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Thesis (M.Sc. (Computer Science)) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / Pronunciation dictionaries or lexicons play an important role in guiding the predictive powers of an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system. As the use of automatic speech recognition systems increases, there is a need for the development of dictionaries that cover a large number of inflected word forms to enhance the performance of ASR systems. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of the morphological approach to creating a more comprehensive and broadly representative Northern Sotho pronunciation dictionary for Automatic Speech Recognition systems. The Northern Sotho verbs together with morphological rules are used to generate more valid inflected word forms in the Northern Sotho language for the creation of a pronunciation dictionary. The pronunciation dictionary is developed using the Dictionary Maker tool. The Hidden Markov Model Toolkit is used to develop a simple ASR system in order to evaluate the performance of the ASR system when using the created pronunciation dictionary.

This research investigated how the characteristics of two Computer Assisted Langauge Learning (CALL) programs assisted Taiwanese students learning English pronunciation, how the different types of feedback in the program helped them to learn English pronunciation effectively, and how teachers may effectively integrate such computer software into their teaching. The purpose of the study was to define directions for pedagogy and research in CALL in Taiwan, drawing on the perceptions of Taiwanese college students and their teacher in regard to the effectiveness of the selected programs and their feedback functions. This research sought to explore ways to develop and improve English pronunciation learning in Taiwan by using another tool in addition to teacher-directed learning. It is anticipated that the research will provide Taiwanese language teachers with information about how to supplement their teacher directed language teaching, and about what learning tools are effective for this. In all, one teacher/researcher and 153 college students across four classes took part in this research project, and the setting was in an Institute of Technology in Taiwan. The students all used the two computer software programs separately in a computer laboratory for several weeks, and their perspectives about the effectiveness of the programs and the feedback they gave were gathered. The research methodology was action research, and it used an open-ended questionnaire and participant observation for collecting data, as well as content analysis for the interpretation of the data. In addition, the students wrote learning sheets which aimed to focus their learning. The results showed that the students preferred the program with explicit correction feedback, and with repetition and other specific functions, as well as the facility for selfpaced and self-directed learning. The key finding of the study was that in Taiwan, when used alongside the traditional classroom teaching, CALL is a tool which has the potential to address some of the issues English pronunciation teachers face, such as low student motivation and low English pronunciation proficiency. A number of recommendations are made for the effective use of CALL. Students gave several detailed suggestions in regard to the computer software functions which could help them to learn more effectively, and the teacher also addressed some issues which need to be considered when using CALL computer software to assist students’ learning.

Pronunciation is an important component of English teaching, particularly in a non-English speaking country like China, where students' exposure to the target language may be only listening to tapes or to the teacher in class, or occasionally watching a film in English, if these audio-visual facilities are available. However, the majority of teachers do not pay enough attention to pronunciation because it always competes for class times with other aspects of language teaching. Moreover, it is not usually tested. As a result, after several years of studying English, some students still cannot speak or read aloud with any degree of accuracy or fluency. Therefore it is essential that in China, the teacher's professional inventory should include acquaintance with basic articulatory phonetics and the phonological system of English, because the teacher is inevitably a pronunciation model for the student. Furthermore, the correction of students' aberrant pronunciation is a continuing task throughout years of teaching at different levels, and one which requires patience and alertness as well as effective techniques. With the rapid development of education in China, the problem of effective teaching of pronunciation has become more prominent. According to the government's plan, the number of students planned to be enrolled in tertiary institutions alone will increase by 42.2 per cent from 1981 to 1985. Foreign language teaching, in theory, starts from the third year of primary school and continues right through the second year of college. The training of teachers at these levels, especially at the primary and secondary levels, is a serious problem. Pronunciation is an inescapable part of language teaching. The questions raised in this paper and the suggestions made may, in part, assist with the training of the large numbers of effective speakers of foreign languages that China needs.

<p><p><p>This study aimed to identify some of the strategies students used when pronouncing unfamiliar words. Questionnaires were handed out to 94 students in the 9th grade in a medium-sized Swedish town. In addition, two teachers and 13 students were interviewed. The results indicate that the students had acquired some basic knowledge about the English sound system from phonetic training in their past education. However, there seemed to be a tendency among the students to use the trial-and-error strategy to a larger extent than using tools such as phonetic transcription in order to figure out the pronunciation of a word. The results also show that the teachers did not teach planned lessons on pronunciation, but instead it was more common that they responded to errors made by students. In conclusion, the results show that the students' knowledge in pronunciation in general was limited. In addition, there seemed to be a connection between the way the students and the teachers approached pronunciation and the student's ability to solve pronunciation issues.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></p></p>

This study investigated the effectiveness of two methods of accent modification instruction. Thirty nonnative English speakers received an intonational-based instruction method for the pronunciation of American English. Half of those speakers received additional instruction and activities that were based on theories of cognitive processing of language. Three expert listeners evaluated pre- and post-instruction recordings of each speaker. Listeners were asked to rate the use of speech characteristics determined to be instrumental for intelligible speech on a 5-point Likert scale and three yes/no responses. As a whole, the intonational-based instruction method resulted in significant increases in the use of positive speech characteristics. A modification of that method did not result in significant differences in any of the speech characteristics. Findings of this study support the focus on suprasegmentals in pronunciation training of English as a second language and may lead to more diverse methods and designs for accent modification research. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Health Professions, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders / "December 2005." / Includes bibliographic references (81-95)

Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka hur det särskilda läs-, uttals- och skrivstöd fungerar som elever får i en särskild studioverksamhet på en sfi-skola och vad jag som sfilärare kan tänka på för att stödja eleverna så att de når målen. I samband med detta har jag även studerat och jämfört de fyra elevernas texter i tal och skrift samt deras tankar kring att ha "en bra svenska", självförtroende och om acceptans i det svenska samhället. Studien som är en utvärdering av en särskild stödundervisning för elever på en sfi-skola i Sverige visar med hjälp av tester och intervjuer att verksamheten är ett värdefullt komplement till den ordinarie verksamheten. De fyra intervjuade eleverna menar att man lär sig snabbare i "studion"och får mer individuell tid än i den ordinarie undervisningen. Några fonemtest visar att de fyra eleverna nästan halverat sina fel vid det andra testet, medan fyra andra elever, som aldrig har fått särskilt stöd, endast gör en minskning med nio av totalt 90 fel. Eleverna, som har fått stöd, börjar lära sig de svenska språkljuden i tal och skrift men de gör fortfarande många fel. För de fyra eleverna är det viktigt att lära sig att kommunicera som för dem innebär att kunna prata och göra sig förstådda på svenska. "En bra svenska" menar eleverna betyder att ha ett bra svenskt uttal. Endast den kvinnliga eleven har känt sig diskriminerad eller blivit missförstådd p.g.a. sitt svenska uttal. Enligt resultaten, kan jag och mina kollegor i studion stödja eleverna så att de snabbare lär sig de svenska språkljuden och kan göra sig förstådda i det svenska samhället. / The aim with this study was to examine how the specified reading, pronunciation and writing support functions for students in a special studio at an SFI-school and what I, as an SFIteacher, can do to support students to reach their aims. In connection with this I have also studied and compared the four students' texts in speech and writing as well as their thoughts on having "Good Swedish", confidence and acceptance in the Swedish society. The study which is an evaluation of a special remedial teaching for students at a SFI-school in Sweden shows through tests and interviews that the business is a valuable addition to the regular education. The four students think that they learn faster and get more individual teaching in the "studio" than in their class. Some phoneme tests show that the four students nearly eliminate their errors at the second test, while four other students, who never have had special remedial support, only reduce their errors by nine pieces out of 90. The students who have had remedial support begin to learn Swedish phonemes, speech sounds and spelling, but they still make many errors. For all students it is important to learn to communicate, which means to speak and to be understood in Swedish. "Good Swedish" for the students means to have a good Swedish pronunciation. Only the female student has felt discriminated or misunderstood because of her Swedish pronunciation. According to the results, me and my colleagues in the studio can support the students so that they learn the Swedish language sounds quickly and make themselves understood in Swedish society.

English pronunciation instruction is not a common component of most language classrooms, with the large majority of ESL/EFL teachers lacking the knowledge and expertise to successfully reduce their students’ segmental and suprasegmental pronunciation errors. Therefore, this report aims to provide English teachers with the necessary instructional goals, priorities, and suggestions to guide students in their pronunciation improvement, both during a course and beyond. The first chapter reviews the pronunciation education strategies of the past, and proceeds to offer contemporary approaches for English instructors and learners focusing on autonomous student strategy use. Secondly, the pedagogical priorities for pronunciation improvement in the short and long-term, for both segmental and suprasegmental features, are identified. The third chapter offers suggestions for teachers on how to use these goals and priorities within a course, as well as discussing classroom environments conducive for pronunciation improvement. This report makes a case for the importance of student empowerment through the utilization of autonomous learning strategies, allowing students to take control over their individual language acquisition process. / text

In an increasingly global world, there is a growing demand for pronunciation instruction. A focus on intelligibility as the goal in pronunciation instruction has risen to the forefront of the literature. Suprasegmentals are a practical goal for instruction since they have been shown to have a greater impact on overall intelligibility, but many language curricula do not allocate time or resources to pronunciation instruction at all, making it difficult for teachers to incorporate much needed suprasegmental learning in language classrooms. This Report suggests a practical way to incorporate suprasegmental learning in a mixed language background classroom: a project that incorporates a Web 2.0 tool, VoiceThread, and Covert Rehearsal Model strategy use. / text

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