The study focuses on three research questions. The first question addresses whether it is possible to improve phonetic perception in English as an L2 for Chinese primary school children speaking Mandarin as an L1, through the didactic methods High Variability Phonetic Training and Onset Rhyme Detection Test. The second question addresses if it is possible to improve phonetic perception over a short period of time, using didactic methods focused on improving phonetic perception during two sessions for each method. The third and last question addresses, if it is one of the two didactic methods, High Variability Phonetic Training and Onset Rhyme Detection Test, is better than the other in a short-term learning situation. Forty-five students participated in the study, divided into three groups; one was a control group. Two groups received treatment, one with the Onset Rhyme Detection Test and the other High Variability Phonetic Training method. All groups conducted a pretest and posttest. The results revealed that the two methods used had some positive effect on the development of phonetic perception for Chinese primary school children. Through didactic methods, it is possible to improve phonetic perception to some extent, even during a short period of time.

This dissertation suggests a new approach to reading instruction and phonetic control in materials development. The central feature of this approach is its reliance on phoneme-grapheme correspondence data. Specifically, the products of this dissertation were (1) the development of relative frequency tables depicting the various phonemes produced by a given grapheme structure, (2) the development of five different levels of phonetic sophistication, (3) the classification of 974 words as regular or irregular in accordance with each level of sophistication, and (4) the phonetic rewriting of three existing short stories to make them phonetically regular. One of the phonetically rewritten stories was given to an existing group of sixth grade students along with its original form. The students performed with superior reading speed and equal comprehension on the phonetically rewritten story. This difference was significant at the .01 level.

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This document explains the use of different metrics involved with record linkage. There are two forms of record linkage: deterministic and probabilistic. We will focus on probabilistic record linkage used in merging and updating two databases. Record pairs will be compared using character-based and phonetic-based similarity metrics to determine at what level they match. Performance measures are then calculated and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves are formed. Finally, an economic model is applied that returns the optimal tolerance level two databases should use to determine a record pair match in order to maximize profit.

Sound reduction and deletion have been studied across many languages for some time. Usage-based approaches suggest that the more often a word is used, the more likely it is that some of the sounds are reduced. Phonetic environment, stress, and speech rate have all been studied as reasons for sound reduction or deletion. Most recently, frequency in reducing context (FRC) has been included when studying sound reduction and deletion. FRC in this thesis measures the portion of word tokens of a given word type that are followed by a reducing context. This thesis focuses on word-final /t/ reduction and deletion in German. Audio and transcriptions of six native German speakers were time aligned with the Montreal Forced Aligner for the analysis. Word frequency, phonetic environment, stress, and FRC were analyzed as factors that condition reduction and deletion. A linear mixed-effects regression model with the dependent variable of word-final /t/ duration found significance between a shorter /t/ duration and (1) a shorter duration of the preceding sound and (2) a consonant preceding the reduced /t/. A logistic mixed-effects regression model with the dependent variable of word-final /t/ deletion found significance between deletion and (1) a consonant preceding the deleted /t/ and (2) word frequency. Though FRC was not found to be significant in this study, perhaps measuring FRC with a different reducing context would be significant in a future study.

Данное диссертационное исследование посвящено формированию фонетических навыков у китайских студентов, начинающих изучать русский язык. Работы выполнена в русле актуальных проблем в области методики обучения русскому языку как иностранному (РКИ). В рамках работы был выполнен сравнительно-сопоставительный анализ фонетических систем русского и китайского языков и выявлены основные сходства и различия, а также были определены наиболее сложные звуки русского языка для китайских учащихся. На основании исследований методистов, были рассмотрены наиболее распространенные ошибки носителей китайского языка и выявлены причины их возникновения. Структура работы состоит из двух глав: теоретической и практической. В теоретической части рассматриваются специфические черты фонетических систем русского и китайского языков, артикуляционные базы обоих языков, различия в области вокализма и консонантизма. В результате практической работы с китайскими студентами в УрФУ были определены фонетические звуки и процессы, нуждающиеся в коррекции и закреплении. На основании теоретической главы в практической части настоящего исследования разработан модуль «Фонетика русского языка для китайских студентов начального уровня», что обуславливает обозначенную цель исследования. This dissertation research is devoted to the formation of phonetic skills in Chinese students who begin to learn Russian. / The work is carried out in line with the current problems in the field of methods of teaching Russian as a foreign language (RCT). In the framework of the work was done comparative analysis of the phonetic systems of Russian and Chinese languages and identified key similarities and differences, and identified the most difficult sounds of the Russian language for Chinese students. Based on the research of methodologists, the most common mistakes of Chinese speakers were considered and the causes of their occurrence were identified. The structure of the work consists of two chapters: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part considers the specific features of the phonetic systems of the Russian and Chinese languages, articulation bases of both languages, the differences in the field of vocalism and consonantism. As a result of practical work with Chinese students in Urfu phonetic sounds and processes in need of correction and consolidation were identified. On the basis of the theoretical Chapter in the practical part of this study, the module "Phonetics of the Russian language for Chinese students of primary level" was developed, which determines the designated purpose of the study.

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