Phoneme Research Articles

A meta-analysis of the relationship between speech and language development in children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip

Objective Children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip are at risk of speech production and language delays. In typical development, a strong relationship exists between speech and expressive language development. However, the understanding of this relationship in children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip is incomplete. The objective of this study was to determine the average correlation between consonant inventory and two expressive language skills in children with NSCP ± L. Design The study used a random effects meta-analyses design. Articles were included by searching PubMed, APA PsycINFO, and ERIC. Main Outcome Measures Correlations between consonant inventory and (1) expressive vocabulary and (2) mean length of utterance. Result Based on eight studies representing 187 children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip, consonant inventory was positively correlated with expressive vocabulary size (k = 8, z = 0.74, SE = .16, p < .001, [0.424, 1.052]). Using data from four studies, representing 83 children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip, consonant inventory had a positive nonsignificant correlation with mean length of utterance (k = 4, z = 0.513, SE = 0.293, p = .081, [−0.063, 1.088]). Conclusion Results support a connection between consonant inventory and expressive vocabulary size in children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip across four languages. Small consonant inventories are often associated with expressive language delays.

Speech sound error patterns may signal language disorder in Swedish preschool children with autism.

Within cohorts of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) there is considerable variation in terms of language ability. In the past, it was believed that children with ASD either had delayed articulation and phonology skills or excelled in those areas compared to other language domains. Very little is known about speech sound ability in relation to language ability and non-verbal ability in Swedish preschool children with ASD. The current study aimed to describe language variation in a group of 4-6-year-old children with ASD, focusing on in-depth analyses of speech sound error patterns with and without non-phonological language disorder and concomitant non-verbal delays. We examined and analysed the speech sound skills (including consonant inventory, percentage of correct consonants and speech sound error patterns) in relation to receptive language skills in a sample of preschool children who had screened positive for ASD in a population-based screening at 2.5 years of age. Seventy-three children diagnosed with ASD participated and were divided into subgroups based on their receptive language (i.e., non-phonological language) and non-verbal abilities. The subgroup division revealed that 29 children (40%) had language delay/disorder without concurrent non-verbal general cognitive delay (ALD), 27 children (37%) had language delay/disorder with non-verbal general cognitive delay (AGD), and 17 children (23%) had language and non-verbal abilities within the normal range (ALN). Results revealed that children with ALD and children with AGD both had atypical speech sound error patterns significantly more often than the children with ALN. This study showed that many children who had screened positive for ASD before age 3 years - with or without non-verbal general cognitive delays - had deficits in language as well as in speech sound ability. However, individual differences were considerable. Our results point to speech sound error patterns as a potential clinical marker for language problems (disorder/delay) in preschool children with ASD. What is already known on the subject Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social communication, restricted interests and repetitive behaviour. They show very considerable variation in both receptive and expressive language abilities. Previously, articulation and phonology were viewed as either delayed in children with ASD or superior compared with other (non-phonological) language domains. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Children with ASD and language disorders also have problems with speech sound error patterns. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? About 75% of children with ASD experience language delays/disorders, as well as speech sound problems, related to speech sound error patterns. Understanding/acknowledging these phonological patterns and their implications can help in the diagnosis and intervention of speech sound disorders in children with ASD. Direct intervention targeting phonology might lead to language gains, but more research is needed.

COMPARATIVE TYPOLOGY OF UZBEK AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGE GRAMMAR

This paper compares and contrasts the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of the grammars of the Russian and Uzbek languages. We reveal both parallels and discrepancies between these two languages through a methodical analysis of linguistic elements, underscoring the intricate interaction of historical, cultural, and cognitive elements influencing language usage and structure. Consonant and vowel inventories are among the phonological and morphological characteristics that share similarities, but there are also noticeable differences in grammatical categories and syntactic structures, according to our analysis. Furthermore, we investigate how language contact, cultural factors, and cognitive processes shape typological diversity and linguistic variation. We expand on our knowledge of language diversity and universality by using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates insights from linguistics, anthropology, psychology, and cognitive science.

Phonetic shifts in bilingual vowels: Evidence from intersentential and intrasentential code-switching

Aims and objectives: While previous research on code-switching, defined as the alternation between two languages in a single interaction, has focused on syntactic sociopragmatic patterns, significantly less work has focused on the impact of code-switching on phonetics. Distinct types of code-switching have been previously identified, with the distinction between intersentential and intrasentential code-switches being among the most basic. Yet, existing work on the phonetics of code-switching has largely relied on single feature (i.e., voice onset time) and has exclusively examined one type of code-switch (i.e., intrasentential). The current study investigates the potential for cross-linguistic interference in vowel production and examines the potential role of different code-switch types: intersentential and intrasentential code-switching. Design/Methodology: Thirty-seven Korean–English bilinguals participated in a controlled reading paradigm, producing monolingual English, monolingual Korean, intersentential code-switches, and intrasentential code-switches. Data and analysis: Analysis leveraged differences in the Korean and English vowel inventories and focused on the production of English [æ] and the corresponding Korean vowel [e~ε]. Findings/Conclusions: Results indicated that code-switched English vowels shifted in the direction of Korean vowels with respect to both height and backness. Code-switch type was shown to be significant, with a greater degree of vowel shift for intrasentential than intersentential code-switching. Originality: This study adds to the limited prior literature examining the effect of code-switching on vowel quality and is one of the first studies to systematically examine the role of code-switching typology on cross-linguistic interference in the phonetic domain. Significance/Implications: First, this study adds to the limited prior research that specifically examines the effect of code-switching on phonetic production of vowel quality. Second, this study highlights the nuances of short-term cross-linguistic interference, and notably the possibility for differential outcomes of interference across different linguistic domains (e.g., phonetics and syntax), showing a clear role for code-switching typology at the phonetic level.

Full Transfer and Segmental Emergence in the L2 Acquisition of Phonology: A Case Study

In this paper, we discuss a child Kazakh speaker’s acquisition of English as her second language. In particular, we focus on this child’s development of the English segments |f, v, θ, ð, ɹ, ʃ, ʧ|, which are not part of the Kazakh phonological inventory of consonants. We begin with a longitudinal description of the patterns that the child displayed through her acquisition of each of these segments. The data reveal patterns that range from extremely rapid to rather slow and progressive acquisition. The data also reveal patterns that were unexpected at first, for example, the slow development of |ʧ| in syllable onsets, an affricate that occurs as a contextual allophone in syllable onsets in Kazakh. We analyze these patterns through the Phonological Interference hypothesis, which was recently extended into the Feature Redistribution and Recombination hypothesis. These models predict the transfer into the L2 of all of the relevant phonological features present within the learner’s first language and their recombination to represent segments present in the L2. We also discuss contexts where feature-based approaches to L2 acquisition fail to capture the full range of observations. In all such contexts, we show that the facts are modulated by phonetic characteristics of the speech sounds present in either the child’s L1 or her L2.

The Predictability of Naturalistic Evaluation of All-Day Recordings for Speech and Language Development.

The study aimed to investigate the predictive potential of language environment and vocal development status measures obtained through integrated analysis of Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recordings during the prelinguistic stage for subsequent speech and language development in Korean-acquiring children. Specifically, this study explored whether measures from both LENA-automated analysis and human coding at 6-8 months and 12-14 months of age predict vocabulary and phonological development at 18-20 months. One-day home recordings from 20 children were collected using a LENA recorder at 6-8 months, 12-14 months, and 18-20 months. Both LENA-automated measures and measures from human coding were obtained from recordings at 6-8 months and 12-14 months. The number of different words, consonant inventory, and utterance structure inventory were identified from recordings of 18-20 months. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate whether measures related to early language environment and child vocalization at 6-8 months and 12-14 months were predictive of vocabulary and phonological measures at 18-20 months. The results showed that the two main LENA-automated measures, conversational turn count (CTC) and child vocalization count, were positively correlated with all vocabulary and phonological measures at 18-20 months. Multiple regression analysis revealed that CTC during the prelinguistic stages was the most significant predictor of a number of different words, consonant inventory, and utterance structure inventory at 18-20 months. Also, adult word count in LENA-automated measures, child-directed speech ratio, and canonical babbling ratio measured by human coding significantly predicted some vocabulary and phonological measures at 18-20 months. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of language acquisition and collectively emphasizes the value of considering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of language input to understand early language development in children.

Auditory Event-related Potentials for Word Stimuli in Kannada Language Among Native Kannada Speakers with Dementia

Background: The P300 is a positive auditory event-related potential appearing around 300 msec post-oddball stimulus onset. Tone and monosyllabic stimuli have been widely used in P300 research, providing valuable insights into auditory perception, phoneme discrimination, language processing, and other cognitive processes. Bi-syllabic minimal pairs may be more challenging for some individuals because they require processing and discrimination of more complex phonemic structures. The aim of the study was to elicit and analyze the auditory event-related potentials for bi-syllabic word stimuli in the Kannada language among individuals with dementia. Method: The prospective study was conducted at the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. Ten native Kannada language speakers (five male; and five female) diagnosed with dementia, aged 55–70 years, were the participants. The naturally produced and recorded CVCV (Consonant vowel consonant vowel) tokens (/ko:ti/ and /ko:thi/ pair; /a: me/ and /a:ne pair) in Kannada were used in the auditory oddball paradigm. Results: The waveforms with positive peak for word (PPW) with clear morphology were used to obtain the latency and amplitude. Mean and Standard deviation (SD) value for the latency of the PPW was 545 ± 38 msec and the amplitude value of PPW was 2.5 ± 1.5 µV. Conclusion: The present study showed that when lengthier speech stimulus duration was used, the latency value of auditory event-related potential was higher. The study also showed that PPW is a reliable peak that could be used in the clinical population.

Acoustic, phonetic, and phonological features of Drehu vowels.

This study presents an acoustic investigation of the vowel inventory of Drehu (Southern Oceanic Linkage), spoken in New Caledonia. Reportedly, Drehu has a 14 vowel system distinguishing seven vowel qualities and an additional length distinction. Previous phonological descriptions were based on impressionistic accounts showing divergent proposals for two out of seven reported vowel qualities. This study presents the first phonetic investigation of Drehu vowels based on acoustic data from eight speakers. To examine the phonetic correlates of the proposed phonological vowel inventory, multi-point acoustic analyses were used, and vowel inherent spectral change (VISC) was investigated (F1, F2, and F3). Additionally, vowel duration was measured. Contrary to reports from other studies on VISC in monophthongs, we find that monophthongs in Drehu are mostly steady state. We propose a revised vowel inventory and focus on the acoustic description of open-mid /ɛ/ and the central vowel /ə/, whose status was previously unclear. Additionally, we find that vowel quality stands orthogonal to vowel quantity by demonstrating that the phonological vowel length distinction is primarily based on a duration cue rather than formant structure. Finally, we report the acoustic properties of the seven vowel qualities that were identified.

Vocalic contrasts in Zotung

Though very few Maraic languages from the South Central branch of Tibeto-Burman are represented in the existing body of phonetics literature, they are of interest in that they appear to contain typologically unique dense high vowel systems. Zotung, spoken by approximately 100 000 people in Chin State in western Burma and in diaspora communities, is one such language (Eberhard et al., 2022). The only linguistic scholarship on Zotung (Shintani, 2015) is an extensive wordlist with brief preliminary comments on the syllable shape, tone, and vowel inventories; however, acoustic analyses are absent. To augment Shintani (2015) and further elucidate the vowel inventory of Zotung, we present data from an older male speaker deeply involved with Zotung translation, preservation, and literacy efforts, who hails originally from Tingsi on the far southern border of the Zotung speaking area. Based on analysis of 553 tokens collected via a wordlist, we substantiate some of the findings reported by Shintani (2015) and document several important differences. Shintani reported 8 monophthongal vowel qualities; we find 10: [i, y, e, ø, æ, ə, a, u, o, ɔ]. Shintani also reported an expansive diphthong inventory; our data support this claim, with 9 total vowels that can be categorized as diphthongs.

Correspondence between consonant inventories obtained using modified naturalistic listening in real time (NLRT) and parent report

ObjectiveThe current study examined the correspondence between consonant inventories obtained using the modified NLRT approach and parent report. DesignProspective comparative study. SettingMultisite institutional. ParticipantsParticipants included 70 children with repaired CP + L (mean age = 16 months) who were participating in the multicenter study. ProceduresParents of participants were asked to record approximately two hours of their child's vocalizations/words at home using a Language ENvironmental Analysis (LENATM) recorder. Four ten-minute audio-recorded samples of vocalizations were extracted from the original recording for each participant and analyzed for size of consonant inventory. Parent reported consonant inventory was compared to coder identified consonant inventory. Coders identified an in-inventory consonant using two different criteria: 2+ tokens of each consonant were required in the first analysis and 10+ tokens of each consonant were required in the second analysis. ResultsCoder identified consonant inventory was larger (mean = 7.90) than that reported by parents (mean = 6.06) when a minimum of two tokens per consonant was required for inclusion of a consonant in inventory, while the inventory transcribed by coders was smaller (mean = 4.46) than that reported by parents when inclusion criteria required a minimum of ten tokens per consonant. ConclusionsAlthough the mean number of consonants in inventory between coders and parents was slightly closer using the 10+ versus 2+ criterion for consonant inclusion, the difference was not significant enough to recommend one protocol over the other.

A Phonological Analysis of Nouns Borrowed by Fulfulde from Hausa

This study is an aspect of the phonological analysis of words borrowed by Fulfulde from Hausa. The main objective of this research is: to identify the phonological features of words borrowed from Hausa; This study employs a qualitative research method, the research respondents are selected from the students of Fulfulde Department, Federal College of Education, Yola. The analysis reveals that Fulfulde employs strategies in adopting Hausa loanwords: vowel lengthening, consonant and vowel deletion, and insertion. The study finds that: Hausa /z/ changes to [ʤ] and /ʃ/ to [s] following the absence of the corresponding Hausa sounds in the consonant inventory of the Fulfulde dialects under investigation. Similarly, because oral stops are prenasalised in Fulfulde, sounds such as /b/, /d/ and /ɡ/ become [mb], [nd], and [ɳɡ] respectively. The findings of the research have implications for the expansion and growth of the language as the research discusses phonological modifications which loanwords undergo to help the language develop its vocabulary.

Investigating environmental effects on phonology using diachronic models.

Previous work has proposed various mechanisms by which the environment may affect the emergence of linguistic features. For example, dry air may cause careful control of pitch to be more effortful, and so affect the emergence of linguistic distinctions that rely on pitch such as lexical tone or vowel inventories. Criticisms of these proposals point out that there are both historical and geographic confounds that need to be controlled for. We take a causal inference approach to this problem to design the most detailed test of the theory to date. We analyse languages from the Bantu language family, using a prior geographic-phylogenetic tree of relationships to establish where and when languages were spoken. This is combined with estimates of humidity for those times and places, taken from historical climate models. We then estimate the strength of causal relationships in a causal path model, controlling for various influences of inheritance and borrowing. We find no evidence to support the previous claims that humidity affects the emergence of lexical tone. This study shows how using causal inference approaches lets us test complex causal claims about the cultural evolution of language.

Affixations in Javanese Transitive Verbs that Change the Constituents from Divalent to Trivalent

This paper aims to describe the affixations in Javanese transitive verbs that affect the valency of a sentence from divalent to trivalent. Other studies have explored the grammaticality of transitive verbs’ valency, but none have investigated the details of Javanese verbs’ morphological structure in relation to the phonemic structure. The data are extracted from Javanese transcription of YouTube videos and certain magazine articles. This paper employs a generative qualitative method equipped with various technical analyses. The analysis includes investigations of several forms of affixation in Javanese transitive verbs that result in a shift regarding a sentence’s valency. The analysis continues by addressing similarities in the verb phonemes that exhibit a certain affixation. The findings show at least three forms of prefix, five forms of vowel modification, and two forms of suffixes that can add a sentence’s argument when applied in a specific composition of phonemes.

Amodal phonological abstraction in infants at 10 months

Infants can abstract amodal information about place of articulation at 4-5 months, before perceptual attunement to native consonants occurs (Altuntas et al., in preparation). We tested infants in the same task at 10 months, after native consonant attunement has commenced, which may affect phonological abstraction relative to 4–5 months. 29 infants acquiring Australian English were trained to associate different cartoon animals with audio-only words from two artificial mini-languages (Language A: Kangaroo; Language B: Kookaburra), which differed in use of only labial or only coronal sets of consonants. They were tested with video-only words (silent talking face) paired with Congruent (matching) or Incongruent (mismatching) animals. We hypothesized that infants would look longer at the Congruent than Incongruent pairings during the test trials, indicating generalization from the auditory (training) to the visual modality (test), i.e., amodal abstraction. Surprisingly, looking times did not differ between Congruent and Incongruent trials. Attunement to native consonants at 10 months may interfere with phonological abstraction of the place of articulation feature across different consonants that share the same place. Examining other phonological abstractions or comparing infants acquiring languages with different consonant inventories could shed light on how perceptual attunement affects amodal phonological abstraction.

Acoustic and durational correlates of diphthong contrasts in Nafsan

The phonetic realization of diphthongs, vowels with dynamic productions involving two targets and often described as inherently long, is under-studied cross-linguistically (e.g., Petersen, 2018), including within many well-documented languages. Nafsan, an Oceanic language spoken by around 6000 people on Efate island in Vanuatu, has a vowel inventory with monophthongs of five qualities, all with a length contrast (Billington et al., 2021), and at least six contrastive closing diphthongs (Thieberger, 2006). These include /ei/ and /oi/, and two pairs in which the primary difference is viewed as the height of the second target: /ai/ and /ae/, and /au/ and /ao/. However, there are indications that duration may be an important correlate in these pairs. This presentation reports on a study of the six closing diphthongs based on data collected with six Nafsan speakers in Erakor village, using a wordlist of mostly monosyllabic words with diphthongs in both open syllables and syllables closed with a coronal consonant, produced in an utterance-medial frame. Results show that, in addition to differences in second formant frequency, /ae/ and /ao/ are significantly longer than /ai/ and /au/, raising questions about whether the contrast is best interpreted as a length contrast similar to that found among monophthongs.

On the small flat vowel systems of Australian languages

The vowel systems of Australian languages could best be characterized as “small and flat.” Small, because about 50% of Australian languages have a three-vowel system with another 20% or so distinguishing four or five vowel qualities. Flat, because, while there is the usual degree of separation between front and back vowels along the horizontal (F2) axis of the vowel space (700–2400 Hz), variation along the vertical (F1) axis is typically restricted to a range of 350-900 Hz, leaving the ‘close’ vowel area noticeably under-exploited. Thus, rather than the [i, a, u] values as traditionally transcribed, 3-vowel languages have the phonetic (Cardinal Vowel) qualities of [e, ɐ, o] and 5-vowel languages have [e, ɛ, ɐ, ɔ, o]. I suggest that, as with the atypical consonant inventories, the lack of close vowels in these languages may be explained in terms of the historical influence of the hearing status of their speakers. Reduction in vowel space in individual speakers is one consequence of hearing impairment caused by otitis media, which can reduce hearing levels under 500 Hz by up to 40 dB. The Australian Aboriginal population has the highest prevalence of otitis media in the world by far (50 to 90%).

Northern Lisu vowels &amp; tones, and their interactions

Lisu is a Sino-Tibetan language of Central Ngwi branch. It has multiple tonal contrasts and a typologically unusual vowel inventory. In this talk, I present an acoustic phonetic study based on data collected from eleven speakers of Northern Lisu, spoken in Nujiang Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan, Southwestern China. The study focuses on the vowels and tones of the language, and their interaction. Northern Lisu has six tones, including four modal and two creaky-voiced tones; it has ten vowels, including five front vowels, four back vowels, and a central “fricative” vowel. Tone and vowel interaction is analyzed using Esling’s Laryngeal Articulator Model. Results show all speakers produce a lower f0 in the retracted vowel context, but it is not the case that all tones are creakier in this same vowel context. Simultaneously, male and female speakers show differences in terms of voice quality. Examination of the vowel space shows a reduction in many vowel contrasts. It is suggested that the vowel space is becoming regularised, with perceptually difficult contrasts being neutralised. In addition, it is shown that the fricative vowel contains minimal frication compared to the fricative consonants, and as such is better described as a syllabic retroflex approximant.

An acoustic examination of Drehu vowels

Drehu is an indigenous language spoken in New Caledonia. Compared to other Oceanic languages, it has rather large vowel and consonantal inventories. The vowel system consists of 14 vowels, distinguishing seven vowel qualities and an additional length distinction. Previous phonological studies showed divergent proposals for two of the vowel qualities /ɛ/ and /ə/ based on impressionistic descriptions. For this study, data was collected through a controlled reading task that was conducted during a fieldwork trip. We investigate the Drehu vowels for the first time, using acoustic data from eight native speakers (4 female). Vowel duration, formant values and dynamic formant properties were measured to examine the phonetic correlates of the proposed phonological vowel quality and length distinctions. In this study, we report seven timbres identified across the fourteen vowels of the system. Our results confirm a distinction between phonologically long and short vowels based on duration differences. We provide a detailed acoustic description of the vowel system and propose a revised vowel inventory based on a detailed analysis of formant structure of open-mid /ɛ/ and the central vowel /ə/.

Membidik Masa Depan Bahasa Di Era Society 5.0; Kajian Pemertahanan Bahasa

The development of technology in the era of Society 5.0 has influenced social interactions and language changes. This research aims to describe the forms and functions of slang, as well as the importance of language maintenance that needs to be enhanced in the era of Society 5.0. The method used in this research is a qualitative descriptive method. This method describes language changes in terms of the formand function of slang, as well as the importance of language maintenance because of technological advancements in the era of Society 5.0. Data collection techniques were carried out through observation and note-taking. This method allows researchers to gain a deep understanding and insight that may not be visible through other approaches. Data was collected by observing language data used in digital platforms and then identifying them in the process of language formation and analysis of language functions.The results of this research include the existence of fifty slang words with the following formation processes: (1) phonemic structure reversal, (2) changes in the final syllable with -ay, (3) acronym, abbreviation, and phrase forms, (4) word reversal forms, and (5) words from regional languages. Data were analysed based on their functions as: (1) expressive, (2) directive, (3) informative, and (4) fative. As for research in the field of language maintenance resulting from technological changesand language usage, the required attitudes include: (1) language loyalty, (2) language pride, and (3) language norm awareness.

Phonemic structure of the root morpheme in the Gothic language (a complex quantitative analysis of lexicographic sources)

The article deals with the problems of the phonemic structure of the root morpheme in Gothic. Using a systematic sampling procedure, the words from a Gothic dictionary were selected to form the register with 382 root morphemes. The study employed a quantitative research with statistical data analysis toinvestigate such characteristics of the Gothic root morpheme as its length in phonemes, distribution, combinability and phonotactics of vowel and consonant phonemes within CV root patterns, their constructive potential and symmetry. The investigation has revealed several fundamental regularities that characterize the Gothic root morpheme organizing on the phonemic level. The results of the study have shown that the Gothic language has roots ranging in length from two to nine phonemes, but four-fifths of the analyzed roots consisted of 3-4 phonemes, the average length of the Gothic root in phonemes is 3.55, the multi-phoneme roots are rare and represented mainly by lexical items of non-Germanic origin. The analysis of the realized canonical forms has shown that the Gothic language system uses only 2% of the theoretically possible forms for the construction of root morphemes at the phonemic level. The vast majority of these roots function as dependent roots, only 5% of them function as independent roots that form complete lexical units. The canonical forms of roots in the Gothic language have different modeling power; the most productive among them are three structural types (CVC, CVCC, CCVC), which form almost four fifths of all roots in the studied array. The phonemic structure of the root morpheme is characterized by a significant consonantal saturation: the initial and final components of most canonical forms are formed by consonants, and the medial ones by vowels. Structures of this type describe almost 90% of the total number of roots in the study sample. It has been proven that the phonemic structure of Gothic roots is characterized by symmetry, with the symmetrically constructed roots being mostly characterized by the mirror type of symmetry.