The purpose of this study is to show that the phonetic changes wrought by assimilation in the development of the sound of Modern English are still at work. To do this, historical examples will be placed side by side with others from present-day English. No effort is made to restrict examples to any one dialectical area or time.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Master / Master of Philosophy

本论文报告了三个研究，旨在探讨声母是否为广东话口语产出过程中的基本加工单元。研究一通过三个不同的实验范式（即，图片命名内隐准备范式、词汇联想内隐准备范式和词图干扰范式）对比了声母和音节的准备效应。结果显示，广东话的声母准备效应比较微弱，只能通过图片命名内隐范式得到；相比而言，广东话音节的准备效应非常稳定，在三个实验范式中都非常明显。研究二旨在探索声母准备效应的时间进程。行为结果显示，只有当准备间隔等于500毫秒时，才能得到稳定的声母准备效应。脑电结果也与此呼应，同质条件和异质条件的神经电活动的差异出现于400-650毫秒之间。具体表现为：同质条件下的关联负变化（contingent negative variation, CNV）波幅在400-450和600-650毫秒间比异质条件下的CNV波幅更大；在异质条件下，CNV电波在700-750毫秒时就从早成分转向了晚成分；而在同质条件下，CNV早成分到晚成分的转换时间提前到了600-650毫秒。研究三旨在考察音节频率是否能够调节声母准备效应。结果显示，声母准备效应只能在低频音节中得到，而无法在高频音节中得到。综合所有的研究结果，在广东话语音编码过程中，1）声母是可以作为基本加工单元的，但其效应受到更高层因素的调节（如：准备时间和音节频率）；2）音节下加工单元（sub-syllable units）能够直接启动发音运动准备过程，而无需等待音节中的其它加工单元。最后，根据本论文的结果，我们建议能够用一种普适词汇产出的观点来调和关于基本加工单元是否为语言特异性的争议。 / Three studies were conducted to investigate whether the onset can be a basic planning unit in Cantonese spoken word production. In Study 1, the onset- and syllable-preparation effects were tested through three frequently used paradigms: the picture-naming implicit form-preparation (picIP) paradigm, the word-associative naming implicit form-preparation (waIP) paradigm and the picture-word interference (PWI) paradigm. The onset-preparation effect was weak in Cantonese and could be obtained only through the picIP paradigm, while the syllable preparation effects were much robust and could be obtained using all of the paradigms. Study 2 was aimed at exploring the time course of onset preparation. The behavioral data showed that the onset-preparation effect was significant only when the foreperiod was 500 ms. The event-related potential (ERP) data echoed this finding; different neural activities between the homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions were found 400650 ms after the time cue. Study 3 showed that the syllable frequency could moderate the onset-preparation effect, which was significant for low-frequency syllables but not for high-frequency syllables. These results indicate that 1) the onset can be a basic planning unit in Cantonese, but its function and effect size are moderated by some higher-level factors, such as preparation time and syllable frequency, and 2) sub-syllable units could directly initiate articulation without waiting for the remaining parts within a syllable. A language-universal position is suggested to reconcile the debates between the language-specific and language-general hypotheses regarding the basic planning units in spoken word production. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Ning, Ning. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-98). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese; appendixes includes Chinese. / English abstract --- p.iii / Chinese abstract --- p.v / Acknowledgements --- p.vi / Table of contents --- p.vii / List of tables --- p.x / List of figures --- p.xi / Chapter Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1. --- The basic planning units in word production --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.1. --- The phonological encoding process in word production --- p.3 / Chapter 1.1.2. --- The properties of the basic planning units --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.3. --- Ways to approach the basic planning units --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2. --- Debates surrounding the basic planning units --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2.1. --- Sub-syllable units, syllable units or both --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2.2. --- Language specific vs. language general --- p.18 / Chapter 1.2.3. --- Instantaneous vs. delayed response --- p.20 / Chapter 1.3. --- Characteristics of Cantonese word production --- p.21 / Chapter 1.3.1. --- Phonological properties of Cantonese --- p.21 / Chapter 1.3.2. --- The basic planning units in Cantonese word production --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 2. --- Overview of the present studies --- p.25 / Chapter 2.1. --- Motivations --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2. --- The present studies --- p.27 / Chapter Chapter 3. --- Study 1 - Onset effects in Cantonese word production - the sensitivity of different paradigms --- p.30 / Chapter 3.1. --- Aim and predictions --- p.30 / Chapter 3.2. --- Materials --- p.31 / Chapter 3.3. --- Experiment 1 - The picture-naming IP paradigm --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3.1. --- Method --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3.2. --- Results --- p.36 / Chapter 3.4. --- Experiment 2 - The word-associative naming IP paradigm --- p.38 / Chapter 3.4.1. --- Method --- p.38 / Chapter 3.4.2. --- Results --- p.38 / Chapter 3.5. --- Experiment 3 - The PWI paradigm --- p.40 / Chapter 3.5.1. --- Method --- p.40 / Chapter 3.5.2. --- Results --- p.41 / Chapter 3.6. --- Discussion --- p.43 / Chapter 3.6.1. --- The onset as a basic planning unit --- p.43 / Chapter 3.6.2. --- The “rightward incremental“ pattern in unit association --- p.44 / Chapter 3.6.3. --- Independence between the word-length effect and the preparation effect --- p.46 / Chapter Chapter 4. --- Study 2 - The time course of onset preparation --- p.48 / Chapter 4.1. --- Aim and predictions --- p.48 / Chapter 4.2. --- Materials --- p.51 / Chapter 4.3. --- Experiment 4 - Evidence from a behavioral experiment --- p.52 / Chapter 4.3.1. --- Pilot experiment --- p.52 / Chapter 4.3.2. --- Method --- p.53 / Chapter 4.3.3. --- Results --- p.54 / Chapter 4.4. --- Experiment 5 - Evidence from an ERP experiment --- p.55 / Chapter 4.4.1. --- Method --- p.55 / Chapter 4.4.2. --- Data analyses --- p.58 / Chapter 4.4.3. --- Results --- p.59 / Chapter 4.5. --- Discussion --- p.63 / Chapter 4.5.1. --- The relationship between the behavioral and ERP indices --- p.64 / Chapter 4.5.2. --- ERP correlates of the onset-preparation effect --- p.65 / Chapter 4.5.3. --- A technique issue --- p.67 / Chapter Chapter 5. --- Study 3 - The moderation of syllable frequency on the onset-preparation effects --- p.68 / Chapter 5.1. --- Aim and predictions --- p.68 / Chapter 5.2. --- Experiment 6 --- p.69 / Chapter 5.2.1. --- Method --- p.69 / Chapter 5.2.2. --- Results --- p.71 / Chapter 5.3. --- Experiment 7 --- p.72 / Chapter 5.3.1. --- Method --- p.72 / Chapter 5.3.2. --- Results --- p.73 / Chapter 5.4. --- Discussion --- p.74 / Chapter 5.4.1. --- The “early locus“ hypothesis --- p.74 / Chapter 5.4.2. --- The reversed syllable-frequency effect --- p.75 / Chapter 5.4.3. --- Comparisons with other studies --- p.76 / Chapter Chapter 6. --- General discussion --- p.78 / Chapter 6.1. --- What is new in the present study? --- p.79 / Chapter 6.1.1. --- A sensitive paradigm --- p.79 / Chapter 6.1.2. --- A sensitive foreperiod --- p.80 / Chapter 6.1.3. --- Neural correlates of the onset-preparation effect --- p.81 / Chapter 6.1.4. --- Locus of the syllable-frequency effect --- p.82 / Chapter 6.2. --- Contributions to the three debates --- p.83 / Chapter 6.2.1. --- Syllable vs. sub-syllable units --- p.83 / Chapter 6.2.2. --- Language specific vs. language general --- p.85 / Chapter 6.2.3. --- Instantaneous vs. delayed response --- p.86 / Chapter 6.3. --- Limitations and future directions --- p.88 / Chapter 6.3.1. --- Dissociation between seriality and incrementality --- p.88 / Chapter 6.3.2. --- More time points for foreperiod length --- p.89 / Chapter 6.3.3. --- The lack of onset-preparation effects for high-frequency syllables --- p.89 / Chapter 6.3.4. --- Other moderators and cross-language studies --- p.90 / Bibliography --- p.92 / Appendices --- p.99 / Chapter Appendix A. --- Prime and target pairs for Experiment 2. --- p.99 / Chapter Appendix B. --- Methods and detailed results of pilot study for Experiment 4. --- p.100 / Chapter Appendix C. --- Response words for Experiments 6 and 7. --- p.102

No description available.

Not available / text

This study investigates the role of perceptual distinctiveness in consonant inventories. While distinctiveness appears to play a role in the shaping of vowel systems, a literature review indicates that its status in consonant selections remains unclear. To address this issue I used speech materials recorded by a trained phonetician containing 35 CV syllables with seven places of articulation (bilabial, dental, alveolar, retroflex, palatal, velar and uvular) and five vowels: [i] [[epsilon]] [a] [[backwards c]] and [u]. Detailed acoustic measurements were performed: formant patterns at vowel onsets (loci) and vowel midpoints, transitions rates and burst spectra. To validate the speech material, comparisons were made with published data and with formant frequencies derived by means of an articulatory model. Perceptual data were collected on these 35 syllables. Multiple Regression analyses were performed with the coded dissimilarities as the dependent variable and with (combinations of) formant-based distances, time constant differences and burst differences as the independent variables. The results indicated that acoustic measurements could be successfully used to help explain listener responses. Optimal place sets were obtained from a rank ordering of the CV syllables with respect to 'individual salience' (defined as the sum of a syllable's perceptual distance to other places in the same vowel context) and from a replication of the Liljencrants & Lindblom systemic criterion of maximizing distances within all vowel pairs. Instead of the typologically prevalent pattern of [b d g], predictions were found to be vowel-dependent and to often favor CV:s located at the 'corners' of the acoustic F3-F2 space, viz., uvular, palatal and retroflex. This finding leads to a conclusion that distinctiveness alone is unlikely to account for how languages use place of articulation in voiced stops. For more successful attempts, future work should be directed towards defining and incorporating production constraints such as 'ease of articulation'.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Linguistics." Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-239).

The purpose of this study was to describe the phonetic repertoire of late 8 phonemes among adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome and then determine the relationship between age and presence of the latest developing phonemes as well as their impact on intelligibility. This study also described the stimulability profile for those late 8 phonemes that were produced in error. The Arizona Articulation and Phonology Scale was administered to individuals with Down syndrome between the ages of 12 – 21;11 to obtain a phonetic profile. Among those participants included in the study, on average, 87.5% of the late 8 phonemes were present. Seven of eight participants were stimulable for all phonemes that were misarticulated. Results did not indicate a significant correlation between either age or intelligibility and the presence of late 8 phonemes.