of the development and practical linguodidactic work in complex rehabilitation of deafchildren in early school age in CHRERC №1

This article is devoted to the problems of Ukrainian linguistics in rehabilitation of children with sensory abnormalities. Autor pay attantion for specifics of speaking practice for deaf children in daily activities of the multidisciplinary team of experts aimed at correcting phycologycal space and speaking ability of the deaf person, its cognitive, mental and physical development in early school age.In the current rehabilitation practice take place combined disabilities in 30 % of all cases. That why, the first step of the rehabilitation program have to find the dominant disease for getting development activation and start the early intervention by multidisciplinary team of specialists.In CHRERC №1 multidisciplinary team of specialists work to achieve positive results in a relatively short period of time and to move early school age children medical care (1.5 -3 years old). For realize this program there was formed mobile groups for medical and social rehabilitation (it combined disab- ilities psychosomatic nature etc).Study of Ukrainian language for deaf children is organized in linguodidactic model for foreign language. In practice it looks like the subject-conceptual learning, using visual aids and comparative study and there is Ukrainian as a soil cognitive sign language. But during sensitive period (0 to 3 years) compa- rative model is impossible or could be partly used for training Ukrainian verbal language in deaf parent families).The expected result of this work is not the quantity of words and sentences child`s knowlage, but the extent of their using in communicative purposes. Even a limited number of speech units in their imperfect phonetic and grammatical design subject is more meaningful indicator of child development than a large number of studied properly processed words and sentences that were not an instrument of communication and studing.The development of speech skills in early childhood provi- des: improving learning of the child as a basis for mastering by speech perception and understanding of facing broadcasting in oral (speaking) and writing (global and analytical reading), production of own speech in verbal (speaking) and writing (writing skills).

Factors affecting the variability of the central mechanisms for maintaining bilingualism

The article discusses the probable role of many factors that determine the individual variety of the neurophysiological mechanisms that provide the opportunity to learn and use fluently two or more languages. The formation of the speech function is affected by both the general factors for bilinguals and monolinguals, as well as by the specific characteristic of bilingualism. General factors include genetic and environmental impacts explaining the diversity of individual options for the development of the morphofunctional organization of the speech function. Bilinguals, obviously, have an even wider variation of the central maintenance of speech ability, due to the combination of different conditions that influence the language environment, which include the age of second language acquisition, the language proficiency, the linguistic similarity of the languages, the method of their acquisition, intensity of use, and the area where each language is used. The influence of these factors can be mediated in different ways by the individual characteristics of the bilingual’s brain. Being exposed to two languages from the first days of life, the child uses for the development of speech skills the unique features of the brain that exist only at the initial stages of postnatal ontogenesis. At an older age, mastering a second language requires much more effort, when, in the course of maturation, the brain acquires new additional possibilities but permanently loses that special “bonus” that nature gives to a small child only in the first months of life. Large individual variability patterns of activation of the cortex during verbal activity in older bilinguals, compared with the younger ones, allows us to assume that the brain of the older bilingual mastering a new language is forced to manipulate a large number of backup mechanisms, and this is reflected in an increase in the variation of the cerebral processes responsible for speech functions. In addition, there is a serious reason to believe that learning a second language contributes to the expansion of the functional capabilities of the brain and creates the basis for successful cognitive activity.

The development of phonological skills

In this paper we consider the nature and consequences of the development of phonological skills in children. We begin with evidence for developmental refinements in phonological processes. These developments, in turn, affect a variety of other skills. We consider two particular examples: the relationship between the development of speech skills and verbal short-term memory and the development of children's phonological awareness. The development of phonological awareness is related to the acquisition of literacy, which, in turn, brings about further refinements in phonological skills.

Simplified tones for profoundly deaf tone‐language speakers

The larynx frequency pattern of speech contributes significantly to speech communication when it is dependent on lipreading, especially in a tone‐language context. Tests using syllable‐based pitch contrasts as well as connected speech in controlled interactive situations show that receptive skills can be considerably improved both in Mandarin and Cantonese (two Chinese dialects). On the basis of findings which show that a sinusoidal presentation of voice pitch changes is more beneficial to a profoundly deaf person than the complete acoustic signal [S. Rosen and A. J. Fourcin, Speech, Hearing and Language, U.C.L. No. 1 (1983)], the present work adopts this simplification approach in an attempt to enhance prosodic skills in profoundly deaf Cantonese children. Results indicate that productive and perceptual skills can be significantly enhanced by using a simplified auditory presentation. These have important implications for the design of signal processing aids and the development of speech skills in the profoundly deaf tone‐language speaker.

Effects of training on vowel production by deaf speakers

Five profoundly hearing-impaired children received training for approximately six months to improve production of vowels in monosyllabic words. Spectrographic analyses were used to measure the duration and formant frequencies of vowel nuclei in a corpus of CV (C) words produced before, during, and after training. Preliminary results revealed that vowel duration was abnormally long in all samples, but the duration of the vowels produced in the training sessions were excessively prolonged relative to the duration of the same samples produced in either the pre- or post-training sessions. There tended to be a decrease in duration as training progressed, although there were some individual variations. The pattern of change associated with the frequency locations of F1 and F2 was complex and varied depending on the speaker and target vowel. The largest changes most often involved the frequency location of F1. These findings suggest that the most common maneuver used by the children to achieve a target vowel involved jaw rather than tongue movement, accompanied by excessive prolongation of the vowel. The data also indicate that the processes involved in the development of speech skills can be highly individualized in deaf children. [Work supported by NIH/NINCDS-NS16247.]

The evaluation of a model speech training program for deaf children

Systematic speech training procedures were employed with a group of 20 hearing-impaired children ranging in age from 7 to 10 years. Using a primarily auditory-oral approach, the speech training program employed a hierarchical sequence in order to teach the suprasegmental patterns of English to the children. The children's performance on the speech training hierarchy was monitored on a daily basis using a checklist system. Based on their rate of progress in the development of speech skills, the children were divided into three groups post hoc: rapid, slow but steady, inordinately slow. Although the system worked well, on the average, approximately one-third of the children encountered serious difficulties at one or more levels of the hierarchy. Examination of the children's background information and audiological data revealed that those children who encountered difficulty had an extremely limited amount of residual hearing and/or problems other than a hearing handicap.

Speech development in hearing-impaired children

Many hearing-impaired children are unable to speak intelligibly. Research indicates, however, that patterns of errors typically found in the speech of such children could be largely avoided by systematic teaching. The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a model for the progressive development of speech skills to the levels of automaticity required for fluent spoken language.