Statistical Pronunciation Modeling for Non-Native Speech Processing

Statistical Pronunciation Modeling for Non-Native Speech Processing PDF

Author: Rainer E. Gruhn

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-05-08

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13: 3642195865

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In this work, the authors present a fully statistical approach to model non--native speakers' pronunciation. Second-language speakers pronounce words in multiple different ways compared to the native speakers. Those deviations, may it be phoneme substitutions, deletions or insertions, can be modelled automatically with the new method presented here. The methods is based on a discrete hidden Markov model as a word pronunciation model, initialized on a standard pronunciation dictionary. The implementation and functionality of the methodology has been proven and verified with a test set of non-native English in the regarding accent. The book is written for researchers with a professional interest in phonetics and automatic speech and speaker recognition.

Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech

Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech PDF

Author: Sandra Götz

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 902720358X

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This book takes a new and holistic approach to fluency in English speech and differentiates between productive, perceptive, and nonverbal fluency. The in-depth corpus-based description of productive fluency points out major differences of how fluency is established in native and nonnative speech. It also reveals areas in which even highly advanced learners of English still deviate strongly from the native target norm and in which they have already approximated to it. Based on these findings, selected learners are subjected to native speakers' ratings of seven perceptive fluency variables in order to test which variables are most responsible for a perception of oral proficiency on the sides of the listeners. Finally, language-pedagogical implications derived from these findings for the improvement of fluency in learner language are presented. This book is conceptually and methodologically relevant for corpus-linguistics, learner corpus research and foreign language teaching and learning.

Foreign Accent

Foreign Accent PDF

Author: Alene Moyer

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 231

ISBN-13: 1107328276

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To what extent do our accents determine the way we are perceived by others? Is a foreign accent inevitably associated with social stigma? Accent is a matter of great public interest given the impact of migration on national and global affairs, but until now, applied linguistics research has treated accent largely as a theoretical puzzle. In this fascinating account, Alene Moyer examines the social, psychological, educational and legal ramifications of sounding 'foreign'. She explores how accent operates contextually through analysis of issues such as: the neuro-cognitive constraints on phonological acquisition, individual factors that contribute to the 'intractability' of accent, foreign accent as a criterion for workplace discrimination, and the efficacy of instruction for improving pronunciation. This holistic treatment of second language accent is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers interested in applied linguistics, bilingualism and foreign language education.

Non-native Speech in English Literature

Non-native Speech in English Literature PDF

Author: Maria Sutor

Publisher: Herbert Utz Verlag

Published: 2015-04-17

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 3831644179

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Foreign accents in fiction are a common stylistic instrument of marking a character as the ‘Other’ and conveying national stereotypes in literature. This study investigates in a qualitative analysis the linguistic characteristics of non-native fictional speech, with a specific focus on the English Renaissance, the Victorian Age and the 20th-century war decades. After examining the concept of national identity and the image of the foreigner in these eras, the study undertakes an in-depth linguistic analysis of a literary corpus of drama and prose. Recurring patterns in non-native fictional speech are uncovered and set into relation with the socio-cultural background of the respective work, which leads to intriguing findings about the changing image of the foreigner and the phenomenon of linguistic stereotying in English literature.

Investigating English Pronunciation

Investigating English Pronunciation PDF

Author: Jose A. Mompean

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-10-08

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1137509430

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This book updates the latest research in the field of 'English pronunciation', providing readers with a number of original contributions that represent trends in the field. Topics include sociophonetic or sound-symbolic aspects of pronunciation English pronunciation teaching and learning.

Non-Native Prosody

Non-Native Prosody PDF

Author: Jürgen Trouvain

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2008-09-25

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 3110198754

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Non-Native Prosody: Phonetic Description and Teaching Practice is a response to the increasing interest in the field of prosody in second language acquisition and teaching. The volume presents an overview of the state of the art in second language prosody learning and teaching and brings together linguistic research on the description and modelling of non-native prosodic structures with L2 teaching methods and practices. The first part comprises descriptions of non-native prosodic structures (including intonation, stress and speech rhythm) as well as methodological considerations of research in second language acquisition written by experts in the field. These overviews of current theoretical models and results from empirical studies are presented in a format accessible to language teachers. In the second part, some of the leading teaching practitioners and developers of phonological learning materials present a variety of methods and exercises in the area of prosody. The accompanying audio examples make a useful addition illustrating the descriptions and exercises for various target and source languages. They could be found under "additional material" on this webpage (previously on the CD sold with the book).

Non-native Speech

Non-native Speech PDF

Author: Ulrike Gut

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9783631591154

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Based on an innovative corpus-based approach, this book offers a comprehensive survey of the phonological and phonetic properties of L2 speech in English and German. The first part of the book critically examines current theoretical models and research methodologies in the field of second language acquisition of phonology and describes the advances that have been made in corpus linguistics over the past few years - in particular, the development of phonological learner corpora. It furthermore presents the first learner corpus of L2 English and L2 German that is fully aligned and has extensive phonological annotations: the LeaP corpus. The second part of the book describes the results of the quantitative and qualitative corpus analyses in the following areas of non-native speech: fluency, final consonant cluster realisation, vowel reduction and speech rhythm, intonation and general foreign accent. In addition, the influence of many non-linguistic factors, including instruction and a stay abroad, on the phonological properties of non-native speech is explored.

Developmental Neurocognition

Developmental Neurocognition PDF

Author: B. De Boysson-Bardies

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 744

ISBN-13: 9401582343

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This volume contains the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on the topic of "Changes in Speech and Face Processing in Infancy: A glimpse at Developmental Mechanisms of Cognition", which was held in Carry-Ie-Rouet (France) at the Vacanciel "La Calanque", from June 29 to July 3, 1992. For many years, developmental researchers have been systematically exploring what is concealed by the blooming and buzzing confusion (as William James described the infant's world). Much research has been carried out on the mechanisms by which organisms recognize and relate to their conspecifics, in particular with respect to language acquisition and face recognition. Given this background, it seems worthwhile to compare not only the conceptual advances made in these two domains, but also the methodological difficulties faced in each of them. In both domains, there is evidence of sophisticated abilities right from birth. Similarly, researchers in these domains have focused on whether the mechanisms underlying these early competences are modality-specific, object specific or otherwise.

The Speech Processing Lexicon

The Speech Processing Lexicon PDF

Author: Aditi Lahiri

Publisher: ISSN

Published: 2018-11-19

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9783110634921

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In this book, some of today's leading neurolinguists and psycholinguists provide insight into the nature of phonological processing using behavioural measures, computational modeling, EEG and fMRI. The essays cover a range of topics including categorization, acoustic variability and invariance, underspecification, talker-specificity and machine learning, focusing on the acoustics, perception, acquisition and neural representation of speech.

Family Language Learning

Family Language Learning PDF

Author: Christine Jernigan

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1783092807

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Family Language Learning is a practical guide designed to support, advise and encourage any parents who are hoping to raise their children bilingually. It is unique in that it focuses on parents who are not native speakers of a foreign language. It gives parents the tools they need to cultivate and nurture their own language skills while giving their children an opportunity to learn another language. The book combines cutting-edge research on language exposure with honest and often humorous stories from personal interviews with families speaking a foreign language at home. By dispelling long-held myths about how language is learned, it provides hope to parents who want to give their children bilingual childhoods, but feel they don't know where to start with learning a foreign language.