Subscribing to Hans-Georg Gadamer's belief that human beings are called to be insightful and discerning, this dissertation explores Gadamer's idea and practice of listening to language in order to understand the relationship between a constitutive theory of language and a life of wisdom. As Gadamer's texts reveal, the hermeneutic practice of listening to language is a reflective engagement of language that is theoretically grounded in a constitutive view of language. First, we need to listen to language because language, not consciousness, is the critical element in understanding. Second, the ontological priority of language over subjectivity comes with the nature of our primary relationship to language--we belong to it. Language is the medium in which we think and live, which makes us human. This means that our primary and most consequential relationship to language is as hearers, not users, of language. Third, the nature of language is both binding and expansive; hence the problems that come with its binding nature can be attended to from within language itself, by engaging its expansive nature. In other words, Gadamer does not believe in linguistic determinism. <br>The first chapter explores the conversation between Gadamer and communication studies by surveying what communication scholars have found significant for communication theory and practice in Gadamer's thought. The next three chapters examine Gadamer's idea and practice of listening to language through a close interpretive reading of Gadamer's texts. This reading reveals three key relationships that define the hermeneutic practice of listening to language: the relationship between ordinary language and conceptual thought (chapter two); the relationship between hearing and understanding (chapter three); and the relationship between language and reason (chapter four). The last chapter takes the conversation between Gadamer and communication studies further by considering some ways in which the hermeneutic practice of listening to language can assist communication scholars and practitioners in becoming discerning and insightful. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts / Communication and Rhetorical Studies / PhD / Dissertation

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1966. / Bibliography: leaves 82-86. / ix, 86 l illus., tables

This study investigates the listening environments of hearing aid users by employing the data logging capacity of their hearing aids. The idea that a hearing aid user's listening environments are important in prescribing desired hearing aid features has been discussed in the literature, however, investigation of listening environments has been limited in the past as it has relied mainly on subjective recordings. Data logging, the capacity of a hearing aid to continuously store information regarding time spent in different programs, listening environments, and microphone modes, is now available in a number of hearing aid models, and therefore provides an objective tool for studying a hearing aid user's listening environments. The data logging information from fifty-seven new hearing aid wearers, including 50 males and 7 females (mean age = 68 years, SD = 11.3), was obtained during the first routine clinic follow-up session for each individual. Measures of time spent in different listening environments, microphone modes, and overall sound levels, were analyzed. Hearing aid usage time was found to be highest in "Speech Only" situations (44.8%), followed by "Quiet" (26.7%), "Noise Only" (16.3%) and "Speech in Noise" (12.3%) situations. The majority of the hearing aid users' time was spent in "Surround" microphone mode (74.3%), followed in order by "Split" (22.3%) and "Full" (3.5%) directional modes. Results of two separate two-way ANOVAs revealed no significant age effect either on time spent in different listening environments [F(3,49) = 0.7, p= 0.5] or on time spent in different microphone modes [F(3,20) = 0.6, p= 0.6]. These findings provide empirical evidence regarding the general listening pattern of hearing aid users, which can be used as a starting point when troubleshooting problems experienced by hearing aid clients, or assessing a user's need for various hearing aid features.

Hearing loss is a disability that affects thousands of people in the world. It is estimated that there is 400,000 people with hearing difficulties in New Zealand (New Zealand Audiological Society, 2007). People with hearing loss have the right to access to information and communication (United Nations Enable, 2003). Without access to information and communication, the hearing impaired may encounter problems with emotional and social functioning, and consequently suffer with decreased quality of life. Clinical experience and investigations have revealed success with assistive listening devices (ALDs) where use of hearing aids has been unsuccessful. ALDs are devices that improve the communication function for the hearing impaired. ALDs can be used with or without hearing aids to overcome the negative effects of poor room acoustics. Currently, in the literature, little is known about the use and maintenance of ALDs in community organizations. This study investigates the use and maintenance of ALDs in the Christchurch community of New Zealand. A list of community organizations that provide ALDs to the public of Christchurch was also made available to individuals who have hearing impairment. The study found there is a lack of ALDs within the Christchurch community. Also that current ALD technology within the Christchurch community is not necessarily compatible with current hearing aid technology and that most organizations rely too heavily on PA systems. PA systems do not necessarily meet the needs of the hearing impaired and an ALD specifically targeting their hearing loss would improve their speech perception. Community organizations are not advertising enough that they offer ALDs which adds to the lack of awareness in Christchurch. Results found that most ALDs in the Christchurch community are in working order, however, there is a need for organizations to be educated about their use and maintenance. Audiologists and other health professionals have a key role in providing appropriate recommendations in the use and benefits that ALDs have on speech perception. These will directly improve the listening situations that the hearing impaired have throughout their communities, thus improving their quality of life.

While emerging technologies such as interactive multimedia are increasingly being employed in computerised music instruction, understanding of participant music listening behaviours in interactive multimedia music instruction is currently very limited. With the aim of elucidating music listening behaviour, the central concern of this work is to identify and explain participant interactions with the audio components of interactive multimedia music instruction. The investigation employs a novel documentation procedure, which extends the application of digital audio recording technology, to provide a finely calibrated analysis of the audio activity of a sample of 20 undergraduate music education majors during individual sessions with two commercially-available interactive multimedia music instruction programs. Graphically-based Sound Activity Profiles, which the researcher developed specifically for the current investigation, characterise and summarise participant interactions with audio components, while an analysis of questionnaire responses and follow-up interview transcripts provides supplementary information that further explains participants' music listening behaviours. The results of the investigation show that music listening behaviours during the study sessions were highly variable. While extensive participant interaction with music examples occasionally reflected attentive music listening behaviours, many study sessions were characterised by brief, fragmentary music excerpts and lengthy periods of silence. Participants spent as little as five percent of their session time listening to music and as much as 88 percent of the session time in silence. A substantial number of the study cohort frequently interrupted the music examples they had activated. Participants' perceptions of the extent of their interaction with music examples were frequently inaccurate, as subjects often substantially overestimated the amount of session time they had spent listening to music. The study findings suggest that many interactive multimedia music instruction participants would benefit from interventions that elicit more extensive and prolonged interaction with music examples. Accordingly, recommendations include a call for research to develop and test software designs that incorporate automated monitoring of session audio activity so that dynamic on-screen information about music listening behaviour can be provided to interactive multimedia music instruction participants. Such information may encourage participants to modify inappropriate music listening behaviours.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2003. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 266-282.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 1997. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-106).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-262).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-146).

Thesis (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.