Background: Speech production in Bantu languages places great demands on neuromotor control, because unique speech motor behaviours such as syllabic tone variation and the aspiration of speech sounds require an additional level of vocal fold control compared to speech production in Germanic languages. As these motor behaviours play an important role in differentiating the meaning of words (Van der Merwe & Le Roux, 2014a), neuromotor speech disorders such as dysarthria may have a greater impact on communication in Bantu languages than in Germanic languages. The focus of this study was on syllabic tone variation in Bantu language speakers with dysarthria compared to typical speakers. Sepedi was the Bantu language investigated. Syllabic tone variation refers to pitch level changes for every syllable of words in a tone language (Zerbian & Barnard, 2008a) and requires manipulation of vocal fold length and mass over and above the voicing or devoicing of sounds within words. These pitch changes convey the lexical and grammatical meaning of words and may differentiate between the meanings of two orthographically identical words (Zerbian & Barnard, 2008a). Studies on lexical tone variation in speakers with dysarthria to date have focused mostly on the tone languages of Asia and Scandinavia (Kadyamusuma, De Blesser, & Mayer, 2011). No studies of tone variation in Bantu language speakers with dysarthria were found. Furthermore, past research only regarded tone variation in monosyllabic words, with no reference to how tone would be affected across bisyllabic words and within each of the two syllables of these words. No inquiries were made into the tone variation ability of speakers with dysarthria when producing short utterances compared to longer utterances and mostly speakers with congenital dysarthria were used as research participants. These shortcomings needed to be addressed to gain a more holistic and accurate view of the extent to which tone variation is a challenge for Bantu language speakers with dysarthria. Aims: The first aim of the study was to determine whether a difference exists between typical Sepedi speakers and Sepedi speakers with dysarthria, in their ability to vary tone across CVCV words with a HL tone pattern. The second aim of the study was to determine whether a difference in tone variation exists between short and longer utterances in typical Sepedi speakers and Sepedi speakers with dysarthria. Method: A quasi-experimental, between-group comparison was used in the study. Speech samples were obtained from a control group of five typical Sepedi speakers and from an experimental group of four Sepedi speakers with dysarthria. These speech samples consisted of 20 consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel (CVCV) words with high-low (HL) tone variation produced in three- and also in six- /seven-syllable utterances (resulting in a total of 40 words). The speech samples were analysed acoustically using Praat software. To achieve the first aim, the following acoustic measures were obtained from the 40 words produced by participants: (1) Mean fundamental frequency (F0) of syllable 1 (S1) and syllable 2 (S2), (2) Change in F0 across words from the highest F0 point of S1 to the lowest F0 point of S2, (3) Intrasyllabic change in F0 within S1 and S2. To achieve the second aim of the study, the change in F0 across words in short utterances was compared to the change in F0 across words in longer utterances for the typical speakers and speakers with dysarthria. Results: Wilcoxon rank tests were used for statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics were performed and median values were used to achieve research aims. All of the control participants and participants with dysarthria produced S1 with a higher mean F0 than S2, as was appropriate for the HL tone pattern ascribed to the target words. For most of the individuals from both groups, the mean F0 of S1 was significantly higher than the mean F0 of S2. However, one participant from each group produced an insignificant difference between the mean F0 values of the two syllables. The control group produced slightly greater median F0 changes across the words and within S1 than the dysarthria group, but the differences between the speaker groups for the change in F0 across words and the change in F0 within S1 were insignificant. In contrast to this, the control group produced a significantly smaller median change in F0 within S2 than the dysarthria group. Individual speakers from both groups produced unique patterns of F0 changes for all aspects of tone variation (change in F0 across words and changes in F0 within S1 and S2). Both speaker groups produced a significantly greater median change in F0 across words in short utterances compared to long utterances. The difference in the change in F0 across words between short and long utterances was significantly greater for the control group than for the dysarthria group. Conclusions: The speakers with dysarthria in the study maintained the ability to vary tone across bisyllabic words with an HL tone pattern. The dysarthria group only differed significantly from the control group with regard to the extent of tone reduction in the second syllable. This finding may point to possible difficulties in the required graded relaxation of the vocal folds. Individual differences in F0 changes were found for both typical speakers and speakers with dysarthria, indicating that unique tone variation patterns may normally exist for all speakers. For both control and dysarthria groups, greater tone variation was observed in short compared to longer utterances. The role of increased utterance length in decreased F0 variation was greater for the typical speakers than for the individuals with dysarthria. / Dissertation (M Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / M Communication Pathology / Unrestricted

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Cette étude comparative des langues de l’entre Congo-Ubangi entreprend la documentation, la classification et la reconstruction de dix langues bantoues (bolondó, bonyange, ebudzá, ebwela, libóbi, lingɔmbɛ, mondóngó, monyɔ́ngɔ, mosángé, págáɓéte) parlées dans l’aire géographique comprise entre les fleuves Congo et Ubangi dans le nord-ouest de la RD Congo et présente leur interaction avec les langues oubanguiennes voisines (gbánzírí, gɔ́bú, máɓó, mbānzā, monzɔmbɔ, ngbandi, ngbaka). <p>Une étude lexicostatistique quantitative détermine le degré de similarité entre les langues bantoues à l’étude avant d’établir classification phylogénétique intégrant ces langues dans un groupe plus large totalisant 401 langues bantoues illustrée par des arbres Neighbor-Net et des Neighbor-Joining. <p>La description phonologique signale la présence de certains phonèmes étrangers au système proto-bantou (implosives et labiovélaires) fonctionnant non comme des allophones mais des phonèmes distincts de leurs correspondants explosifs et vélaires dans plusieurs langues. Ainsi l’examen de ces éléments ou des traits linguistiques particuliers indique qu’ils seraient des emprunts aux langues oubanguiennes voisines.<p>Somme toute, Il apparaît que les particularités linguistiques actuelles au niveau segmental, suprasegmental (que nous n’avons pas abordé) et structural des langues bantoues de l’entre Congo-Ubangi seraient liées, en partie, au contact autant dans le passé qu’au présent avec les locuteurs des langues non bantoues, notamment oubanguiennes.<p>Les emprunts lexicaux, par exemple, révèlent à la fois des emprunts de bantu vers les langues oubanguiennes et des langues oubanguiennes vers le bantu. <p>Néanmoins, les preuves historiques et archéologiques sur la date et la nature de ces relations de contact est assez faible et nécessite des études interdisciplinaires dans le futur.<p> / Doctorat en Langues et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Este trabalho propõe uma análise preliminar de aspectos da fonologia e da morfologia da língua lembaama2, que pertence ao subgrupo banto, B.62 (Guthrie, 1971), do grupo Benuê- Congo, phylum Niger-Congo. Como esta língua não apresenta ainda nenhum estudo deste gênero, espera-se que esta primeira análise possibilite estudos posteriores mais aprofundados neste e em outros campos lingüísticos. A análise fonológica revelou de um lado, a existência de consoantes palatalizadas, labializadas, pré-nasalizadas, e pré-nasalizadas-palatalizadas, de outro, mostrou a existência de vogais longas. A análise de processos fonológicos demonstrou que a nasalidade é uma propriedade das consoantes que se transmite às vogais adjacentes aos segmentos nasais. Quanto à análise nominal, ela definiu a composição dos nomes da seguinte maneira: Prefixo Nominal (PN) + raiz, e os classificou em 12 classes. Foram também identificados em lembaama fenômenos fonológicos como a semivocalização, o alongamento vocálico, o apagamento vocálico, a variação livre e a palatalização que servem para evitar a ditongação e manter a estrutura CV desta língua. A análise dos tons evidenciou dois tons pontuais: um alto [´] e um baixo [`] e uma regra de apagamento do primeiro tom quando dois tons se encontram. / This work proposes a preliminary analysis of the phonological and morphological aspects of the lembaama language (B62) according to Guthrie (1971). This language is officially called obamba in Gabon. Lembaama is a Bantu language, from the Benue-Congo group and Niger-Congo phylum. As far as we know this language has not received any detailled study yet. Lembaama shows some interesting features. Endeed, the phonological analysis shows the existence of palatalized, labialized, and prenasalized consonants and of long vowels in the phonemic inventory. The analysis of phonological processes shows that nasality is a property of nasal or of prenasalized consonants which is transmitted to adjacent vowels.

Este trabalho propõe uma análise preliminar de aspectos da fonologia e da morfologia da língua lembaama2, que pertence ao subgrupo banto, B.62 (Guthrie, 1971), do grupo Benuê- Congo, phylum Niger-Congo. Como esta língua não apresenta ainda nenhum estudo deste gênero, espera-se que esta primeira análise possibilite estudos posteriores mais aprofundados neste e em outros campos lingüísticos. A análise fonológica revelou de um lado, a existência de consoantes palatalizadas, labializadas, pré-nasalizadas, e pré-nasalizadas-palatalizadas, de outro, mostrou a existência de vogais longas. A análise de processos fonológicos demonstrou que a nasalidade é uma propriedade das consoantes que se transmite às vogais adjacentes aos segmentos nasais. Quanto à análise nominal, ela definiu a composição dos nomes da seguinte maneira: Prefixo Nominal (PN) + raiz, e os classificou em 12 classes. Foram também identificados em lembaama fenômenos fonológicos como a semivocalização, o alongamento vocálico, o apagamento vocálico, a variação livre e a palatalização que servem para evitar a ditongação e manter a estrutura CV desta língua. A análise dos tons evidenciou dois tons pontuais: um alto [´] e um baixo [`] e uma regra de apagamento do primeiro tom quando dois tons se encontram. / This work proposes a preliminary analysis of the phonological and morphological aspects of the lembaama language (B62) according to Guthrie (1971). This language is officially called obamba in Gabon. Lembaama is a Bantu language, from the Benue-Congo group and Niger-Congo phylum. As far as we know this language has not received any detailled study yet. Lembaama shows some interesting features. Endeed, the phonological analysis shows the existence of palatalized, labialized, and prenasalized consonants and of long vowels in the phonemic inventory. The analysis of phonological processes shows that nasality is a property of nasal or of prenasalized consonants which is transmitted to adjacent vowels.

"A syntactic Analysis of Kinyarwanda applicatives" is a study of the syntax of Kinyarwanda which focuses on applicatives. Applicatives are constructions in which the object of a preposition becomes the direct object of the verb through a grammatical function changing process. In such constructions, the verb bears a morpheme referred to as the applicative morpheme which turns an intransitive verb into a transitive verb and a transitive verb into a ditransitive verb. The derived object may perform various thematic functions, including those of instrument, beneficiary, goal, manner, reason, purpose and motive. The study provides a thorough description of different types of ditransitive applicatives in Kinyarwanda by examining the syntactic properties exhibited by both objects. In general Kinyarwanda may be classified as a 'symmetrical' language in which more than one object can exhibit direct object properties. This is true for instrumental, benefactive and manner applicatives. However, some applicatives in Kinyarwanda such as the locative applicatives are 'asymmetrical' in that only one object exhibits all the direct object properties. In my research I analyse Kinyarwanda applicatives within the framework of Principles-and-Parameters (Chomsky 1981, 1986a, b and subsequent work), more specifically the Government and Binding theory (Chomsky 1981). I base the discussion on three analyses that have been proposed in the literature of applicatives: Baker's (1988) preposition incorporation theory, Larson's (1988) double object construction analysis and Nakamura's (1997) account of object extraction in applicative constructions, which is based on Chomsky's (1995) Minimalist Program. The study shows that the above analyses account for some aspects of applicatives, but that there are certain facts that are not accounted for, which require a different analysis. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2007. / Title from title page screen, viewed on February 13, 2008. Dissertation Committee: Bruce Hawkins, Susan Kalter (co-chairs), Kristin Dykstra. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-275) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1985. / "April 1986." Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-100).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1985. / "April 1986." Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-100).