Speech Level Research Articles

Synergy of Journalists’ Acquisition of Speech and Social-Communicative Competences

The relevance of researching the synergy of journalists’ acquisition of speech and social-communicative competences lies in the fact that the need to increase the level of speech and social-communicative competences has been brought to the forefront by new economic and social conditions. A high linguistic culture is very important both for a developed economy and for success in management, because, firstly, the solution of many management tasks is based on direct interaction of people in different situations. Second, interpersonal communication is the best way to discuss and solve problems that are characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity. The social task of the modern information society is to educate the younger generation, which is oriented in the field of mass media and “speaks” its language. For a young person of the 21st century, it is very important to know about the events and processes taking place in the world, country, city, to be able to analyze and evaluate these events and processes in order to have their own activity to form a position. The article explores the ways journalists acquire communicative competence; the need for functional and structural-educational models of mass communication means in the acquisition of speech and social-communicative competences by journalists is presented; professional social-communicative competence of journalistic activity is singled out; foundations of the synergy of journalists’ acquisition of speech and social-communicative competences are determined.

Behavioral dynamics of conversation, (mis)communication and coordination in noisy environments

During conversations people coordinate simultaneous channels of verbal and nonverbal information to hear and be heard. But the presence of background noise levels such as those found in cafes and restaurants can be a barrier to conversational success. Here, we used speech and motion-tracking to reveal the reciprocal processes people use to communicate in noisy environments. Conversations between twenty-two pairs of typical-hearing adults were elicited under different conditions of background noise, while standing or sitting around a table. With the onset of background noise, pairs rapidly adjusted their interpersonal distance and speech level, with the degree of initial change dependent on noise level and talker configuration. Following this transient phase, pairs settled into a sustaining phase in which reciprocal speech and movement-based coordination processes synergistically maintained effective communication, again with the magnitude of stability of these coordination processes covarying with noise level and talker configuration. Finally, as communication breakdowns increased at high noise levels, pairs exhibited resetting behaviors to help restore communication—decreasing interpersonal distance and/or increasing speech levels in response to communication breakdowns. Approximately 78 dB SPL defined a threshold where behavioral processes were no longer sufficient for maintaining effective conversation and communication breakdowns rapidly increased.

Social aspects of manifestations of regional identity in toponymic nicknames

The article is devoted to an actual problem that reflects a clearly visible crisis of communicative culture, which hides a deeper conflict of social values, manifested in the breakdown of patterns formed in the past, standards of action in specific situations of communication between representatives of different ethnic groups, cultures, confessions, etc. A surge in the birth of new ethnopholisms, acting as the most expressive ethnonyms, coincided with the rise to a new level of hate speech, in which the most diverse socially colored nicknames turn into a powerful tool for political stigmatization of any persons or communities that are different from the subject of this process.The study of such a phenomenon is interdisciplinary in nature and is impossible without knowledge of the facts of history, culture, language, economic life of different ethnic groups. The study of ethnopholisms in the form of toponymic nicknames allows us to find out the reasons for the ambivalent attitude towards the trend of regionalization, when, on the one hand, it is under pressure from the same social, economic, political and spiritual processes that caused the collapse of global projects, however, on the other hand, the proximity of regional actions to local conditions, provides a basis for predicting the possibility, through the strengthening of identity, to create both a stronger socio-economic basis for the development of regional communities, and to find a new model for their interaction in the global space.

ON THE CATEGORY OF THE PRESENT PASSIVE PARTICIPLES IN GREEK AND BULGARIAN

The present article is a comparative study of the present passive participles in Greek and Bulgarian, their meaning, use, as well as the Bulgarian equivalents of the Greek present passive participles. From a typological point of view, we can assign the present passive participle to the category of linguistic phenomena that exist in Bulgarian and Greek, but differ significantly in their meaning and use. It was this fact that generated my interest in the type of participle in question, and the purpose of the present study is, with the help of comparative analysis, to reveal the main similarities and differences in the meanings and use of the present passive participle in Greek and Bulgarian. In the first part of the study, a system-level analysis was performed – the formation, meaning and use of the present passive participles in each of the two languages are presented separately. Even here, significant differences emerge in the characteristics of the studied participles in the two languages. In the second part of the study, the analysis moves to the level of speech – the concrete implementation in speech of the present passive participles is analyzed, by means of a comparison of their use in certain texts and for this purpose, documents issued by the European Union and translated into Greek and Bulgarian have been selected.

A corpus study on the relationship between focus and accent in natural speech in Mandarin Chinese

This paper aims to explore the relationship between focus and accent, namely, whether the focus of a sentence possesses some acoustic features of accent. Previous studies suggest that focused words depict different patterns of acoustic prominence embedded in accent. According to previous evidence found in English, pitch and duration are two crucial factors contributing to differentiating focused and unfocused words. Therefore, pitch and duration are the main two factor considered in this study. Studies in aspect of the relationship between focus and accent and their realization in the phonetic level in natural speech are insufficient. Therefore, this study aims to provide support for the connection between focus and accent in natural speech in Mandarin. Based on 24 sentences from three native Mandarin speakers selected from a Chinese corpus, THCHS-30, published by Tsinghua University, this study extracts the narrow-focused words, broad-focused words, and the corresponding unfocused-words as the main subjects and analyses their mutual relationships. Results support the symmetric relationship between focus and accent. Focused words show phonetic features of accent and words with no obvious phonetic prominence of accent are unlikely to be considered as focus. Focus triggers a decrease in F0 values and an increase in duration of focused words. Linear mixed effects tests in R suggest that a major effect of narrow and broad focus in causing F0 and duration changes has not been deducted, but narrow focus conditions can result in duration proportion increase of narrow focused words compared to broad focused ones.

DECODING OF NOUNS IN RELATION TO THE VERBAL MODALITY SOLLEN: THE SYNERGETICQUANTITATIVE APPROACH

The presented work is one of the stages of noun research within a certain verbal modality. The focus of the article lies in the study of the generating noun content in relation to the verbal modality sollen in German from the perspective of linguosynergetic scientific paradigm, which considers language as a complex dynamic system capable of self-organization and self-regulation. In this study methodologically important is the position that the synergetic law of making the least effort and conservation of speech energy is the driving factor of language development. In a synergetic sense, the author of the article draws parallels between the dictionary as a representative of the linguistic generalization of the structured amount of knowledge of the learned extraverbal reality and the mental lexicon, which is not an arbitrary accumulation of contributions, but constitutes a structured hierarchical system of such contributions. If lexical units in the synergetic sense and their meanings at the language level contain coded structured information, then in the same aspect the paper considers the implementation of the word in one of its meanings at the speech level as information decoding. The linguosynergetic format of the research proposed in this article assumes that language as a self-regulating system under the influence of external energy and information has developed a mechanism of different representations of nouns in syntactic constructions with different verbal modality in German-language fiction and press. The results obtained on the basis of the synergetic-quantitative approach are extrapolated to linguosynergetic models of self-organization of noun names according to the principle of minimization of efforts, which directs the human mental lexicon to optimal decoding of semantic volume of polysemic or monosemic nouns in relation to the verbal modality sollen in German-language fiction and press. Once again it was proved that since the closest distances in the lexical structure of a word at the linguistic level are the closest in comparison with the structures of knowledge of the human mental lexicon, the construction of noun content in modern German on the synergetic principle of conservation of speech energy and minimization of efforts is the most optimal way of directing the mental lexicon of a person to decoding the semantic scope of the closets meanings of the polysemic and unambiguous monosemic word models.

The Changing of ‘Sor Singgih Basa’ in Balinese Root Based on the Internal Modification: Morpho-Phonology Study

This research investigates the relationship between phonology and morphology in influencing the changing Balinese speech level, namely ‘singgih’ (high) and ‘sor’ (low). The analysis focuses on utilizing the internal modification of a formal morphological element (root) in Balinese that creates a pattern of alternation apophony for vowel and consonant mutation, which lead to the transformation of speech level. Qualitative data analysis, including internal structure diagrams and observation, is used to analyze the data. There are 54 words found in the data findings using the documentation method from Balinese dictionary. The analysis results are (1) the alternate vowels and the mutation of consonant distinguished the level of the word without changing the meaning; (2) most of the alternation vowels change from [+low, +back] vowel into [+high] vowel, namely umlaut process; (3) the consonant mutation corresponds with the phonological sets of the consonant in initial position or phoneme addition in the middle position. Thus, this study has enriched and enlarged the linguistics documentation for the umlaut and ablaut existence in the Austronesian language.

Variability of speech spectra in offices by room types and communication methods

The acoustic characteristics of room environments can significantly influence speech levels and spectra, an aspect often overlooked in the current method for predicting speech privacy. This paper presents an investigation into the variability of speech spectra in various office contexts, with a specific focus on the influence of room type, communication medium, and language. The study involved over 70 workers in different office room types in Quebec, Canada, who participated in measuring speech spectra within those spaces. Two communication methods, in-person and video-conferencing scenarios, were utilized with participants using either English or French languages. The real-world scenarios shed light on the significant impact of various parameters on speech characteristics within office settings. Comparing the results with standardized speech levels and spectra from ASTM and ISO standards, derived from controlled environments like anechoic chambers, the study reveals significant differences when applying the standard speech spectra to actual office environments. Based on these findings, the study proposes potential modifications to the existing standards, aiming to enhance the accuracy of speech privacy and intelligibility predictions.

Exploring the effect of sound scene on self-directed hearing-aid gain adjustment

Self-directed gain adjustments may present a plausible solution for fitting a hearing-aid (HA) without the requirement of audiometric tests. In the current experiment, users interacted with their hearing aids using a touchscreen-enabled mobile device while a continuous speech stimulus with background noise was played in the sound field, simulating real-world sound scenes. They explored different settings by dragging a cursor on the touchscreen, experiencing real-time audio changes, and identifying their preferred amplification level. Thirteen older adults with self-identified hearing difficulties participated in the study (RHHI score ≥6). The self-fitting procedure was conducted in two sound scenes: Restaurant and Traffic. The speech level was set at 60 dB-A in both sound scenes, and the signal-to-noise ratios were 5 and 10 dB for the Restaurant and Traffic scenes, respectively. Following the self-fitting procedure, real-ear aided responses were measured for the amplification profiles obtained using the two sound scenes. The real-ear aided responses for the two scenes resembled each other, with a median correlation coefficient across participants of 0.81. Nevertheless, a marginally significant difference was found between them, mostly driven by higher or lower frequency regions. This suggests that scene-specific adjustments of hearing-aid fitting may be beneficial for some users.

Syntactic features of Russian speech of two generations of bilinguals and monolinguals: a complex sentence

The study is devoted to the syntactic characteristics of the Russian speech at the level of a complex sentence of two generations of Russian-German bilinguals: the speakers of inherited Russian, aged 10-15, who were born in Germany or came to Germany at an early age, and their parents, aged 35-50, who moved to Germany in 1990-2010, and the Russian monolinguals of the same age, living in Russia. The relevance of the study is due to the importance of exploring complex sentences in oral speech, as well as the need to analyze the syntactic level of Russian speech of the inherited language speakers. The aim of the study is to analyze the deviations in using complex sentences in the stories of two generations of Russian-German bilinguals and to compare them with similar deviations in the stories of Russian monolinguals. Research material: transcripts of story recordings based on pictures from the book “Frog, where are you?” by M. Mayer. Linguistic observation, descriptive, statistical and comparative methods were applied. The average share of deviations from syntactic norms in the informants' stories was revealed, the violations were ranked according to their structural types. The most typical deviations, connected with the organization of a complex sentence parts, the use of connective and correlative words, were established. It is noted, that the speech of children has much more deviations from syntactic norms, than the speech of their parents. This fact is explained by a higher level of education of parents. In the speech of bilinguals, more deviations from syntactic norms were revealed than in the speech of monolinguals, which is caused by the different status of the Russian language in Germany and Russia. The conclusion is made about the perspective of the structural approach to the analysis of the syntactic features of the oral speech of different categories of Russian native speakers at the level of a complex sentence.

Cognitive Levels of Pragmalinguistic Typology and German Text Comprehension

Aim. The research aim is to find out the correlation between the comprehension of read texts in German and the different cognitive linking levels such as the propositional, the epistemic and the speech of act level. Methods. In the first phase of the research, we used qualitative content analysis to identify the different cognitive levels in the texts. After that we used a didactic test to determine the text comprehension in German at the A2 language proficiency level. Results. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between reading comprehension performance in German and the propositional level. This means, higher performance in reading comprehension of German texts is manifested if the read texts contain indicators such as indicative sentences and adverbial tenses. Subsequently, we find a tendency correlation between the comprehension of German texts and the level of speech acts. No statistically significant relationship was found in the variable of epistemic level and German text comprehension. Conclusion. Our research showed that the epistemic level indicators and the speech act level indicators made it difficult for the learners to comprehend German texts, for this reason it would be necessary that after mastering the simpler phenomena such as the indicative mood, they should fluently start to deal with the indicators of the above levels. In the educational process, it is necessary to focus on the training of word types, on explaining the meanings of these words or expressions in order to develop and broaden the vocabulary of learners.

Balinese Diglossia Shown by Public Signs as Language Vitality Symbol from Linguistic Landscape Perspective

This study is aimed to identify and analyze Balinese diglossia from the perspective of linguistic landscape. Several public signs in Bali use Balinese language. The Balinese language used is varied. There are signs that use Balinese alus variation, while others use Balinese andap. The use of the two variations resembles the culture of Balinese people. Therefore, this study is also intended to provide a new way to view Balinese culture from seeing the Balinese language through non-interactive public signs because there are patterns on each variation used. Furthermore, the use of Balinese variations on signs can be a measurement to acknowledge its vitality; thus, this study is also aimed to measure Balinese language vitality in general and the vitality of its variations. The data of this study were 12 signs collected from banners, billboards, and information signs found in Bali through observation and documentation method. The data were analyzed by using referential identity method with a descriptive-qualitative approach. This study combined the theories of diglossia, context of situation, function of linguistic landscape, Balinese speech levels, and UNESCO vitality level. The result shows that Balinese language signs in public space are able to characterize the diglossia situation of the Balinese people by indicating four features, namely sign makers, participants receiving messages, caste and social status, and domains. The diglossic situation of the Balinese language is indicated by the variation of the Balinese alus, which is the high variety, and the Balinese andap, which is the low variety. The level of language vitality of Balinese high and low is 4, whereas in general is 5.

Ragam Bahasa Pada Interaksi Jual Beli Di Pasar Rakyat Malino Kabupaten Gowa

This research uses a qualitative approach. The data for this research are speech obtained from speech events between sellers and buyers at the Malino People's Market, Gowa Regency. Language is the object of research and language use (sellers and buyers) is the subject of this research. The data source is the speech of sellers and buyers, which occurred in buying and selling transactions at the Malino People's Market, Gowa Regency, which were carried out from December 2022 to January 2023. The method used to collect data was the observation, listening, recording and note-taking method. Data analysis was carried out by adhering to a flow model data analysis flow which includes four activity steps, namely (1) data collection, (2) data reduction, (3) data presentation, and (4) conclusion/verification. The research results show that (1) The variety of buying and selling languages ​​at the Malino People's Market, Gowa Regency consists of (a) Sellers and buyers use Makassar language; (b) Sellers and buyers use the Makassar dialect of Indonesian; (c) Sellers and buyers use Bugis language; (d) The seller uses the Makassar dialect of Indonesian and the buyer uses the Jakarta dialect of Indonesian; (e) Sellers and buyers use the Jakarta dialect of Indonesian; (f) The seller uses Makassar language and the buyer uses Indonesian; (g) The seller uses Makassar language instead of Indonesian and the buyer uses Indonesian; (h) The seller uses Makassar language instead of Bugis language and the buyer uses Bugis language; (i) Sellers and buyers use a code-mixed language of Makassar or Bugis and Indonesian. (2) The interaction pattern in buying and selling interactions at the Malino People's Market, Gowa Regency consists of (a) transaction objectives; (b) the relationship between the seller and the buyer is personal: (c) bargaining; (d) the seller in his interaction develops verbal persuasion; (e) buyers in interactions develop verbal persuasion. (3) The speech levels of sellers and buyers in buying and selling interactions at the Malino People's Market, Gowa Regency consist of high, medium and medium levels.

The Analysis of Form, Functions and Code Switching Factors in the Film Kehormatan di Balik Kerudung

Code-switching is the alteration or shift in the usage of one language to another within the context of communication, often occurring spontaneously and naturally. This study aims to find code switching forms, its underlying factors, as well as its function found in the Kehormatan di Balik Kerudung. The data of this research are players’ utterances in which code switching appear. The data collected were analyzed using Poplack’s theory (1980) to determine the form of code switching, Grosjean’s theory (2010) to find the functions of code switching, and Azhar’s, et al (2011) to find the factors behind the code switching. The results of this study indicate that extrasentential code-switching in the form of Javanese particles highly dominates the code-switching practices compared to the other two, namely intrasentential and intersentential, namely there were 30 extrasentential code-switching, 22 intrasentential and 7 intersentential. Some of the code-switching functions, are among others: to start a conversation, to confirm the conversation, to end the conversation, to confirm or emphasize statements, to ask for approval, and to answer doubts. Six factors underlying the code switching were among others: speakers, speech partners, topics of conversation, place and time of speech events, functions and objectives, as well as variety and level of speech.

The Use of Engghi-Bhunten Speaking Levels by Madurese Students in Al-Azhar Islamic Boarding School: A Sociolinguistic Study

The speech level of èngghi-bhunten holds significant importance within the broader context of the ML and culture. It refers to a distinct level of speech that reflects cultural values, social norms, and a rich historical layer. This study examines the form, function, factors, and the context of using the ML èngghi-bhunten at the Al-Azhar Islamic Boarding School Situbondo. This research is a type of qualitative research. The method of data collection is in the form of an observation method. The observations carried out included the listening-engagement technique, the free listening-engagement technique, supported by recording and note-taking techniques and supplemented by the interview method. The observation method was employed to observe the use of èngghi-bhunten speech level at Al-Azhar Islamic Boarding School. The researcher recorded social interactions, usage contexts, and the underlying factors behind the use of èngghi-bhunten. Besides, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Madurese students (santri) who possessed knowledge about the usage of èngghi-bhunten. Through these interviews, the researcher gained a deeper understanding of the perceptions, meanings, and contexts surrounding the use of èngghi-bhunten. The collected data were then written in the form of orthographic writing. The analytical method used in this research is contextual analysis, namely the analysis method applied to the data by basing, calculating, and linking the context which is a means of clarifying an intention in the form of a situation related to an event. The results showed that (1) the èngghi-bhunten only used in the dhelem family (Kiai and Nyai); (2) santri always use ML èngghi-bhunten to Kiai and Nyai as a reflection of the Salaf pesantren and as a form of polite manners.

Ondhâgga Bâsa, Levels of Speech in Madurese: Sociolinguistic Studies in Language Variations

This study analyzes the speech levels found in the Madurese language according to sociolinguistic studies. The level of speech is closely related to the variety of languages which is one of the study materials in sociolinguistic studies. The author also tries to find out the factors that influence the speech level of the Madurese language and the variations of the language in it. This study uses qualitative research methods and applies descriptive qualitative methods in collecting data. The data collection method is observing the research objects, recording the research objects, taking note of some information related to the research, and interviewing several informants who provide accurate informations related to the research materials. The findings of this study reveal that language variety occurs at the speech level of Madurese. Meanwhile, there are three levels of speech in Madura, namely Basa Enjâ'-iyâ, Basa Èngghi – ènten and Basa Èngghi – Bhunten. This kind of variation is due to its use among different social classes or statuses among people

Characteristics of the quick repeat-recall test (Q-RRT)

Objective To determine the reliability and validity of the Quick Repeat-Recall Test (Q-RRT). Design Within-subject repeated measures. Participants completed the Q-RRT at a speech level of 75 dB SPL in 2 noise configurations at signal-to-noise ratios of 5, 10, and 15 dB in a counterbalanced order, along with the full-RRT. The Q-RRT was repeated after 1–3 weeks to estimate within-session and between-session reliability. Participants also completed external validation measures relating speech-in-noise ability (Hearing-In-Noise Test, HINT), memory (Reading Span Test, RST; Forward Digit Span Test, DST-F), and noise acceptance (Tracking of Noise Tolerance, TNT). Study sample Twenty-five normal-hearing listeners (mean age = 63.9 years). Results Group Repeat and Recall scores were similar between the full-RRT and the Q-RRT. However, Listening Effort and Tolerable Time ratings were significantly poorer for the full-RRT than the Q-RRT. The average repeat scores correlated with the HINT scores, while the recall scores correlated with the DST-F and RST scores. Tolerable Time ratings also correlated with the TNT scores. Within-session and between-session test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients were fair-to-excellent (0.41–0.91) depending on the outcome measures. Conclusions The Q-RRT is a reliable and valid measure of speech-in-noise ability, working memory, listening effort, and noise acceptance.

Concept-Based Language Instruction Effects for Second and Heritage Language Learners: The Case of Korean Speech Level

Abstract Concept-Based Language Instruction (C-BLI) has been shown to be an effective approach for teaching second language (L2) learners complex grammatical features. However, it is unclear whether C-BLI is equally effective for heritage language (HL) learners. 30 L2 and 27 HL learners of Korean completed a series of tasks designed in a pre-intervention-post-test model that focused on speech level through verbal morphology of honorific second-person address forms. The positive change seen in self-reported understanding of speech level from pre- to post-test in both groups was not significantly different, indicating equal self-reported gains in understanding, regardless of group. However, the qualitative analysis showed differences in the ways that L2 and HL learners verbalized their understanding and appropriateness judgments of speech level. The findings provide evidence that HL learners benefit equally in overall growth, although slightly differently in how they develop, from C-BLI.

Effects of speech intelligibility and work modality on scientific reading productivity in open-plan offices

Speech Transmission Index (STI) is a critical indicator of speech intelligibility in quantitatively evaluating work efficiency in open-plan offices. Previous research has examined the STI-productivity relationship for simple, continuous tasks. Compared to continuous, simple tasks, interleaved complex tasks demand more effort to maintain work efficiency. However, the association of speech intelligibility with the efficiency of complex tasks remains inadequately explored. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of speech intelligibility on the productivity of interleaved scientific reading comprehension, contrasting it with productivity in continuous task modality. Thirty graduate students were recruited and exposed to irrelevant speech environments featuring speech-like pink noise as masking sound. By adjusting the sound pressure levels of speech and masking sounds, seven distinct acoustical conditions with different STI values (0.17, 0.26, 0.36, 0.45, 0.52, 0.57, and Speech_only) were created. A “Quiet” condition was also considered as a control group. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were utilized to analyze the relationships between speech intelligibility, task modality, and objective and subjective outcomes. The study found that, when the STI lies within the range of 0.26–0.45, employees must exert more effort to maintain task efficiency and resist distractions. If task-switching is involved when the STI exceeds 0.50, research efficiency further decreases. Overall, the interruption of tasks appears to amplify the impact of speech intelligibility on research efficiency. These findings underscore the importance of considering both work modality and the acoustic condition in optimizing cognitive performance and the overall user experience.

Auditory Models for Formant Frequency Discrimination of Vowel Sounds

As formant frequencies of vowel sounds are critical acoustic cues for vowel perception, human listeners need to be sensitive to formant frequency change. Numerous studies have found that formant frequency discrimination is affected by many factors like formant frequency, speech level, and fundamental frequency. Theoretically, to perceive a formant frequency change, human listeners with normal hearing may need a relatively constant change in the excitation and loudness pattern, and this internal change in auditory processing is independent of vowel category. Thus, the present study examined whether such metrics could explain the effects of formant frequency and speech level on formant frequency discrimination thresholds. Moreover, a simulation model based on the auditory excitation-pattern and loudness-pattern models was developed to simulate the auditory processing of vowel signals and predict thresholds of vowel formant discrimination. The results showed that predicted thresholds based on auditory metrics incorporating auditory excitation or loudness patterns near the target formant showed high correlations and low root-mean-square errors with human behavioral thresholds in terms of the effects of formant frequency and speech level). In addition, the simulation model, which particularly simulates the spectral processing of acoustic signals in the human auditory system, may be used to evaluate the auditory perception of speech signals for listeners with hearing impairments and/or different language backgrounds.