Speech Dimensions Research Articles

Is L2 pronunciation affected by increased task complexity in pronunciation-unfocused speaking tasks?

Abstract This study examines the effects of task complexity on second language (L2) pronunciation accuracy and global pronunciation measures in pronunciation-unfocused tasks and assesses the relationship between acoustic and listener-based pronunciation measures. Eighty-two Catalan/Spanish learners of English performed simple and complex versions of a problem-solving monologic speaking task, for which the oral stops /p, t, k/ and vowel contrasts /iː/-/ɪ/ and /æ/-/ᴧ/ were embedded in the lexical items used to perform the task. Pronunciation accuracy was gauged through acoustic measurements of laryngeal timing (voice onset time), vowel contrastiveness and nativelikeness (Mahalanobis distances), and native speakers’ ratings of comprehensibility and accentedness. Results revealed detrimental effects of increased task complexity on the productions of oral stops and speech comprehensibility and accentedness; however, no consistent task complexity effects were found on vowel accuracy. The analysis also revealed an association between segmental accuracy and global dimensions of L2 speech.

The Dimensions of Political Speech – Conceptualising the Origins of Political Hostility

This paper introduces a novel theoretical framework to analyse the increasing polarisation and hostility within US politics. The framework categorises political speech into three interrelated dimensions: locutionary, perlocutionary and illocutionary. By conducting an analytical review of the literature on political behaviour and polarisation and conceptualising the debate within this framework, the paper concludes that the increasing hostility is predominantly influenced by transformations within the illocutionary dimension rather than by changes occurring within the locutionary one.

Four dimensions of naturalistic language production in aphasia after stroke.

There is a rich tradition of research on the neuroanatomical correlates of spoken language production in aphasia using constrained tasks (e.g., picture naming), which offer controlled insights into the distinct processes that govern speech and language (i.e., lexical-semantic access, morphosyntactic construction, phonological encoding, speech motor programming/execution). Yet these tasks do not necessarily reflect everyday language use. In contrast, naturalistic language production (also referred to as connected speech or discourse) more closely approximates typical processing demands, requiring the dynamic integration of all aspects of speech and language. The brain bases of naturalistic language production remain relatively unknown, however, in part because of the difficulty in deriving features that are salient, quantifiable, and interpretable relative to both speech-language processes and the extant literature. The present cross-sectional observational study seeks to address these challenges by leveraging a validated and comprehensive auditory-perceptual measurement system that yields four explanatory dimensions of performance-Paraphasia (misselection of words and sounds), Logopenia (paucity of words), Agrammatism (grammatical omissions), and Motor speech (impaired speech motor programming/execution). We used this system to characterize naturalistic language production in a large and representative sample of individuals with acute post-stroke aphasia (n = 118). Scores on each of the four dimensions were correlated with lesion metrics, and multivariate associations among the dimensions and brain regions were then explored. Our findings revealed distinct yet overlapping neuroanatomical correlates throughout the left-hemisphere language network. Paraphasia and Logopenia were associated primarily with posterior regions, spanning both dorsal and ventral streams, which are critical for lexical-semantic access and phonological encoding. In contrast, Agrammatism and Motor speech were associated primarily with anterior regions of the dorsal stream that are involved in morphosyntactic construction and speech motor planning/execution respectively. Collectively, we view these results as constituting a brain-behavior model of naturalistic language production in aphasia, aligning with both historical and contemporary accounts of the neurobiology of spoken language production.

L2 repair fluency through the lenses of L1 repair fluency, cognitive fluency, and language anxiety

Abstract Repairs (including false starts, repetitions, and different types of self-corrections) have been examined in second language (L2) speech fluency research as one dimension of (dis)fluent speech. However, in contrast to other dimensions of L2 speech fluency (speed and breakdown), repair fluency is not equally well understood: the results are mixed, and more research investigating the factors behind L2 repair fluency is needed. While some previous studies suggest links between first language (L1) and L2 repair fluency, to what extent L2 repairs are connected with cognitive and affective factors is less understood. To achieve a comprehensive view of the factors behind L2 repair fluency, we combine perspectives of L1 repair fluency, attention control, and language anxiety (LA) that have individually been shown to potentially affect L2 repairs but have rarely been examined together. We analyzed data from L1 Finnish and L2 English monologue speech tasks, a Stroop task in L1 and L2, and surveys for general and task-specific LA from 59 advanced users of English to investigate how L1 repair fluency, cognitive fluency, and LA are related to L2 repair fluency. Correlational analyses revealed that task-specific LA and certain Stroop measures were connected with L2 repair measures, while correlations between L1 and L2 repair fluency measures were weak. An analysis of repair profiles of participants displaying the highest levels of L2 repair fluency revealed that, overall, repairs are more common in the L2 than in the L1, but patterns regarding preferences for repair types vary across individuals. The study has methodological implications for psycholinguistic and SLA research into L2 repair fluency and broader implications for L2 classrooms and assessment.

The Expressivity Dimension of Speech is the basis of the Expression Dimension. Evidence from Behavioural and Neuroimaging Studies

The modalities of communication are the sum of the expression dimension (linguistics) and the expressivity dimension (prosody), both being equally important in language communication. The expressivity dimension which comes first in the act of speech, is the basis on which phonemes, syllables, words, grammar, and morphosyntax, i.e., the expression dimension of speech is superimposed. We will review evidence (1) revealing the importance of prosody in language acquisition and (2) showing that prosody triggers the involvement of specific brain areas dedicated to sentences and word-list processing. To support the first point, we will not only rely on experimental psychology studies conducted in newborns and young children but also on neuroimaging studies that have helped to validate these behavioral experiments. Then, neuroimaging data on adults will allow for the conclusion that the expressivity dimension of speech modulates both the right hemisphere prosodic areas and the left hemisphere network in charge of the expression dimension.

Does Native Language Matter in Perceptual Ratings of Dysarthria?

Despite the general agreement that dysarthria characteristics are largely language-independent, few efforts have attempted a systematic comparison across languages. To examine the role of native languages in the perception of speech characteristics of dysarthria secondary to Parkinson's disease (PD), auditory-perceptual ratings of dysarthria, and confidence level of the judgments were compared between two listener groups: language-matched and language-crossed. A total of 60 listeners (35 native speakers of Korean and 25 native speakers of American English) estimated speech abnormality for 20 speech dimensions using a visual analog scale method for both language-matched and language-crossed speech stimuli. Speech stimuli were passage readings of the respective languages obtained from individuals with and without PD. For speech dimension ratings, eight of 20 speech dimensions revealed significant differences in response to PD speech between the two listener groups, for most of which, language-crossed listeners' estimation was lower (i.e., more impaired) than language-matched listeners. For confidence-level ratings, language-matched listeners were less confident in the ratings of speakers with PD compared to the language-crossed listeners. The data support both language-universal and language-specific aspects in perceiving dysarthria characteristics, such that native language plays a role, especially when rating articulatory- and rhythmic-related characteristics. The findings are discussed with respect to the role of linguistic information, such as phonetic inventories and prosodic structures, in perceiving dysarthria characteristics.

Automatic speech-based assessment to discriminate Parkinson’s disease from essential tremor with a cross-language approach

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET) are prevalent movement disorders that mainly affect elderly people, presenting diagnostic challenges due to shared clinical features. While both disorders exhibit distinct speech patterns—hypokinetic dysarthria in PD and hyperkinetic dysarthria in ET—the efficacy of speech assessment for differentiation remains unexplored. Developing technology for automatic discrimination could enable early diagnosis and continuous monitoring. However, the lack of data for investigating speech behavior in these patients has inhibited the development of a framework for diagnostic support. In addition, phonetic variability across languages poses practical challenges in establishing a universal speech assessment system. Therefore, it is necessary to develop models robust to the phonetic variability present in different languages worldwide. We propose a method based on Gaussian mixture models to assess domain adaptation from models trained in German and Spanish to classify PD and ET patients in Czech. We modeled three different speech dimensions: articulation, phonation, and prosody and evaluated the models’ performance in both bi-class and tri-class classification scenarios (with the addition of healthy controls). Our results show that a fusion of the three speech dimensions achieved optimal results in binary classification, with accuracies up to 81.4 and 86.2% for monologue and /pa-ta-ka/ tasks, respectively. In tri-class scenarios, incorporating healthy speech signals resulted in accuracies of 63.3 and 71.6% for monologue and /pa-ta-ka/ tasks, respectively. Our findings suggest that automated speech analysis, combined with machine learning is robust, accurate, and can be adapted to different languages to distinguish between PD and ET patients.

Musical experience is linked to enhanced dimension-selective attention to pitch and increased primary weighting during suprasegmental categorization.

Speech perception requires the integration of evidence from acoustic cues across multiple dimensions. Individuals differ in their cue weighting strategies, that is, the weight they assign to different dimensions during speech categorization. In two experiments, we investigate musical training as one potential predictor of individual differences in prosodic cue weighting strategies. Attentional theories of speech categorization suggest that prior experience with the task-relevance of a particular dimension leads that dimension to attract attention. Experiment 1 tested whether musicians and nonmusicians differed in their ability to selectively attend to pitch and loudness in speech. Compared to nonmusicians, musicians showed enhanced dimension-selective attention to pitch but not loudness. Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that musicians would show greater pitch weighting during prosodic categorization due to prior experience with the task-relevance of pitch cues in music. Listeners categorized phrases that varied in the extent to which pitch and duration signaled the location of linguistic focus and phrase boundaries. During linguistic focus categorization, musicians upweighted pitch compared to nonmusicians. During phrase boundary categorization, musicians upweighted duration relative to nonmusicians. These results suggest that musical experience is linked with domain-general enhancements in the ability to selectively attend to certain acoustic dimensions in speech. As a result, musicians may place greater perceptual weight on a single primary dimension during prosodic categorization, while nonmusicians may be more likely to choose a perceptual strategy that integrates across multiple dimensions. These findings support attentional theories of cue weighting, which suggest attention influences listeners' perceptual weighting of acoustic dimensions during categorization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of stepped speech rehabilitation and psychological intervention on speech disorders and cognitive function in Parkinson disease patients

To examine the impact of stepwise speech rehabilitation exercise therapy in the treatment of patients with Parkinson speech problems under psychological intervention on clinical results and cognitive functioning. Parkinson speech disorder patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected and divided into a control group and an observation group for training respectively. The control group used conventional nursing methods, including training in orofacial movement, vocalization, pitch, volume and breath control. The observation group used stepwise speech rehabilitation exercise intervention combined with psychotherapy nursing programme. In the statistical analysis, independent sample t-test and chi-square test were used to test the significance of the data processing methods. In the statistical analysis of baseline functional level (P > .05). The difference was not statistically significant. After 7 weeks of training, the mFDA level and speech intelligibility increased in both the observation and control groups. From the situation analysis of “modified drinking test” and the comparison of UPDRS-I scores, it can be seen that dysphagia and Parkinson dysphasia were reduced in both groups after training. The observation group spontaneous speech dimension was greater than the control group by around 0.07 in the aphasia comparison. Both groups displayed an upward trend in their MMSE and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) when measuring cognitive function; the evaluation of P300, constructive function, and quality of life revealed this. The observation group P300 potential score was 0.13 points higher than that of the control group. The therapeutic training of stepped speech rehabilitation exercise care combined with psychological intervention has significant nursing effects on patients with Parkinson disease speech disorders, and the patients’ cognitive functions have been effectively improved.

Large-scale single-neuron speech sound encoding across the depth of human cortex

Understanding the neural basis of speech perception requires that we study the human brain both at the scale of the fundamental computational unit of neurons and in their organization across the depth of cortex. Here we used high-density Neuropixels arrays1–3 to record from 685 neurons across cortical layers at nine sites in a high-level auditory region that is critical for speech, the superior temporal gyrus4,5, while participants listened to spoken sentences. Single neurons encoded a wide range of speech sound cues, including features of consonants and vowels, relative vocal pitch, onsets, amplitude envelope and sequence statistics. Neurons at each cross-laminar recording exhibited dominant tuning to a primary speech feature while also containing a substantial proportion of neurons that encoded other features contributing to heterogeneous selectivity. Spatially, neurons at similar cortical depths tended to encode similar speech features. Activity across all cortical layers was predictive of high-frequency field potentials (electrocorticography), providing a neuronal origin for macroelectrode recordings from the cortical surface. Together, these results establish single-neuron tuning across the cortical laminae as an important dimension of speech encoding in human superior temporal gyrus.

The role of speech etiquette in the communication process

This article describes the pivotal role of speech etiquette in facilitating effective communication. Speech etiquette encompasses the rules and conventions that govern verbal interactions, including politeness, respect, and appropriate language use. The study delves into the multifaceted dimensions of speech etiquette, examining its impact on interpersonal relationships, cultural understanding, and overall communication effectiveness. According to Holmes’ research investigates the moral dimensions of speech acts, shedding light on how speech etiquette can influence the perception of potentially offensive or discriminatory language [3, 7]. This study explores the role of humor in workplace communication, highlighting how speech etiquette and politeness strategies are employed to manage power dynamics and navigate potentially provocative situations. This annotated bibliography provides a foundation for understanding the critical role of speech etiquette in the communication process. By drawing on seminal works in the field [11, 12, 13, 16, 17], this research aims to contribute to a deeper appreciation of how etiquette shapes and influences effective verbal interactions across various contexts and cultures

Analyzing Hate Speech Against Women on Instagram

Abstract The popularization of digital technologies, such as social media, has driven remarkable changes in the way citizens participate in public life. On the one hand, they gave power to social actors, who began to act in a new media environment, with a considerable impact on the political and economic spheres. On the other hand, they laid the material foundations for the dissemination of hate speech against vulnerable groups and minorities. The present investigation has as its main objective to analyze the misogynistic hate narratives that are uttered in social media. For this purpose, a netnographic study was carried out, of the qualitative type, organized in three sequential moments: extraction, exploration/treatment, and content analysis of the data from the platform of the social network Instagram. The data highlighted from 74 profiles aligned with hate speech show, essentially, the presence of 40 publications, largely linked to extreme right-wing cultures with discursive and imagery manifestations of a misogynistic nature, highlighting the use of irony and the ridicule of women. The most offensive dimension of hate speech was measured in the comments of the followers of these publications, present in the form of insult and direct offense, confirming that the digital environment has aggravated hostility and online harassment against women.

Individual differences in attention control and the processing of phonological contrasts in a second language.

This study investigated attention control in L2 phonological processing from a cognitive individual differences perspective, to determine its role in predicting phonological acquisition in adult L2 learning. Participants were 21 L1-Spanish learners of English, and 19 L1-English learners of Spanish. Attention control was measured through a novel speech-based attention-switching task. Phonological processing was assessed through a speeded ABX categorization task (perception) and a delayed sentence repetition task (production). Correlational analyses indicated that learners with more efficient attention switching skill and faster speed in correctly identifying the target phonetic features in the speech dimension under focus could perceptually discriminate L2 vowels at higher processing speed, but not at higher accuracy rates. Thus, attentional flexibility provided a processing advantage for difficult L2 contrasts but did not predict the extent to which precise representations for the target L2 vowels had been established. However, attention control was related to L2 learners' ability to distinguish the contrasting L2 vowels in production. In addition, L2 learners' accuracy in perceptually distinguishing between two contrasting vowels was significantly related to how much of a quality distinction between them they could make in production.

Hate Speech In Primary Education: Its Implications For Cognitive And Emotional Learning

The Peruvian education system in general and primary education in particular, in the post-pandemic stage, has been going through one of the most critical moments due to the increase in the social gap and access to technology by students, which is expressed in the heterogeneity in learning reinforced with discriminatory positions that lead to manifestations of hatred. This study aims to determine the influence of hate speech on cognitive learning and emotional learning of students in the fifth and sixth grades of Primary Education. The methodology used responds to a field study with a sample of 128 students from the two grades of study, a dichotomous questionnaire is administered and another adapted to the Likert scale referring to the dimensions of hate speech, cognitive and emotional learning. Among the results stand out: more than 50% achieved medium or low emotional learning, the average cognitive learning is regular (11,664), there is a negative relationship between hate speech and emotional learning of students. It is concluded that the practice of discourse among students in the fifth and sixth grade of primary education significantly influences their level of cognitive and emotional learning, a fact that has implications for their personal, social and intellectual training.

Neural inhibition during speech planning contributes to contrastive hyperarticulation

Previous work has demonstrated that words are hyperarticulated on dimensions of speech that differentiate them from a minimal pair competitor. This phenomenon has been termed contrastive hyperarticulation (CH). We present a dynamic neural field (DNF) model of voice onset time (VOT) planning that derives CH from an inhibitory influence of the minimal pair competitor during planning. We test some predictions of the model with a novel experiment investigating CH of voiceless stop consonant VOT in pseudowords. The results demonstrate a CH effect in pseudowords, consistent with a basis for the effect in the real-time planning and production of speech. The scope and magnitude of CH in pseudowords was reduced compared to CH in real words, consistent with a role for interactive activation between lexical and phonological levels of planning. We discuss the potential of our model to unify an apparently disparate set of phenomena, from CH to phonological neighborhood effects to phonetic trace effects in speech errors.

Robust and language-independent acoustic features in Parkinson's disease.

The analysis of vocal samples from patients with Parkinson's disease (PDP) can be relevant in supporting early diagnosis and disease monitoring. Intriguingly, speech analysis embeds several complexities influenced by speaker characteristics (e.g., gender and language) and recording conditions (e.g., professional microphones or smartphones, supervised, or non-supervised data collection). Moreover, the set of vocal tasks performed, such as sustained phonation, reading text, or monologue, strongly affects the speech dimension investigated, the feature extracted, and, as a consequence, the performance of the overall algorithm. We employed six datasets, including a cohort of 176 Healthy Control (HC) participants and 178 PDP from different nationalities (i.e., Italian, Spanish, Czech), recorded in variable scenarios through various devices (i.e., professional microphones and smartphones), and performing several speech exercises (i.e., vowel phonation, sentence repetition). Aiming to identify the effectiveness of different vocal tasks and the trustworthiness of features independent of external co-factors such as language, gender, and data collection modality, we performed several intra- and inter-corpora statistical analyses. In addition, we compared the performance of different feature selection and classification models to evaluate the most robust and performing pipeline. According to our results, the combined use of sustained phonation and sentence repetition should be preferred over a single exercise. As for the set of features, the Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients demonstrated to be among the most effective parameters in discriminating between HC and PDP, also in the presence of heterogeneous languages and acquisition techniques. Even though preliminary, the results of this work can be exploited to define a speech protocol that can effectively capture vocal alterations while minimizing the effort required to the patient. Moreover, the statistical analysis identified a set of features minimally dependent on gender, language, and recording modalities. This discloses the feasibility of extensive cross-corpora tests to develop robust and reliable tools for disease monitoring and staging and PDP follow-up.

Michel de Certeau's keys of political discernment in May 1968: The theological‐spiritual assumptions that informed his tools of analysis

This article seeks to identify the theoretical tools that supported Michel de Certeau's political discernment during the crisis of May 1968 in France. De Certeau's ability to elucidate the novelty and complexity of this event is linked to the intertwining of his experiences as a historian, traveller (voyageur), and Christian (specifically a Jesuit). De Certeau's articulation of a 'theology of difference' allowed him to construct the intellectual and spiritual tools that enabled a lucid discernment of May 1968. Through this theology, derived from negative theology, de Certeau made the experience of faith operative at a moment of cultural crisis. The article also analyses possibilities involved in the ‘rupture’, that is, the fracture that is implied in modernity; in the notion of an event that highlights the deficiency of language, its incapacity to establish ‘a truthful communication’ in society; and the recognition of the poetic dimension of speech, which is capable of interweaving speech and action. The May 1968 event invites these elements mutually to redefine themselves.

K akvizičním strategiím v učebnicích češtiny pro cizince

The quality of teaching material has a significant role in the process of acquiring a foreign language. It can serve to facilitate, strengthen, and accelerate the process. The pace of acquisition of Czech as a foreign language is influenced by the degree of typological and genealogical differences between Czech and the foreigner's mother tongue. The advantage of the learners' Slavic mother tongue is most evident at the beginning of the study (A0 - A2); subsequently, it gradually decreases. The basic problems in the presentation of Czech grammar include formalism, i.e., a strong focus on grammatical forms, but not on their meanings and functions in communication. We also consider the unbalanced attention to morphology (which predominates) and syntax (which lags behind) to be unsatisfactory. We have objections on the hybrid mixing of linguistic means within standard Czech (i.e. among the literary, neutral, and colloquial layers). The lack of an explicitly formulated concept on the basis of which the Czech grammar is presented (e.g. on the basis of frequency, communicative importance, formal difficulty of the learning material, etc.) is also undesirable. As far as the key chapters of the Czech vocabulary are concerned, the prevailing separate presentation of verb classes, more frequent discussion of the simple past tense before the future tense, the gradual presentation of cases (and not entire paradigms), as well as the dominance of deduction, prescription and semasiology are notable in the textbooks. We consider improving the instruction about the speech dimension and increasing focus on onomasiology as crucial.

Speech Motor Profiles in Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Previous research on motor speech disorders (MSDs) in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) has largely focused on patients with the nonfluent/agrammatic variant of PPA (nfvPPA), with few systematic descriptions of MSDs in variants other than nfvPPA. There has also been an emphasis on studying apraxia of speech, whereas less is known about dysarthria or other forms of MSDs. This study aimed to examine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of MSDs in a prospective sample of individuals with PPA independent of subtype. We included 38 participants with a root diagnosis of PPA according to current consensus criteria, including one case with primary progressive apraxia of speech. Speech tasks comprised various speech modalities and levels of complexity. Expert raters used a novel protocol for auditory speech analyses covering all major dimensions of speech. Of the participants, 47.4% presented with some form of MSD. Individual speech motor profiles varied widely with respect to the different speech dimensions. Besides apraxia of speech, we observed different dysarthria syndromes, special forms of MSDs (e.g., neurogenic stuttering), and mixed forms. Degrees of severity ranged from mild to severe. We also observed MSDs in patients whose speech and language profiles were incompatible with nfvPPA. The results confirm that MSDs are common in PPA and can manifest in different syndromes. The findings emphasize that future studies of MSDs in PPA should be extended to all clinical variants and should take into account the qualitative characteristics of motor speech dysfunction across speech dimensions. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22555534.

Speech biomarkers in Huntington's disease: A cross-sectional study in pre-symptomatic, prodromal and early manifest stages.

Motor speech alterations are a prominent feature of clinically manifest Huntington's disease (HD). Objective acoustic analysis of speech can quantify speech alterations. It is currently unknown, however, at what stage of HD speech alterations can be reliably detected. We aimed to explore the patterns and extent of speech alterations using objective acoustic analysis in HD and to assess correlations with both rater-assessed phenotypical features and biological determinants of HD. Speech samples were acquired from 44 premanifest (29 pre-symptomatic and 15 prodromal) and 25 manifest HD gene expansion carriers, and 25 matched healthy controls. A quantitative automated acoustic analysis of 10 speech dimensions was performed. Automated speech analysis allowed us to differentiate between participants with HD and controls, with areas under the curve of 0.74 for pre-symptomatic, 0.92 for prodromal, and 0.97 for manifest stages. In addition to irregular alternating motion rates and prolonged pauses seen only in manifest HD, both prodromal and manifest HD displayed slowed articulation rate, slowed alternating motion rates, increased loudness variability, and unstable steady-state position of articulators. In participants with premanifest HD, speech alteration severity was associated with cognitive slowing (r=-0.52, p < 0.001) and the extent of bradykinesia (r=0.43, p=0.004). Speech alterations correlated with a measure of exposure to mutant gene products (CAG-age-product score; r=0.60, p < 0.001). Speech abnormalities in HD are associated with other motor and cognitive deficits and are measurable already in premanifest stages of HD. Therefore, automated speech analysis might represent a quantitative HD biomarker with potential for assessing disease progression.