abstract: This study analyzes the Spanish of native speakers from Northern Mexico in order to ascertain the presence of the voiced labiodental fricative segment [v] when the sound is orthographically represented with the letter `v'. The study examines some of the internal and external factors that predict the labiodental fricative pronunciation of the letter `v'. This study is based on the theoretical framework of phonology as described by Piñeros (2009) and Hualde (2005). The study examined all instances in the data when a sound is written with the letter `v' to investigate if the sound is pronounced as the faithful voiced plosive bilabial allophone [b] of the phoneme /b/, the spirantized allophone [β], or the voiced labiodental fricative allophone [v]. Four speakers, a male and a female with an incomplete secondary education, and a male and a female with a graduate level education participated in the study. All participants were interviewed for one hour, read a word list, and read a paragraph provided by the researcher. The researcher coded the data using the phonetic analysis software Praat and all data were statistically analyzed using the multivariate software analysis program Goldvarb X in order to investigate the presence of the voiced labiodental fricative allophone [v] and predict what internal and external factors most influence its production. From this study it is obvious that the most influential factor favoring the realization of the labiodental fricative allophone [v] is orthography. When the phonetic segment was represented with the grapheme , the phonetic realization was more likely to be the labiodental fricative [v]. The level of education of the speaker and the formality of the stylistic setting were also determined to be influential factors. Speakers with a higher degree of education and stylistic settings with a higher degree of formality favored the realization of the labiodental fricative [v]. With regards to the internal factors, rather than external factors, a preceding phonological segment of a vowel or fricative dental [s] also favored the realization of the labiodental fricative [v]. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Spanish 2012

<p>Lip force has been found to affect the ability to achieve satisfying speech production and swallowing. A normative value for lip force in adults has been measured to 15 Newton (N). Corresponding value for children measured with Lip Force Meter 100 (LF100) does not exist. In the current study lip force was measured in children between the ages of five and ten years. The aim of the study was to obtain normative values for children with typical development in separate age groups. Production of syllable with initial bilabial plosive was further calculated to see if any correlation between lip force and syllable production existed. An examination of learning effect in repeated measures was also executed. The age group 5:0-5:11 only included four participants. This age group was therefore not included in the statistical measurements.</p><p>The common mean for lip force in all children was 14.98 N. The mean for each age group was 12.75 N for 5:0-5:11 year olds, 14.69 N for 6:0-6:11, 16.93 N for 7:0-7:11, 14.97 N for 8:0-8:11 and 14.14 N for the age group 9:0-9:11 years. In the current study no significant differences in lip force was found between age groups.</p><p>The common mean for syllable production in all children was 5.50 syllables/second. A significant difference between the ages six and seven year olds as well as six and nine year olds was found, where the older age groups showed higher values. No significant correlation was found between lip force and syllable production.</p><p>Analysis of the learning effect over three lip force measurements showed tendencies for increased lip force at the last measure. The difference was not significant. In the present study no statistical measurements for gender differences were executed for each separate age group due to small numbers. Measurements in age group 6:0-9:11 showed tendencies for higher values of both lip force and syllable production for girls. These differences were not significant.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Lip force has been found to affect the ability to achieve satisfying speech production and swallowing. A normative value for lip force in adults has been measured to 15 Newton (N). Corresponding value for children measured with Lip Force Meter 100 (LF100) does not exist. In the current study lip force was measured in children between the ages of five and ten years. The aim of the study was to obtain normative values for children with typical development in separate age groups. Production of syllable with initial bilabial plosive was further calculated to see if any correlation between lip force and syllable production existed. An examination of learning effect in repeated measures was also executed. The age group 5:0-5:11 only included four participants. This age group was therefore not included in the statistical measurements. The common mean for lip force in all children was 14.98 N. The mean for each age group was 12.75 N for 5:0-5:11 year olds, 14.69 N for 6:0-6:11, 16.93 N for 7:0-7:11, 14.97 N for 8:0-8:11 and 14.14 N for the age group 9:0-9:11 years. In the current study no significant differences in lip force was found between age groups. The common mean for syllable production in all children was 5.50 syllables/second. A significant difference between the ages six and seven year olds as well as six and nine year olds was found, where the older age groups showed higher values. No significant correlation was found between lip force and syllable production. Analysis of the learning effect over three lip force measurements showed tendencies for increased lip force at the last measure. The difference was not significant. In the present study no statistical measurements for gender differences were executed for each separate age group due to small numbers. Measurements in age group 6:0-9:11 showed tendencies for higher values of both lip force and syllable production for girls. These differences were not significant.

MA / Department of Communication and Applied Language Studies / Orthographic symbols of languages represent specific speech sounds with their specific phonetic qualities. This research aimed at analysing orthographic representations of murmured speech sounds in the Xitsonga orthography. The qualitative approach was employed to examine the production of murmured speech sounds and their orthographic representations in Xitsonga. The analysis was based on data collected from interviews with speakers of the Xitsonga language, Xitsonga educators and lecturers who are themselves Xitsonga-speaking, Xitsonga authors and Xitsonga subject specialists, and also from existing literature by Xitsonga authors and language scholars. The study made recommendations that will help the development and revitalisation of the Xitsonga language and also benefit the speakers of the language as well as scholars and linguists.

No description available.

O fenômeno linguístico em questão é a variação das consoantes plosivas bilabiais: o desvozeamento das plosivas vozeadas (trabalho~trapalho) e o vozeamento das plosivas desvozeadas (pudim~budim) em português, na fala de bilíngues português-alemão. A comunidade de fala sob investigação é Glória, localizado na zona rural de Estrela, uma cidade fundada por imigrantes alemães no século XIX, no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas forneceram dados para a investigação. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente com os programas computacionais do pacote VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, a fim de verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam a realização das plosivas. A frequência total de aplicação de regra é baixa. O controle da variável idade sugere que o processo tende a desaparecer nos próximos anos. O processo é condicionado por informantes velhos, mulheres, bilíngues que realizam práticas sociais quase exclusivamente em Glória. A análise da rede social pessoal dos informantes mostrou que ela é densa e multiplexa. Apesar de sua densidade e multiplexidade, os informantes centrais na rede, idosos, não difundem a regra variável a seus contatos, jovens que trabalham e estudam em áreas urbanas, onde a aplicação da regra variável de plosivas é raro. / The linguistic phenomenon in question is the variation of the bilabial plosive consonants: the devoicing of the voiced plosives (trabalho~trapalho) and the voicing of the voiceless plosives (pudim~budim) in Portuguese, in the speech of Portuguese-German bilinguals. The speech community under investigation is Glória, located in the countryside of Estrela, a city founded by German immigrants in the XIX century in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Twenty four sociolinguistic interviews provided data for the investigation. The data were quantitatively analyzed with the computational programs of the VARBRUL package, in their GoldVarb X version, in order to verify the linguistic and extralinguistic factors which constrain the realization of the plosives. The total frequency of rule application is low. The control of variable Age suggests that the process tends to disappear in the years coming. The process is conditioned by old informants, women, bilinguals which perform social practices almost exclusively in Glória. The analysis of the personal social network of the informants showed that it is dense and multiplex. Despite of its density and multiplexity, old informants do not diffuse the variable rule to their contacts in the net, the young informants who work and study in urban areas where the application of the variable rule of plosives is rare.

O fenômeno linguístico em questão é a variação das consoantes plosivas bilabiais: o desvozeamento das plosivas vozeadas (trabalho~trapalho) e o vozeamento das plosivas desvozeadas (pudim~budim) em português, na fala de bilíngues português-alemão. A comunidade de fala sob investigação é Glória, localizado na zona rural de Estrela, uma cidade fundada por imigrantes alemães no século XIX, no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas forneceram dados para a investigação. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente com os programas computacionais do pacote VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, a fim de verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam a realização das plosivas. A frequência total de aplicação de regra é baixa. O controle da variável idade sugere que o processo tende a desaparecer nos próximos anos. O processo é condicionado por informantes velhos, mulheres, bilíngues que realizam práticas sociais quase exclusivamente em Glória. A análise da rede social pessoal dos informantes mostrou que ela é densa e multiplexa. Apesar de sua densidade e multiplexidade, os informantes centrais na rede, idosos, não difundem a regra variável a seus contatos, jovens que trabalham e estudam em áreas urbanas, onde a aplicação da regra variável de plosivas é raro. / The linguistic phenomenon in question is the variation of the bilabial plosive consonants: the devoicing of the voiced plosives (trabalho~trapalho) and the voicing of the voiceless plosives (pudim~budim) in Portuguese, in the speech of Portuguese-German bilinguals. The speech community under investigation is Glória, located in the countryside of Estrela, a city founded by German immigrants in the XIX century in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Twenty four sociolinguistic interviews provided data for the investigation. The data were quantitatively analyzed with the computational programs of the VARBRUL package, in their GoldVarb X version, in order to verify the linguistic and extralinguistic factors which constrain the realization of the plosives. The total frequency of rule application is low. The control of variable Age suggests that the process tends to disappear in the years coming. The process is conditioned by old informants, women, bilinguals which perform social practices almost exclusively in Glória. The analysis of the personal social network of the informants showed that it is dense and multiplex. Despite of its density and multiplexity, old informants do not diffuse the variable rule to their contacts in the net, the young informants who work and study in urban areas where the application of the variable rule of plosives is rare.

O fenômeno linguístico em questão é a variação das consoantes plosivas bilabiais: o desvozeamento das plosivas vozeadas (trabalho~trapalho) e o vozeamento das plosivas desvozeadas (pudim~budim) em português, na fala de bilíngues português-alemão. A comunidade de fala sob investigação é Glória, localizado na zona rural de Estrela, uma cidade fundada por imigrantes alemães no século XIX, no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Vinte e quatro entrevistas sociolinguísticas forneceram dados para a investigação. Os dados foram analisados quantitativamente com os programas computacionais do pacote VARBRUL, versão GoldVarb X, a fim de verificar os fatores linguísticos e extralinguísticos que condicionam a realização das plosivas. A frequência total de aplicação de regra é baixa. O controle da variável idade sugere que o processo tende a desaparecer nos próximos anos. O processo é condicionado por informantes velhos, mulheres, bilíngues que realizam práticas sociais quase exclusivamente em Glória. A análise da rede social pessoal dos informantes mostrou que ela é densa e multiplexa. Apesar de sua densidade e multiplexidade, os informantes centrais na rede, idosos, não difundem a regra variável a seus contatos, jovens que trabalham e estudam em áreas urbanas, onde a aplicação da regra variável de plosivas é raro. / The linguistic phenomenon in question is the variation of the bilabial plosive consonants: the devoicing of the voiced plosives (trabalho~trapalho) and the voicing of the voiceless plosives (pudim~budim) in Portuguese, in the speech of Portuguese-German bilinguals. The speech community under investigation is Glória, located in the countryside of Estrela, a city founded by German immigrants in the XIX century in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Twenty four sociolinguistic interviews provided data for the investigation. The data were quantitatively analyzed with the computational programs of the VARBRUL package, in their GoldVarb X version, in order to verify the linguistic and extralinguistic factors which constrain the realization of the plosives. The total frequency of rule application is low. The control of variable Age suggests that the process tends to disappear in the years coming. The process is conditioned by old informants, women, bilinguals which perform social practices almost exclusively in Glória. The analysis of the personal social network of the informants showed that it is dense and multiplex. Despite of its density and multiplexity, old informants do not diffuse the variable rule to their contacts in the net, the young informants who work and study in urban areas where the application of the variable rule of plosives is rare.