Syllables Research Articles

A novel Chinese letter fluency test applied to healthy youth

Objective Letter fluency test is one of the important neuropsychological tests which can examine the cognitive function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of human brain.However,there is no successful Chinese version.This research is trying to develop a Chinese letter fluency test similar to the English version,and to provide an effective approach to investigate the function of the PFC of the native Chinese speakers.Methods Thirty 19 ～33 years old healthy native Chinese speakers were chosen (13 men and 17 women).The near-infrared spectroscopy was used to observe the activation of the PFC while the participants carried out the Chinese letter fluency tests.Some of the participants carried out three kinds of letter fluency tests and category fluency test.Results The average score of the Chinese letter fluency test using syllable cue in 60 s was 12.8 ±4.7.The relative value of [oxy-Hb] in 12 channels of 13 ones located in the PFC during carrying out the test was higher than before and after the test significantly (P＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion The novel Chinese letter fluency test using syllable cue is similar to the English version formally.The objective evidence shows that it can activate neural activity located in the PFC of human brain, and can be applied to the native Chinese speakers as a neuropsychological test investigating the function of the PFC. Key words: Letter fluency test; Chinese; Prefrontal cortex; Near-infrared spectroscopy

Speech-associated labiomandibular movement in Mandarin-speaking children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy: A kinematic study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the speech-associated labiomandibular movement during articulation production in Mandarin-speaking children with spastic quadriplegic (SQ) cerebral palsy (CP). Twelve children with SQ CP (aged 7-11 years) and 12 age-matched healthy children as controls were enrolled for the study. All children underwent analysis of percentage of consonants correct (PCC) and kinematic analysis of speech tasks using the Vicon Motion 370 system. Kinematic parameters included utterance duration, displacement and velocity of the lip and jaw, coefficient of variation (CV) of lip utterance duration, and spatial and temporal coupling of labiomandibular movement of speech produced in mono-syllable (MS) and poly-syllable (PS) tasks. Children with CP showed lower temporal coupling (MS, p = 0.015; PS, p = 0.007), but not spatial coupling, of labiomandibular movement than healthy children. Children with CP had greater CVs (MS, p = 0.003; PS, p = 0.010) and the peak opening displacement and velocity of lower lip and jaw (p < 0.05) and lower PCC (p < 0.001) than healthy children. Children with SQ CP displayed labiomandibular coupling movement impairment, especially in the aspect of temporal coupling. These children also had high temporal oromotor variability and needed to make more effort to coordinate the labiomandibular movement for speech production.

Samantic of two Syllables Adjectives as Complements

Samantic of two Syllables Adjectives as Complements

Stimulus equivalence and the symbolic control of behavior

Six subjects formed two three-member equivalence classes following conditional dis­crimination training in a matching-to-sample procedure using nonsense syllables as stimulii. For three subjects, a stimulus from each equivalence class was then given a distinct dis­criminative function. For the remaining three subjects, a stimulus from each equivalence class was given a conditioned reinforcing function. Six additional subjects served as con­trols. Three received the discriminative control training and three the conditioned reinfor­cement training, but none received the conditional discrimination training required to form the equivalence class. Following training, testing was done using an element of the equivalence classes related symmetrically and transitively to the element used in the dis­criminative or reinforcement training. For the equivalence subjects, but not the control subjects, discriminative control and conditioned reinforcement effects transferred to other members of the equivalence classes. This transfer of discriminative and reinforcing func­tions across members of equivalence classes may provide a more complete account of some types of generalization and maintenance. In addition, stimulus equivalence and related phenomena may help explain the control exerted by symbolic stimuli such as in rule governed behavior

Efectos del tamaño de la unidad verbal en la adquisición de la conducta de leer

Th( relationship between the unit size in reading and the speed ofacquisition and generalization was studied. A within-subject design was l/sed to evaluate the separate injZuence of three different units: letters, syllables and words. It was found, in regard lo unit size, that general/y, this variable did not influence the speed of acquisition. The performance of two subjects was affected by words. The data revealed that generalization was larger lor letters and syllables in the six subjects. S()me conclusions are suggested based in the data.

Co-registration of EEG and eye movements: effects of context on stimulus processing

The processing of a stimulus in isolation versus within a context was investigated while EEG and eye movements were simultaneously recorded. Specifically, 356 words and 356 nonwords were presented to 8 participants in both a word/nonword task and in sentences for reading over two experimental sessions. EEG (128 BIOSEMI) and eye movement (SR EyeLink 1000) signals were co-registered. Methods for removing eye movement artefacts from the EEG typically require extrapolation from a separate calibration data source to the experimental data. With co-registration, however, artefact detection and rejection is enhanced by matching the independent components of the experimental EEG data to the actual eye movement record. After signal pre-processing, data were analyzed using a single-trial general linear model [Pernet, Chauveau, Gaspar, and Rousselet, 2011, Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, Article ID 831409, 11 pages, doi:10.1155/2011/831409]. The model included several regressors related to word variables (e.g., length, frequency of occurrence, imageability, number of syllables), task variables (e.g., task, session), and concurrent eye movement behavior (e.g., fixation position and duration, saccade length). The temporal dynamics of information sensitivity and its specificity to task demands is discussed.

The CVX Theory of Syllable: The Analysis of Word-Final Rhymes in English and in Slovak

The CVX Theory of Syllable: The Analysis of Word-Final Rhymes in English and in Slovak

Apparatus And Method For Extracting Syllabic Nuclei

An apparatus enabling automatic determination of a portion that reliably represents a feature of a speech waveform includes: an acoustic/prosodic analysis unit calculating, from data, distribution of an energy of a prescribed frequency range of the speech waveform on a time axis, and for extracting, among various syllables of the speech waveform, a range that is generated stably, based on the distribution and the pitch of the speech waveform; cepstral analysis unit estimating, based on the spectral distribution of the speech waveform on the time axis, a range of the speech waveform of which change is well controlled by a speaker; and a pseudo-syllabic center extracting unit extracting, as a portion of high reliability of the speech waveform, that range which has been estimated to be the stably generated range and of which change is estimated to be well controlled by the speaker.

Investigation of disyllabic adverbs in Tai Pingjing

Investigation of disyllabic adverbs in Tai Pingjing

The Weakening of Syllable Final /s/ in HAERYE and Its Restructuring

이 글에서는 15세기 국어의 음절말 자음이 조음적 휴지 앞에서 나타나는 약화 현상을 근거로 하여 해례 8종성의 ‘ㅅ’과 ‘ㄷ’은 각기 다른 음을 표기했던 것으로 보아 7종성으로 발달해 가는 과정을 고찰하였다. 음절말 위치의 ‘ㅅ’과 ‘ㄷ’ 등의 무성 장애음들은 표면상에서 음성적 다듬기 차원의 보강 작용을 수의적으로 경험하게 된다. 그리하여 이 당시의 음절말‘ㅅ’은 두 변이음 [s]～[s<SUP>?</SUP>]로 실현되었으며 ‘ㄷ’([t]～[t<SUP>?</SUP>])과는 변별되었다고 추정한다. 8종성의 ‘ㅅ’으로부터 탈구강음화를 경험한 음성형 [?]과 ‘ㄷ’의 음성형 [?]은 동일하게 되므로, 청자 및 언어 습득자의 입장에서는 이 표면형을 근거로 하여 기저형 ‘ㅅ’과 ‘ㄷ’을 식별하기 어렵게 된다. 따라서 음변화가 발생할 가능성이 높아진다. 청자가 음운화하는 과정에서 이들 음성형이 [?]로 동일하므로 모두 /t/(ㄷ)로 음운화하게 된다. /t/(ㄷ)로 음운화한 이유는 여러 가지가 있을 수 있으나 아마도 빈도수의 영향을 받은 듯하다.

Two Greek Syllables in Wharton's 'The Pelican'

Two Greek Syllables in Wharton's 'The Pelican'

Schwa assimilation and syllable boundries

Schwa assimilation and syllable boundries

核母音から後続する分節素への移行が吃音頻度に与える影響―２音節目に視点を当てた検討―

本研究は分節素間の移行が吃音頻度に与える影響について検討したものである. Shimamori and Ito (2007, 2008) , 島守, 伊藤 (2009) は日本語の吃音においては語頭音節の核母音から後続する分節素への移行に困難さがある可能性を指摘している. しかしながら, これらの研究は語頭音節についてのみ検討したものである. 本研究では核母音からの移行が吃音頻度に影響するのは語頭音節の場合のみなのか, 2音節目においても当てはまるのかを検討した. 対象児は学齢期にある吃音児33名であった. 2音節目の核母音からの移行のある刺激語と移行のない刺激語を用いて, 呼称課題と音読課題を行った. その結果, 両課題において, 2音節目の核母音からの移行のある刺激語と移行のない刺激語の吃音頻度には有意差が認められなかった. この結果から, 2音節目の核母音からの移行は吃音頻度に影響を及ぼさない可能性が示唆された.

Thoughts on the Genesis and the Development of Syllable Cut in English

Thoughts on the Genesis and the Development of Syllable Cut in English

Oromotor variability in children with mild spastic cerebral palsy: a kinematic study of speech motor control

BackgroundTreating motor speech dysfunction in children with CP requires an understanding of the mechanism underlying speech motor control. However, there is a lack of literature in quantitative measures of motor control, which may potentially characterize the nature of the speech impairments in these children. This study investigated speech motor control in children with cerebral palsy (CP) using kinematic analysis.MethodsWe collected 10 children with mild spastic CP, aged 4.8 to 7.5 years, and 10 age-matched children with typical development (TD) from rehabilitation department at a tertiary hospital. All children underwent analysis of percentage of consonants correct (PCC) and kinematic analysis of speech tasks: poly-syllable (PS) and mono-syllable (MS) tasks using the Vicon Motion 370 system integrated with a digital camcorder. Kinematic parameters included spatiotemporal indexes (STIs), and average values and coefficients of variation (CVs) of utterance duration, peak oral opening displacement and velocity. An ANOVA was conducted to determine whether PCC and kinematic data significantly differed between groups.ResultsCP group had relatively lower PCCs (80.0-99.0%) than TD group (p = 0.039). CP group had higher STIs in PS speech tasks, but not in MS tasks, than TD group did (p = 0.001). The CVs of utterance duration for MS and PS tasks of children with CP were at least three times as large as those of TD children (p < 0.01). However, average values of utterance duration, peak oral opening displacement and velocity and CVs of other kinematic data for both tasks did not significantly differ between two groups.ConclusionHigh STI values and high variability on utterance durations in children with CP reflect deficits in relative spatial and/or especially temporal control for speech in the CP participants compared to the TD participants. Children with mild spastic CP may have more difficulty in processing increased articulatory demands and resulted in greater oromotor variability than normal children. The kinematic data such as STIs can be used as indices for detection of speech motor control impairments in children with mild CP and assessment of the effectiveness in the treatment.

Development and evaluation of standardized Mandarin monosyllable audiometric materials

To develop a set of Mandarin monosyllabic list for the goal to use as a standardized speech recognition assessment tool in China with sufficient validity, reliability and sensitivity. Thirty lists were designed based on the following criteria: efficiency, phonemic-balance, familiarity and coverage, while each list was designed corresponding to 25 monosyllables. These lists were read by a male broadcaster, recorded digitally and composed into compact disc. Our work consisted of three phases. Phase I: Sixty adults with normal hearing were recruited from Beijing to repeat as many syllables which they heard as possible. According to the randomized block design, 30 lists were presented with 6 intensities including -1 dB, 5 dB, 11 dB, 15 dB, 21 dB and 27 dB HL(speech). The lists and intensities were counterbalanced across all participants. Recognition scores in individual intensities for each list were calculated, and then logistic regression was utilized to fit Performance-Intensity (P-I) function. Two-way (list No. and Intensity) repeated measurement analysis of variance and Post-Hoc Tukey HSD test indicated that 22 lists were equivalent. Phase II: Twenty-two oral/aural normal adults were recruited to assess monosyllable recognition scores with the 22 equivalent lists at 10 dB HL(Speech), according to the Latin-Square design. Tests were administered twice for all participants with the same procedure and situation during 6 to 35 day intervals. The differences in scores (after a "rationalized" arcsine transformation) among 22 lists across over the two sessions is 9.3%, the data were collected from 22 participants, the measurement error was calculated by SD (standard deviation), the critical difference (CD) for test score improvement was 18.3% (determined as SD x 1.96, in 95% confidence level). Phase III: Eighteen participants with sensorineural hearing loss were recruited to assess recognition perception using 18 equivalent monosyllable lists at 30 dB suprathreshold based on Latin-Square design. Tests were administered twice by using the same procedure and situation within 1 to 16 day intervals. The same approach in Phase II was utilized to calculate SD (8.3%). The CD was calculated as 16.3% (in 95% confidence level). A set of standardized Mandarin recognition assessment material had been developed and it consisted of 22 equivalent phonemic-balanced lists with 25 monosyllables each. Approximately, every single list took 2 minutes, and thus it might be appropriate for clinical assessment. The P-I functions reveal that the recognition threshold was (8.30 +/- 0.84) dB HL(speech) and the slope of PI functions was (4.0 +/- 0.3)%/dB for adults with normal hearing. When a set of Mandarin monosyllable lists was utilized as an assessment tool, the critical difference of 18.3% (for normal-hearing adults) and 16.3% (for hearing-impaired adults) would be a key for clinicians to assess the improvement of speech recognition ability appropriately with statistically significance. In this study, a new Mandarin monosyllabic lists has been successfully developed with a sufficient validity, reliability and sensitivity for clinical evaluations, thus it might be convenience and helpful to be used as a standardized speech recognition assessment tool in China.

A Study on the Disyllabic Adverbs of “Jia”class in WuDengHuiYuan

A Study on the Disyllabic Adverbs of “Jia”class in WuDengHuiYuan

STUTTERING THERAPY FOR A CHILD AT INTERMEDIATE STUTTERING LEVEL

Abstract Stuttering therapy very often demands combination of various approaches or its modification. The main purpose of this study was to present an integrated approach to stuttering modification therapy and fluency shaping therapy for an intermediate school-age male stutterer (11 years old). The therapy for the child lasted for 12 months, sessions have been carried out twice a week, each session lasted for 45 minutes. The child still attends the therapy. The therapy uses integration of stuttering modification therapy and fluency shaping therapy. For the purpose of the fluency shaping therapy, delayed auditory feedback program is applied. During the stuttering modification therapy the child has been taught how to stutter more easily which implies prolongation of all sounds in words on which child stutters, with easy and soft transition from one sound to another. It is continuously being worked with the child on reducing negative feelings and attitudes as well as elimination of avoidance of words and speaking situations. We explained to the parents the treatment program and their role in the program realization. We also explained the possible causes of stuttering, and tried to identify and reduce fluency distractors, and engage the child in as many situations as possible which improved speech fluency. After the application of this program the child has improved fluency during the conversation in clinical and nonclinical conditions (environment). This fluency consists of spontaneous and controlled fluency. Furthermore, fear of speaking and avoidance of speech situations are significantly reduced. On the basis of the applied therapy on the child at intermediate stuttering level it can be concluded that it is possible to integrate successfully both approaches: stuttering modification therapy and fluency shaping therapy. Key words: stuttering, stuttering therapy, stuttering modification, fluency shaping. (ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.) Introduction Stuttering comprises breaks in speech fluency and is characterized by an abnormally high frequency and/or duration of stoppages in the flow of speech. These stoppages usually take the following forms: repetitions of sounds, syllables or one-syllable words; prolongations of sounds or "blocks" of airflow. Stuttering individuals are aware of their stuttering and very often are embarrassed by it. They use abnormal physical and mental effort to speak (1). Assessment of stuttering severity includes subjective assessment and stuttering is usually classified as mild, moderate, and severe (2). Different therapy approaches are useful for different subjects (3). There have been three treatment paradigms used with stuttering: direct treatment, indirect treatment and a combination of direct and indirect methods (4). The most often used therapy approaches are: stuttering modification therapy and fluency shaping therapy. Stuttering modification therapy involves teaching the child how to modify his/her moments of stuttering, how to reduce tension and frequency of stuttering and to stutter in more relaxed and easier manner. The goal of fluency shaping therapy is to increase fluent responses systematically until the client replaces stuttering moment with fluent speech or achieve fluency by altering speech pattern. This may involve that stuttering client speaks at a substantially slower speech rate (1). Rate reduction often emphasizes the use of prolonged speech in which the duration of articulatory moments is increased and smooth articulatory transitions between sounds and syllables are accentuated. Such slowing and smoothing of speech promotes the coordination and integration of respiratory, phonatory and articulatory movements. Once such movements are well learned and integrated, the client is able to gradually increase speed of performance, often without fluency breaks (5). Stuttering modification therapy and fluency shaping therapy are not antagonistic approaches and can be succesfully integrated. …

A study on the structure of the “disyllable verbs+zai” in Chinese

A study on the structure of the “disyllable verbs+zai” in Chinese

Losing Syllables and Finding English: Translating the Sonnets of Claudia Lars

Losing Syllables and Finding English: Translating the Sonnets of Claudia Lars