Southern British Research Articles

Questioning the Position of SBS As the Model Variety for Serbian EFL Students

This paper primarily investigates the attitude of Serbian EFL students, in their 4th and 5th year of university studies, towards the Southern British Standard variety of English, as well as its position in comparison with General American (GA) and Standard Australian English. The aim of this study is to determine whether SBS still remains the preferred model variety in Serbia, as well as to simultaneously investigate if a hierarchy also exists among standard varieties of English. The participants completed a questionnaire that combined the matched-guise technique with the Likert-scale and a series of open-ended questions. The questions cover the identification of one of the three varieties of English, assessment of model speakers’ traits classified into social status and social closeness. Results show that, overall, EFL students react more positively to GA and SBS. However, this paper reports some unexpected results − SBS ranks the highest not only in terms of prestige, but also social closeness. This finding diverges from previous research and implies that, although GA might be more present in production with this group of EFL students, SBS still holds the position of the primary model variety, whose dominance also extends to social attractiveness.

Vowel dynamics in the acquisition of L2 English – an acoustic study of L1 Polish learners

ABSTRACT This article presents an acoustic study of the acquisition of vowel formant dynamics in L2 (Southern British) English by Polish learners at two levels of proficiency, along with baseline data from L1 English and L1 Polish. Results from our experiment suggest that the acquisition of English vowels by Polish learners entails a temporal reorganization such that vocalic targets in English are housed later in a vowel’s duration than they are in Polish or Polish-accented English. This leads to an increase in the degree of formant movement through the 20%–40% portion of vowel duration with increased English proficiency. Implications of these findings for cross-language phonetic similarity, a crucial concept for current theoretical models of L2 speech, are also discussed.

Chlorophyll-a, dissolved organic carbon, turbidity and other variables of ecological importance in river basins in southern Ontario and British Columbia, Canada.

Optical sensing of chlorophyll-a (chl-a), turbidity, and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (fDOM) is often used to characterize the quality of water. There are many site-specific factors and environmental conditions that can affect optically sensed readings; notwithstanding the comparative implication of different procedures used to measure these properties in the laboratory. In this study, we measured these water quality properties using standard laboratory methods, and in the field using optical sensors (sonde-based) at water quality monitoring sites located in four watersheds in Canada. The overall objective of this work was to explore the relationships among sonde-based and standard laboratory measurements of the aforementioned water properties, and evaluate associations among these eco-hydrological properties and land use, environmental, and ancillary water quality variables such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total suspended solids (TSS). Differences among sonde versus laboratory relationships for chl-a suggest such relationships are impacted by laboratory methods and/or site specific conditions. Data mining analysis indicated that interactive site-specific factors predominately impacting chl-a values across sites were specific conductivity and turbidity (variables with positive global associations with chl-a). The overall linear regression predicting DOC from fDOM was relatively strong (R2 = 0.77). However, slope differences in the watershed-specific models suggest laboratory DOC versus fDOM relationships could be impacted by unknown localized water quality properties affecting fDOM readings, and/or the different standard laboratory methods used to estimate DOC. Artificial neural network analyses (ANN) indicated that higher relative chl-a concentrations were associated with low to no tree cover around sample sites and higher daily rainfall in the watersheds examined. Response surfaces derived from ANN indicated that chl-a concentrations were higher where combined agricultural and urban land uses were relatively higher.

Guilty by accent?

Research into urban housing, employment, education and public perception has found evidence of accent discrimination. However, the role of language and discrimination has been under-researched in the legal realm. Cases such as US Hyppolite v. State (2002) reveal how damaging accent discrimination can be. In order to research this further, mock trials were put together and run in the United Kingdom, collecting ‘verdicts’ from individual online participants. Using a matched-guise method, the defendant testified in Standard Southern British English and Yorkshire English. Unlike previous research conducted, this was designed to look like a psychological study into jury decision-making so that participants were not primed for the linguistic components. While language attitudes were present in the results, there was no evidence of accent discrimination when it came to giving a verdict or even levels of recommended punishment, with no significant differences between accent conditions. The conclusion suggests that accent may not always be discriminated against directly; rather, it may be the vehicle used to discriminate against protected traits (e.g. ethnicity, gender, religion, etc.).

Dialectal phonology constrains the phonetics of prominence

Accentual prominence has well-documented effects on various phonetic properties, including timing, vowel quality, amplitude, and pitch. These cues can exist in trading relationships and can differ in magnitude in different languages. Less is understood about how phonetic cues to accentuation surface under different phonological constraints, such as those posed by segmental phonology, aspects of the prosodic hierarchy, and intonational phonology. Dialectal comparisons offer a valuable window on these issues, because dialects of a language share basic aspects of structure and function, but can differ in key segmental and suprasegmental constraints which may affect the cues that realise accentual prominence. We compared the realisation of trochaic words (e.g. cheesy, picky) in accented/unaccented and phrase-final/non-final positions in two dialects of British English, Standard Southern British English, and Standard Scottish English as spoken in Glasgow. We found generally shallower prominence gradients for Glasgow than SSBE with respect to intensity and duration, and very little evidence of accentual lengthening of vowels in Glasgow, compared to robust effects in SSBE. In contrast, phrase-finality had similar effects across the two dialects. The differences observed illustrate how the expression of accentual prominence reflects and reveals the different segmental and intonational systems that operate within dialects of the same language.

New Species of Lissodendoryx Topsent, 1892 (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Coelosphaeridae) and Myxilla Schmidt, 1862 (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Myxillidae) from the Northeast Pacific.

Collections of sponges by the late Dr. William C. Austin and the authors (N. McDaniel, R. Harbo and B. Ott) provided material for descriptions of new species from two genera of Poecilosclerida for shallow waters of Southern British Columbia, Canada and Northern Washington, USA: Lissodendoryx and Myxilla. There have been no new species of these two genera described for the Northeast Pacific since Laubenfels' work in central California (Laubenfels 1930, 1932) and Lambe's reports in 1893 to 1895 for Geological Survey of Canada sponge collections from British Columbia, Canada to the Bering Sea. We describe three new species of Lissodendoryx (Lissodendoryx) (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Coelosphaeridae) and one new species of Myxilla (Myxilla) (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Myxillidae): L. (L.) barkleyensis n. sp., L. (L.) littoralis n. sp., L. (L.) toxaraphida n. sp. and M. (M.) austini n. sp. Lissodendoryx (L.) barkleyensis n. sp. is cave-dwelling, has acanthostyles 112-260 µm, tornotes 107-177 µm, arcuate isochelas 8-28 µm and two sizes of sigmas 18-29, 26-55 µm. Lissodendoryx (L.) littoralis n. sp. fistulate habitus is adapted to muddy substrates similar to some Polymastia species also found commonly in the Northeast Pacific. It has subtylostyles 185-336 µm, tylotes 112-229 µm, arcuate isochelas 11-23 µm, and sigmas 30-75 µm. Lissodendoryx (L.) toxaraphida n. sp. is the only described Lissodendoryx species with raphides shaped like toxas. It has acanthostyles 140-286 µm, tornotes 143-195µm, arcuate isochelas 18-34 µm and toxiform raphides 65-156 µm. Myxilla (M.) austini n. sp. has a fistulate habitus and both tornote and tylote megascleres. It appears to be tolerant of low oxygen environments. Myxilla (M.) austini n. sp. has smooth to sparsely spined styles 193-353 µm, tylotes 153-221 µm, tornotes 174-260 µm, two sizes of anchorate isochelas 13-27, 42-81 µm, and two sizes of sigmas 13-47, 33-78 µm. All specimens were collected from shallow water (intertidal to 25 m).

Annual Winter Site Fidelity of Barrow's Goldeneyes in the Pacific

ABSTRACTCoastal regions on the Pacific north coast of North America provide important wintering habitat for many species of sea ducks. Although winter range and habitat preferences are well described for most species, fidelity to coastal wintering sites is generally undocumented. Fidelity is an important factor necessary for understanding interactions with coastal developments and activities and corresponding management strategies. We used data from Barrow's goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica), a sea duck that winters predominantly in nearshore habitats along the Pacific north coast, to investigate inter‐annual fidelity to, and intra‐annual fidelity within, coastal wintering sites. Between 2006 and 2015, we marked goldeneyes on breeding, molting, and wintering sites with satellite transmitters. We retained 4,931 locations in coastal habitats from 221 goldeneyes across 4 coastal regions for our analyses. These birds demonstrated high inter‐annual fidelity to coastal wintering sites; 75% of selected wintering sites were within 29 km of sites used the previous winter. Inter‐annual fidelity to wintering sites was similar between sex and age classes but differed by coastal region. Goldeneyes from southcentral Alaska, USA, expressed greater inter‐annual fidelity relative to birds from northern or southern British Columbia, Canada, and southeast Alaska. Goldeneyes also expressed high intra‐annual fidelity within wintering sites, with 75% of individuals averaging within‐season movements of ≤9 km. Intra‐annual fidelity was lesser for female than male goldeneyes but did not differ between hatch‐year and after‐hatch‐year birds. We found regional variation in intra‐annual fidelity, with goldeneyes from southcentral Alaska expressing greater intra‐annual fidelity compared to birds from other regions. High inter‐ and intra‐annual winter site fidelity by Barrow's goldeneyes suggests that, at a population level, habitat use is predictable and can be used to inform risk assessment or to evaluate factors affecting habitat choice. Also, low dispersal among wintering sites suggests that recovery from population perturbations, whether caused by natural or anthropogenic events, will be protracted. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

Jurassic location of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane from paleomagnetism of the folded Mississippian Tatlmain Batholith and Ragged Stock

Summary The extensive Yukon-Tanana terrane of the northern Canadian Cordillera has been considered controversially to be part of the allochthonous ‘Baja B.C.’ microcontinent or of the para-autochthonous North American cratonic margin during the Mesozoic. Paleomagnetic methods have isolated a very-stable Early Jurassic thermochemical remanent remagnetization in the terrane's felsic Tatlmain batholith and mafic Ragged stock after correction for: 1) rotation from northeast-plunging anticlinal deformation; 2) northerly dipping tectonic tilt of the host rocks; and, 3) northwestward regional translation on the adjacent Tintina transcurrent fault zone. The resulting 196 ± 6 Ma Tatlmain and Ragged paleopoles are 64.9° N, 44.8° E (A95 = 5.9°) and 64.2° N, 58.5° E (A95 = 7.7°), respectively. The YTT paleopoles support para-autochthonous tectonic models that have the YTT: 1) accreting to North America by the Early Jurassic; 2) undergoing non-significant orogen-perpendicular shortening by mid-Early Cretaceous from thrust-faulting; and, then 3) undergoing significant orogen-parallel northward translation of ∼500 km from mid-Early Cretaceous to the Eocene. In contrast, the paleopoles for Stikinia and Quesnellia of the Intermontane Belt show progressive northwestward translation relative to North America by ∼1000 km and a rotation of ∼55° cw since mid-Early Cretaceous. We speculate that ∼500 km of the northward translation is related to dextral motion on the Tintina and Northern Rocky Mountain Trench fault in British Columbia, and that the clockwise rotation is related to upper crustal tectonics in both Yukon and southern British Columbia.

An Earthquake Nest in Cascadia

AbstractWe investigate an isolated cluster of temporally persistent, intraslab earthquakes (ML<3.2) at >60 km depth below the Georgia Strait in southern British Columbia that is unique in Cascadia and meets the criteria for identification as an earthquake nest. A total of 129 relocated hypocenters define two northwest‐dipping structures in the subducting Juan de Fuca mantle within an ∼30×10×10 km3 volume. Focal mechanisms for 15 events represent a mix of strike‐slip and reverse faulting, and a stress regime of down‐dip tension and plate‐normal compression, consistent with a previous regional study. Converted seismic phases inferred to originate at the boundaries of subducted oceanic crust are observed at several receivers and are consistent with a local slab depth of ∼45 km, shallower than some JdF plate models. The geographical isolation of the nest within the confines of an extrapolated propagator wake suggests that its location is controlled by this pre‐existing and presumably hydrated structure.

Effects of elevated growth temperature and enhanced atmospheric vapour pressure deficit on needle and root terpenoid contents of two Douglas fir provenances

In the present work, we studied the effects of elevated air temperatures, which were above the optimum for photosynthesis, in combination with enhanced atmospheric VPD on two Douglas fir provenances grown under controlled conditions in a climate chamber. Provenance Monte Creek (MC) from the menziesii-glauca transition zone, Southern British Columbia, Canada, was derived from a dry environment receiving ca. half of the precipitation at its natural site than the interior provenance Pend Oreille (PO) from a mesic site in Northeast Washington State, US. We determined the terpenoid contents in needles and roots of the trees as well as terpene emission from needles and terpenoid synthase activities observing clear provenance-specific patterns. Whereas total terpenoid contents in needles dropped significantly in provenance PO in response to thermal stress, they remained unaffected in MC. The drop in terpenoid content in PO was due to decreased abundance of almost all identified terpenoids with exception of five compounds. Terpene emission was significantly enhanced in thermal-stressed provenance MC but it was unaffected in provenance PO. Oppositely, root terpenoid contents were rather stable in both provenances upon high temperature and enhanced atmospheric VPD. Similarly, we did not observe stress effects on terpenoid synthase activity, which was used as a proxy for the formation of terpenoids. The results indicate that features of the original habitat of the trees determine plant chemotypic properties, for example, thermal stress related responses. The observed decrease of terpenoid levels in needles of PO after long-term exposure to elevated temperature/enhanced atmospheric VPD, might weaken stress-exposed trees. Since terpenoids are essential components of the conifers’ defense arsenal against herbivores, decreased terpenoid levels might increase susceptibility of stressed trees to above- and belowground herbivore challenges.

Accent Intelligibility Differences in Noise Across Native and Nonnative Accents: Effects of Talker-Listener Pairing at Acoustic-Phonetic and Lexical Levels.

Purpose The intelligibility of an accent strongly depends on the specific talker-listener pairing. To explore the causes of this phenomenon, we investigated the relationship between acoustic-phonetic similarity and accent intelligibility across native (1st language) and nonnative (2nd language) talker-listener pairings. We also used online measures to observe processing differences in quiet. Method English ( n = 16) and Spanish ( n = 16) listeners heard Standard Southern British English, Glaswegian English, and Spanish-accented English in a speech recognition task (in quiet and noise) and an electroencephalogram task (quiet only) designed to assess phonological and lexical processing. Stimuli were drawn from the nonnative speech recognition sentences ( Stringer & Iverson, 2019 ). The acoustic-phonetic similarity between listeners' accents and the 3 accents was calculated using the ACCDIST metric ( Huckvale, 2004 , 2007 ). Results Talker-listener pairing had a clear influence on accent intelligibility. This was linked to the phonetic similarity of the talkers and the listeners, but similarity could not account for all findings. The influence of talker-listener pairing on lexical processing was less clear; the N400 effect was mostly robust to accent mismatches, with some relationship to intelligibility. Conclusion These findings suggest that the influence of talker-listener pairing on intelligibility may be partly attributable to accent similarity in addition to accent familiarity. Online measures also show that differences in talker-listener accents can disrupt processing in quiet even where accents are highly intelligible.

Dissociation between speech modalities in a case of altered accent with unknown origin

ABSTRACTWe present a case of sudden onset, acquired altered accent in the speech of NL, a 48-year-old, left-handed female. NL’s typical Standard Southern British English accent was preserved in singing and reading, but altered in recitation, repetition and spontaneous speech. Neuropsychological investigation, impressionistic and acoustic analysis of accented and unaccented speech are documented. The altered accent displays a slower speech rate and longer duration of consonants and vowels. There is evidence for a shift towards syllable-timed rhythm. NL’s altered accent displays atypical coordination between voicing and supra-laryngeal articulation, reduced mean and range of F0, and minor differences in vowel space. These features are broadly consistent with other documented cases of Foreign Accent Syndrome, regardless of aetiology. However, NL’s profile of preserved and impaired speech does not fit any pattern typically associated with organic neurological disorder. Moreover, left-handed preference may contribute to differences between singing and reading, versus recitation, repetition and spontaneous speech.

Phonetic Convergence, Language Talent, Personality and Attention

Studies into phonetic adaptation rarely consider individual differences (IDs) on a cognitive and personality level between speakers as a direct source of adaptation variation. In order to investigate the degree to which the individual phonetic talent and further psycho-cognitive IDs of speakers affects phonetic convergence in a second language setting, 20 German native speakers were involved in two dialog tasks with two native speakers of English, a male speaker of American English and a female speaker of Standard Southern British English. The dialogs were quasi-spontaneous task-oriented interactions elicited with the Diapix picture-matching game. The English L2 learners were divided into a phonetically talented and less talented group based on their test results and evaluation in a preceding extensive language talent test battery. The acoustic analyses using amplitude envelopes revealed that talented speakers converged significantly more towards their English native speaking partners in the Diapix study. An additional analysis relates their degree of convergence to a range of personality and cognitive measures. The factors openness, neuroticism, Behavior Inhibition score and the switch costs in a Simon Test were significantly impacting the degree of phonetic convergence in the dialog study.

Phenotypic and genetic introgression across a moving woodpecker hybrid zone.

In hybrid zones in which two divergent taxa come into secondary contact and interbreed, selection can maintain phenotypic diversity despite widespread genetic introgression. Red-breasted (Sphyrapicus ruber) and red-naped (S.nuchalis) sapsuckers meet and hybridize along a narrow contact zone that stretches from northern California to southern British Columbia. We found strong evidence for changes in the structure of this hybrid zone across time, with significant temporal shifts in allele frequencies and in the proportions of parental phenotypes across the landscape. In addition to these shifts, we found that differences in plumage predict genetic differences (R2 =0.80), suggesting that plumage is a useful proxy for assessing ancestry. We also found a significant bimodal distribution of hybrids across the contact zone, suggesting that premating barriers may be driving reproductive isolation, perhaps as a result of assortative mating based on plumage differences. However, despite evidence of selection and strong patterns of population structure between parental samples, we found only weak patterns of genetic divergence. Using museum specimens and genomic data, this study of sapsuckers provides insight into the ways in which phenotypic and genetic structure have changed over a 40-year period, as well as insight into the mechanisms that may contribute to the maintenance of the hybrid zone over time.

Seismicity in Cascadia

We examine spatio-geometric patterns in the density of seismicity within the Cascadia forearc to gain insight into controls on seismogenesis. Tremor epicenters exhibit the most regular distribution defining a 40–80 km wide band extending along almost the entire convergent margin from the southern terminus of Gorda plate subduction in northern California to the central Explorer plate below northern Vancouver Island. Based on prior characterization of constituent low-frequency earthquakes, the up- and down-dip limits of tremor are assumed to represent slab isodepth contours at nominal values of 28 and 45 km, between which fluids at near-lithostatic overpressures are trapped within the subducting slab. Epicenters of earthquakes within the North American crust are anticorrelated with those of tremor, and concentrated in Washington and northern California where they are sandwiched between tremor and the Cascade volcanic arc. Seismicity within the subducting plate possesses the most limited epicentral distribution. Seismicity is confined to shallow depths off Vancouver Island and in northern California, and projects to greater depths beneath Washington and southern British Columbia. Comparison of seismicity patterns with long-wavelength slab geometry and thermo-petrologic constraints suggests that seismicity occurrence in Cascadia is governed by an interplay between slab strain, metamorphic dehydration within the subducting oceanic plate, and a plate boundary seal that controls where fluids enter the overriding plate. The inferred fluid evolution model harbors interesting implications for mantle wedge hydrology, forearc crustal composition and volcanism in Cascadia and other warm subduction zones.

Contrasting genetic structure of sympatric congeneric gastropods: Do differences in habitat preference, abundance and distribution matter?

AbstractAimThe relationship of population genetics with the ecology and biogeography of species may be explored by comparing phenotypically similar but ecologically different congeners with overlapping ranges. We compared genetic differentiation between two congeneric rocky intertidal gastropods across a major portion of their sympatric range. We hypothesized that the habitat generalist with high abundance and continuous distribution would exhibit comparatively less genetic differentiation than the habitat specialist with low abundance and a fragmented distribution.LocationNorth‐east Atlantic from the north‐west Iberian Peninsula to southern British coastline.TaxonGastropoda, Trochidae, Steromphala (formerly Gibbula).MethodsField surveys were conducted to assess the presence/absence and the abundance of Steromphala umbilicalis (generalist) and S. pennanti (specialist) at 23 localities along ~1,800 km coastline. We isolated polymorphic microsatellite markers for both species (seven loci for S. umbilicalis and eight for S. pennanti) and used these to genotype 187 S. umbilicalis and 157 S. pennanti individuals. We used standard population genetic analyses to compare patterns of genetic differentiation between species in relation to the field surveys.ResultsSteromphala pennanti showed a more fragmented distribution, significantly lower abundance, and greater genetic differentiation than S. umbilicalis. One S. umbilicalis population towards the north of the range (southern Britain) was genetically distinct from all other sampled populations. Steromphala pennanti showed greater genetic differentiation between three southern localities, which may be attributable to its fragmented distribution and lower abundance because of limited availability of its preferred fucoid habitat in this region. We also suggest that oceanographic currents could be associated with regional genetic structure.Main conclusionsThe habitat generalist showed high‐local abundances, continuous distribution and low regional genetic differentiation. We found the opposite pattern for the habitat specialist. Our study highlights the importance of considering ecological (e.g. abundance, habitat preferences) and abiotic variables (e.g. ocean currents and temperature) for understanding differences in genetic structure of sympatrically distributed congeners.

'I think this medicine actually killed my wife': patient and family perspectives on shared decision-making to optimize medications and safety.

Background:This study explored the perspectives and experiences from patients and families around how patient/family preferences and priorities are considered in medication-related discussions and decisions within the healthcare system.Methods:We conducted a qualitative study using focus groups with residents of Southern Ontario and British Columbia (N = 16). Three focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured focus group guide. The audiotaped focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis, using inductive coding, was completed.Results:A total of three main themes [and several sub-themes (and sub-sub-themes)] emerged from the data: patient and family expertise [lived experience, information expert, and perceived expert roles (patient/family, healthcare provider)], perceived patient-centredness (relationship qualities of healthcare provider and assumptions about patients), and system (time, coordination and communication, and culture). Stories told by participants helped to clarify the relationships between the themes and sub-themes, leading to, what we understand as shared decision-making around medications and subsequent health outcomes.Conclusions:Our findings showed that shared decision-making resulted from both recognition and integration of the personal expertise of the patient and family in medications, and perceived patient-centredness. This is broadly consistent with the current conceptualization of evidence-based medicine. The stories told highlight the complex, dynamic, and nonlinear nature of shared decision-making for medications, and that patient priorities are not as integrated into shared decision-making about medications as we would hope. This suggests the need for developing a systematic process to elicit, record, and integrate patient preferences and priorities about medications to create space for a more patient-centred conversation.

STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AND DIFFERENT VARIETIES IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM

In the last decades English has gained undeniable relevance and status to the extent that it has become essential both in the professional and personal spheres in many parts of the world. However, its pronunciation is still regarded as the “Cinderella” among the areas of language due to its neglect in the foreign language classroom. This study sought to investigate 55 secondary school students’ attitudes in the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain) towards English pronunciation, General American English (AE), Standard Southern British English (BE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), as well as Native and Non-Native English Speaker Teachers (NESTs and NNESTs). Additionally, students’ responses were statistically compared in terms of gender. Data was collected through a questionnaire, the verbal-guise technique (VGT) and three open-ended questions. Results suggested that, although students believed in the importance of pronunciation instruction, English instructors should address its relevance more specifically. Native English varieties were prioritized, as well as NESTs. Statistically significant gender differences were also found. Conclusions and pedagogical implications are provided.

Individual patterns of disfluency across speaking styles

Features of speech related to fluency such as filled and silent pauses, sound prolongations, repetitions and self-interruptions exhibit considerable variation among speakers, yet the speaker-specificity of such features has received little attention inforensic phonetic research. The present study investigates the extent to which individual differences in disfluency behaviour are preserved across different speaking styles, a key concern for forensic speaker comparison cases. Disfluency phenomena in the speech of 20 male speakers of Standard Southern British English undertaking a simulated police interview task are compared with the occurrence of the same set of phenomena in the speech of the same speakers participating in a telephone conversation with an 'accomplice'. The speakers' disfluency features are analysed using TOFFA 'Taxonomy of Fluency Features for Forensic Analysis' (McDougall and Duckworth 2017). Individuals exhibit a wide range of variation in their overall rate of production of disfluency features, and these rates are relatively consistent within-speaker across interview and telephone styles. The results for each specific disfluency feature type also show patterns of relatively consistent behaviour within-speaker across-style for most features. For both interview and telephone styles, discriminant analyses based on speaker profiles of disfluency features demonstrate that disfluency features carry speaker-specific information which could be considered alongside other analyses in forensic speaker comparison cases.

Increased presence of mammal-eating killer whales in the Salish Sea with implications for predator-prey dynamics.

The inland waters of Washington State and southern British Columbia, collectively known as the Salish Sea, comprise key habitat for two regional populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca): the mammal-eating West Coast Transients and the endangered fish-eating Southern Residents. These two populations are genetically distinct and may avoid each other. Transient killer whale usage of the Salish Sea has been previously assessed over two seven-year time periods, showing an increase from 1987 to 2010. We documented a continued significant increase in mammal-eating killer whale presence in the Salish Sea from 2011 to 2017, with intra- and inter-annual variability and with record sightings in 2017. This continued increase, likely in response to abundant marine mammal prey, is related to both a growing population and an increase in the number of West Coast Transients visiting the area. Additionally, a negative binomial regression shows that absence of Southern Residents is correlated to transient presence. Finally, both populations of killer whales have been linked to regional harbor seal populations; harbor seals are salmonid-eating competitors of the Southern Residents and are prey for the mammal-eating transients. With Southern Residents listed as endangered, culling harbor seals has been proposed as a measure to help in their recovery. With this in mind, we developed an energetic model to assess the minimum number of harbor seals consumed by transient killer whales. Using the actual number of whales present in each age-sex class for each day of the year, we estimate that, at a minimum, transients in the Salish Sea consumed 1090 seals in 2017. This is more than 2% of the 2014 estimated harbor seal population the Salish Sea. The population controlling effects of transient killer whale predation on harbor seals should be considered when evaluating any pinniped management actions in the Salish Sea.