While the linguistic concept of politeness has been thoroughly analyzed, the same does not apply to its interpreting. The present theoretical-empirical work describes the means for expressing politeness grouped by G. Leechʼs maxims of politeness. The empirical part analyzes recordings of simultaneous interpretation from media and European Parliament settings. This is a quantitative study and the outcome is the number of means for expressing politeness which the interpreters conveyed into Czech. On average and in all of the material 65,7 % of means for expressing politeness were conveyed into Czech in compliance with the maxims. The means analyzed are prosody, non-verbal communication, modality, personal reference, etc. An equivalent interpretation of means of politeness was deemed desirable. The thesis verifies the hypothesis whether the level of politeness significantly increased in comparison with the original speeches. Key words: politeness, pragmatics, illocutionary act, maxims of politeness, face, modality, prosody, non- verbal communication, Czech, English, interpreting, equivalence, US presidential debate, Obama, Romney, Common Agricultural Policy, European Parliament, Catherine Ashton, forms of address

Aquesta tesi aborda diferents aspectes relacionats amb la síntesi de la parla expressiva. Es parteix de l'experiència prèvia en sistemes de conversió de text a parla del Grup en Processament Multimodal (GPMM) d'Enginyeria i Arquitectura La Salle, amb l'objectiu de millorar la capacitat expressiva d'aquest tipus de sistemes. La parla expressiva transmet informació paralingüística com, per exemple, l'emoció del parlant, el seu estat d'ànim, una determinada intenció o aspectes relacionats amb l'entorn o amb el seu interlocutor. Els dos objectius principals de la present tesi consisteixen, d'una banda, en el desenvolupament d'un corpus oral expressiu i, d'una altra, en la proposta d'un sistema de modelatge i predicció de la prosòdia per a la seva utilització en l'àmbit de la síntesi expressiva del parla.En primer lloc, es requereix un corpus oral adequat per a la generació d'alguns dels mòduls que componen un sistema de síntesi del parla expressiva. La falta de disponibilitat d'un recurs d'aquest tipus va motivar el desenvolupament d'un nou corpus. A partir de l'estudi dels procediments d'obtenció de parla emocionada o expressiva i de l'experiència prèvia del grup, es planteja el disseny, l'enregistrament, l'etiquetatge i la validació del nou corpus. El principal objectiu consisteix a aconseguir una elevada qualitat del senyal i una cobertura fonètica suficient (segmental i prosòdica), sense renunciar a l'autenticitat des del punt de vista de l'expressivitat oral. El corpus desenvolupat té una durada de més de cinc hores i conté cinc estils expressius: neutre, alegre, sensual, agressiu i trist. En tractar-se de parla expressiva obtinguda mitjançant la lectura de textos semànticament relacionats amb els estils definits, s'ha requerit un procés de validació que garanteixi que les locucions que formen el corpus incorporin el contingut expressiu desitjat. L'avaluació exhaustiva de tots els enunciats del corpus seria excessivament costosa en un corpus de gran grandària. D'altra banda, no existeix suficient coneixement científic per a emular completament la percepció subjectiva mitjançant tècniques automàtiques que permetin una validació exhaustiva i fiable dels corpus orals. En el present treball s'ha proposat un mètode que suposa un avanç cap a una solució pràctica i eficient d'aquest problema, mitjançant la combinació d'una avaluació subjectiva amb tècniques d'identificació automàtica de l'emoció en el parla. El mètode proposat s'utilitza per a portar a terme una revisió automàtica de l'expressivitat del corpus desenvolupat. Finalment, una prova subjectiva ha permès validar el correcte funcionament d'aquest procés automàtic. En segon lloc i, sobre la base dels coneixements actuals, de l'experiència adquirida i dels reptes que es desitjaven abordar, s'ha desenvolupat un sistema d'estimació de la prosòdia basat en corpus. Tal sistema es caracteritza per modelar de forma conjunta les funcions lingüística i paralingüística de la prosòdia a partir de l'extracció automàtica d'atributs prosòdics del text, que constitueixen l'entrada d'un sistema d'aprenentatge automàtic que prediu els trets prosòdics modelats prèviament. El sistema de modelatge prosòdic presentat en aquest treball es fonamenta en el raonament basat en casos, que es tracta d'una tècnica d'aprenentatge automàtic per analogia. Per a l'ajustament d'alguns paràmetres del sistema desenvolupat i per a la seva avaluació s'han utilitzat mesures objectives de l'error i de la correlació calculades en les locucions del conjunt de prova. Atès que les mesures objectives sempre es refereixen a casos concrets, no aporten informació sobre el grau d'acceptació que tindrà la parla sintetitzada en els oïdors. Per tant, s'han portat a terme una sèrie de proves de percepció en les quals un conjunt d'avaluadors ha puntuat un grup d'estímuls en cada estil. Finalment, s'han analitzat els resultats per a cada estil i s'han comparat amb les mesures objectives obtingudes, el que ha permès extreure algunes conclusions sobre la rellevància dels trets prosòdics en la parla expressiva, així com constatar que els resultats generats pel mòdul prosòdic han tingut una bona acceptació, encara que s'han produït diferències segons l'estil. / Esta tesis aborda diferentes aspectos relacionados con la síntesis del habla expresiva. Se parte de la experiencia previa en sistemas de conversión de texto en habla del Grup en Processament Multimodal (GPMM) de Enginyeria i Arquitectura La Salle, con el objetivo de mejorar la capacidad expresiva de este tipo de sistemas. El habla expresiva transmite información paralingüística como, por ejemplo, la emoción del hablante, su estado de ánimo, una determinada intención o aspectos relacionados con el entorno o con su interlocutor. Los dos objetivos principales de la presente tesis consisten, por una parte, en el desarrollo de un corpus oral expresivo y, por otra, en la propuesta de un sistema de modelado y predicción de la prosodia para su utilización en el ámbito de la síntesis expresiva del habla. En primer lugar, se requiere un corpus oral adecuado para la generación de algunos de los módulos que componen un sistema de síntesis del habla expresiva. La falta de disponibilidad de un recurso de este tipo motivó el desarrollo de un nuevo corpus. A partir del estudio de los procedimientos de obtención de habla emocionada o expresiva y de la experiencia previa del grupo, se plantea el diseño, la grabación, el etiquetado y la validación del nuevo corpus. El principal objetivo consiste en conseguir una elevada calidad de la señal y una cobertura fonética suficiente (segmental y prosódica), sin renunciar a la autenticidad desde el punto de vista de la expresividad oral. El corpus desarrollado tiene una duración de más de cinco horas y contiene cinco estilos expresivos: neutro, alegre, sensual, agresivo y triste. Al tratarse de habla expresiva obtenida mediante la lectura de textos semánticamente relacionados con los estilos definidos, se ha requerido un proceso de validación que garantice que las locuciones que forman el corpus incorporen el contenido expresivo deseado. La evaluación exhaustiva de todos los enunciados del corpus sería excesivamente costosa en un corpus de gran tamaño. Por otro lado, no existe suficiente conocimiento científico para emular completamente la percepción subjetiva mediante técnicas automáticas que permitan una validación exhaustiva y fiable de los corpus orales. En el presente trabajo se ha propuesto un método que supone un avance hacia una solución práctica y eficiente de este problema, mediante la combinación de una evaluación subjetiva con técnicas de identificación automática de la emoción en el habla. El método propuesto se utiliza para llevar a cabo una revisión automática de la expresividad del corpus desarrollado. Finalmente, una prueba subjetiva con oyentes ha permitido validar el correcto funcionamiento de este proceso automático.En segundo lugar y, sobre la base de los conocimientos actuales, a la experiencia adquirida y a los retos que se deseaban abordar, se ha desarrollado un sistema de estimación de la prosodia basado en corpus. Tal sistema se caracteriza por modelar de forma conjunta las funciones lingüística y paralingüística de la prosodia a partir de la extracción automática de atributos prosódicos del texto, que constituyen la entrada de un sistema de aprendizaje automático que predice los rasgos prosódicos modelados previamente. El sistema de modelado prosódico presentado en este trabajo se fundamenta en el razonamiento basado en casos que se trata de una técnica de aprendizaje automático por analogía. Para el ajuste de algunos parámetros del sistema desarrollado y para su evaluación se han utilizado medidas objetivas del error y de la correlación calculadas en las locuciones del conjunto de prueba. Dado que las medidas objetivas siempre se refieren a casos concretos, no aportan información sobre el grado de aceptación que tendrá el habla sintetizada en los oyentes. Por lo tanto, se han llevado a cabo una serie de pruebas de percepción en las que un conjunto de oyentes ha puntuado un grupo de estímulos en cada estilo. Finalmente, se han analizado los resultados para cada estilo y se han comparado con las medidas objetivas obtenidas, lo que ha permitido extraer algunas conclusiones sobre la relevancia de los rasgos prosódicos en el habla expresiva, así como constatar que los resultados generados por el módulo prosódico han tenido una buena aceptación, aunque se han producido diferencias según el estilo. / This thesis deals with different aspects related to expressive speech synthesis (ESS). Based on the previous experience in text-to-speech (TTS) systems of the Grup en Processament Multimodal (GPMM) of Enginyeria i Arquitectura La Salle, its main aim is to improve the expressive capabilities of such systems. The expressive speech transmits paralinguistic information as, for example, the emotion of the speaker, his/her mood, a certain intention or aspects related to the environment or to his/her conversational partner. The present thesis tackles two main objectives: on the one hand, the development of an expressive speech corpus and, on the other, the modelling and the prediction of prosody from text for their use in the ESS framework. First, an ESS system requires a speech corpus suitable for the development and the performance of some of its modules. The unavailability of a resource of this kind motivated the development of a new corpus. Based on the study of the strategies to obtain expressive speech and the previous experience of the group, the different tasks have been defined: design, recording, segmentation, tagging and validation. The main objective is to achieve a high quality speech signal and sufficient phonetic coverage (segmental and prosodic), preserving the authenticity from the point of view of the oral expressiveness. The recorded corpus has 4638 sentences and it is 5 h 12 min long; it contains five expressive styles: neutral, happy, sensual, aggressive and sad. Expressive speech has been obtained by means of the reading of texts semantically related to the defined styles. Therefore, a validation process has been required in order to guarantee that recorded utterances incorporate the desired expressive content. A comprehensive assessment of the whole corpus would be too costly. Moreover, there is insufficient scientific knowledge to completely emulate the subjective perception through automated techniques that yield a reliable validation of speech corpora. In this thesis, we propose an approach that supposes a step towards a practical solution to this problem, by combining subjective evaluation with techniques for the automatic identification of emotion in speech. The proposed method is used to perform an automatic review of the expressiveness of the corpus developed. Finally, a subjective test has allowed listeners to validate this automatic process.Second, based on our current experience and the proposed challenges, a corpus-based system for prosody estimation has been developed. This system is characterized by modelling both the linguistic and the paralinguistic functions of prosody. A set of prosodic attributes is automatically extracted from text. This information is the input to an automatic learning system that predicts the prosodic features modelled previously by a supervised training. The root mean squared error and the correlation coefficient have been used in both the adjustment of some system parameters and the objective evaluation. However, these measures are referred to specific utterances delivered by the speaker in the recording session, and then they do not provide information about the degree of acceptance of synthesized speech in listeners. Therefore, we have conducted different perception tests in which a group of listeners has scored a set of stimuli in each expressive style. Finally, the results for each style have been analyzed and compared with the objective measures, which has allowed to draw some conclusions about the relevance of prosodic features in expressive speech, as well as to verify that the results generated by the prosodic module have had a good acceptance, although with differences as a function of the style.

This study contributes to the search for metrical order in the 90,000 extant long lines of the late fourteenth-century Middle English Alliterative Revival. Using the 'Gawain'-poet's 'Patience' and 'Cleanness', it refutes nineteenth- and twentieth-century scholars who mistook rhythmic liveliness for metrical disorganization and additionally corrects troubling missteps that scholars have taken over the last five years. 'Chapter One: Tame the "Gabble of Weaker Syllables"' rehearses the traditional, but mistaken view that long lines are barely patterned at all. It explains the widely-accepted methods for determining which syllables are metrically stressed and which are not: Give metrical stress to the syllables that in everyday Middle English were probably accented. 'Chapter Two: An Environment for Demotion in the B-Verse' introduces the relatively stringent metrical template of the b-verse as a foil for the different kind of meter at work in the a-verse. 'Chapter Three: Rhythmic Consistency in the Middle English Alliterative Long Line' examines the structure of the a-verse and considers the viability of verses with more than the normal two beats. An empirical investigation considers whether rhythmic consistency in the long line depends on three-beat a-verses. 'Chapter Four: Dynamic "Unmetre" and the Proscription against Three Sequential Iambs' posits an explanation for the unusual distributions of metrically unstressed syllables in the long line and finds that the 'Gawain'-poet's rhythms avoid the even alternation of beats and offbeats with uncanny precision. 'Chapter Five: Metrical Promotion, Linguistic Promotion, and False Extra-Long Dips' takes the rest of the dissertation as a foundation for explaining rhythmically puzzling a-verses. A-verses that seem to have excessively long sequences of offbeats and other a-verses that infringe on b-verse meter prove amenable to adjustment through metrical promotion. 'Conclusion: Metrical Regions in the Long Line' synthesizes the findings of the previous chapters in a survey of metrical tension in the long line. It additionally articulates the key theme of the dissertation: Contrary to traditional assumptions, Middle English alliterative long lines have variable, instead of consistent, numbers of beats and highly regulated, instead of liberally variable, arrangements of metrically unstressed syllables. / text

L’enjeu de cette thèse est d’étudier la chanson non dans sa dialectique parole/musique, mais par la saisie d’une troisième entité : l’interprétation vocale. Il s’agit à la fois d’en faire émerger l’importance fondamentale et la richesse et de lui conférer sa légitimité d’objet d’étude par la mise en place d’un protocole méthodologique et lexical spécifique qui en autorise l’analyse – au même titre que la composition – malgré son caractère mouvant et réputé réfractaire à la théorisation. Abordée comme objet complexe (selon la terminologie d’Edgar Morin), elle est soumise au feu croisé des disciplines (musicologie, linguistique, rhétorique, acoustique) pour pousser autant qu’il est possible son objectivation. Sous l’égide de la musicologie, l’utilisation d’outils informatiques permet d’établir une complémentarité entre les perspectives des sciences humaines et des sciences exactes, de capter et d’analyser les spécificités interprétatives, aussi bien dans leurs caractères dominants qu’agogiques, leurs rapports à la partition, leur complexité combinatoire au sein des méta-paramètres (timbre, rythme, phrasé) et les tensions dialogiques qui les parcourent (variation/répétition, mélodicité/insertion du bruit, chanté/parlé). Le large corpus de chanteurs d’expression française (du style Rive gauche à la Nouvelle chanson française) permet d’appréhender, au travers d’analyses d’enregistrements en studio ou en concert, la spécificité irréductible de chacun, émanation d’un corps unique, mais aussi de grands réseaux tendanciels de parentés stylistiques. Mise en avant par la perspective sémiologique, autour des notions de stratégie et de visées interprétatives, de rhétorique vocale, de suscitation du pathos et d’expression de l’ethos, se fait jour une typologie des styles interprétatifs, ouverte sur la prise en compte de l’originalité intrinsèque de chaque interprète et sur l’intégration des évolutions génériques ultérieures. / The present thesis focuses on the study of the song not in its word and music dialectic but through the acquisition of a third entity : the vocal rendition. The point is to reveal its critical importance and richness and make it legitimate as a subject of study as the result of the implementation of a specific methodological and lexical protocol that allows the analysis – as with the composition – although its changeable nature is not conducive to theorizing. Considered as a complex object (according to Edgar Morin’s terminology), vocal rendition is submitted to the crossfire of various disciplines (musicology, linguistics, rhetoric, acoustics) in order to favour as far as it is possible its objectivization. Within the framework of musicology, the use of computer tools makes it possible to establish a complementarity between the perspectives of social sciences and exact sciences, to catch and analyse the peculiarities of the performances both in their dominant or agogic characters, their connexions to the score, their combinatorial complexity within the meta-parameters (timbre, rhythm, phrasing), as well as the dialogical tensions which run through them (variation and repetition, melodicity and noise integration, singing and speaking parts). Thanks to the existence of a large body of French-speaking singers (from Rive Gauche style to Nouvelle chanson française) it is possible by studying studio and concert recordings to grasp the irreducible specificity of everyone (what is issued from a unique body) as well as the great underlying networks of stylistic relationships. Disclosed by the semeiological perspective, around the notions of strategy and performance designs, vocal rhetoric, the way to induce pathos and to express ethos, there emerges a typology of performing styles that is open to considering the intrinsic originality of each performer and integrating further generic developments.

Abstract The central goal of this study was to study how contrastive accent is realised phonetically in three regional varieties of Standard Spoken Finnish. Speakers from the Oulu, Turku and Tampere regions produced unaccented and contrastively accented versions of the target words. Fundamental frequencies and segment durations were measured in all the target words, and in the contrastively accented versions also the temporal distance of the F0 peak from word onset. In the unaccented words, F0 fluctuations were very small, indicating once more that in Finnish, too, mere word stress is not realised tonally. In the words with CV.CV(X) structure, the lengthening of segment durations due to stress was restricted to the initial syllable in Tampere, whereas in Oulu and Turku the lengthening extended to the second syllable. The width of the fall-rise F0 pattern realising contrastive accent was in all word structures widest in the Oulu variety, and the narrowest in the Tampere variety. In the Turku variety CV.CV(X) words, the F0 peak occurred further away from word onset than in any other words investigated. The differences in segment durations among the varieties were similar in the unaccented words and in the contrastively accented ones, with one exception: the duration of V1 in the unaccented CV.CV(X) words was the same across the varieties, but in the contrastively accented CV.CV(X) words the duration of V1 was shorter in the Turku variety than in the other varieties. The durational ratio of V1 and V2 in the Turku variety – as in the Oulu variety – was different from the durational ratio in the Tampere variety: in Turku and Oulu V2 had a longer duration than V1, whereas in Tampere V1 had a longer duration than V2. This confirms earlier observations that Turku and Oulu belong to regions in which the V2 of CV.CV(X) words is half-long (longer than V1), but Tampere does not. However, the present study shows that the relative half-long duration of the V2 of CV.CV(X) words is achieved differently in Turku and Oulu: in Turku through the short duration of V1, but in Oulu through the long duration of V2. / Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen keskeisin tavoite oli selvittää, miten kontrastiivinen aksentti toteutuu foneettisesti kolmelta eri suomen murrealueelta kotoisin olevien yleiskielisessä puheessa. Oulun, Turun ja Tampereen seuduilta kotoisin olevat koehenkilöt tuottivat tutkimuksen jokaisesta kohdesanasta sekä aksentoimattoman että kontrastiivisesti aksentoidun esiintymän. Tuotetuista kohdesanoista mitattiin perustaajuuksia, äännesegmenttien kestot sekä kontrastiivisesti aksentoituiduista sanoista F0:n huipun etäisyys sanan alusta. Aksentoimattomissa sanoissa F0:n muutokset olivat kaikissa tutkituissa suomen varieteeteissa erittäin vähäisiä, mikä taas kerran todisti, ettei suomessakaan pelkkä sanapaino toteudu tonaalisesti. Sanapainon toteutumisessa kestojen avulla oli varieteettien välisiä eroja CV.CV(X)-rakenteisissa sanoissa: Tampereen varieteetissa sanapainon toteutumisala rajoittui ensimmäiseen tavuun, mutta Turun ja Oulun varieteeteissa se ulottui myös toiseen tavuun. Kontrastiivista aksenttia toteuttavan F0:n nousu–lasku-kuvion laajuus oli kaiken rakenteisissa kohdesanoissa suurin Oulun varieteetissa, pienempi Turun varieteetissa ja kaikkein pienin Tampereen varieteetissa. Muutoin kontrastiivisen aksentin toteutumisessa F0:n avulla oli huomattavia varieteettien välisiä eroja vain CV.CV(X)-rakenteisissa sanoissa: Turun varieteetin CV.CV(X)-sanoissa F0:n huippukohta sijaitsi kauempana sanan alusta kuin kaikissa muissa tutkituissa sanoissa, eli kauempana kuin muun rakenteisissa Turun varieteetin sanoissa ja kaiken rakenteisissa Oulun ja Tampereen varieteettien sanoissa. Varieteettien väliset segmenttien kestoerot olivat samat aksentoimattomissa ja kontrastiivisesti aksentoiduissa sanoissa, lukuun ottamatta sitä, että CV.CV(X)-rakenteisten sanojen V1:n kestossa ei aksentoimattomissa sanoissa ollut varieteettien välisiä eroja, mutta kontrastiivisesti aksentoiduissa sanoissa kyseisen segmentin kesto oli lyhempi Turun varieteetissa kuin muissa varieteeteissa. Tällä tavoin Turun varieteetin kontrastiivisesti aksentoiduissa CV.CV(X)-sanoissa toteutui V1:n ja V2:n kestosuhde, joka – samoin kuin Oulun varieteetin vastaava kestosuhde – poikkeaa Tampereen varieteetin vastaavasta kestosuhteesta: Turussa ja Oulussa V2 on V1:tä pitempikestoinen, Tampereella päinvastoin V1:n kesto on V2:n kestoa suurempi. Tämä vahvistaa ne aiempien tutkimusten tulokset, että Turku ja Oulu ovat ns. puolipidennysmurteiden aluetta, mutta Tampere ei. Kuitenkin tämä tutkimus osoitti, että kontrastiivisesti aksentoitujen sanojen puolipidennys saadaan Turun varieteetissa aikaan pikemminkin lyhytkestoisen V1:n kuin pitkäkestoisen V2:n avulla, kun taas Oulun varieteetissa puolipidennys syntyy nimenomaan pitkäkestoisen V2:n avulla. Kaiken kaikkiaan suurin osa tutkimuksessa todetuista varieteettien välisistä selvistä perustaajuus- ja kestoeroista koski CV.CV(X)-rakenteisia sanoja, jotka ovatkin erikoinen suomen sanatyyppi yksimoraisen ensi tavunsa vuoksi.

A Dissertation Abstract to Phonology of Masoretic Hebrew II Accents As Prosody Jiří Hedánek řjh (2017) PMH II - Abstract Charles University, Faculty of Arts, Prague 1 Abstract The dissertation Phonology of Masoretic Hebrew: Accents as Prosody (2017) interprets Tiberian 'accents' as speech prosody marking. Traditionally, they are explained as signs for accenting, singing or syntax. But only some were placed on accents. They do not map well to music which has been shaped by local traditions more than the mark-up. Syntactic interpretation is based on dividing marks but many diverse marks link, no links lead outside of verses, some words have two different marks and simple verses often miss stronger dividers. Interpreting them as prosody explains why they gravitated to accent positions; why different musical renditions developed; why they often agree with syntax and sometimes they do not. First a general concept of prosody units is put forward. This is applied to Masoretic Hebrew and the focus turns to intonation. The previous dissertation Phonology of Masoretic Hebrew (2011) analyzed siluq, atnach, segolta, zaqeph, revia (also mugrash, and establishing garsha as a unit), geresh, gershayim, tevir, mercha (also kphula), tiphcha, tarcha and dechi. The 2017 dissertation analyzed (from printed editions, manuscripts...

Avec évidence, les sons émis par la voix parlée ou par la voix chantée montrent de nombreuses parentés, toutefois, leurs descriptions et leur analyse ne se présentent pas forcément sous la même lumière dans les textes grammaticaux et musicaux, dont la visée peut être (pour chaque type) plus ou moins théorique ou pratique.Nous avons choisi pour notre étude sur les sons en parole et en chant français, les XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles : une époque où musique et langue présentent des liens structuraux fondamentaux. Cette caractéristique permet de confronter logiquement les deux disciplines et de relier deux traditions dont le lien théorique étroit s'est largement affaibli au cours de l'histoire.Le cadre de l'histoire connectée permet ainsi sous trois approches différentes (l'acoustique, l'articulation et la prosodie) d'analyser et d'ancrer les théories du son élaborées par les grammairiens, dans le cadre culturel et épistémologique de leur époque. De plus, il rend possible des questionnements sur un facteur que les grammairiens n'abordent qu'avec difficulté (et plutôt entre les lignes) : la variabilité de la parole en raison de l'émotivité du locuteur. L'étude confirme ainsi l'efficacité des méthodes de l'histoire connectée pour un corpus interdisciplinaire incluant des questions linguistiques et, plus précisément, phonétiques. / All evidence shows that the sounds produced by the human voice, either spoken or sung, exhibit numerous relationships; nevertheless, their descriptions and analyses are not necessarily presented in the same light in texts dealing with grammar on the one hand, or music on the other, of which the scope (for both categories) can be either more or less theoretical or practical.For our study of the phonetics of French in word and song, we have chosen the 17th and 18th centuries, an era when music and language by definition present fundamental structural connections. This characteristic allows us to confront the two disciplines with each other in a logical way, and to re-connect two traditions, the close theoretical ties between which have weakened in the course of history.This system of connected histories also allows us to analyze the theories of sound as expounded by the grammarians, and then to anchor them in the cultural and epistemological framework of their epoch via three different approaches: acoustics, articulation and prosody. In addition, it allows the investigation of a factor which the authorities only touch upon with difficulty (and preferably between the lines), that of the variability of speech according to the speaker’s emotional state. The study thus confirms the efficacy of methods of connected history, through an interdisciplinary corpus which embraces questions of linguistics and, more precisely, phonetics. / Es ist offensichtlich, dass die von der gesprochenen und der gesungenen Stimme produzierten Klänge zahlreiche Gemeinsamkeiten aufweisen. Die Beschreibung dieser Laute und ihre Analyse präsentieren sich jedoch in den grammatikalischen und musikalischen Texten, deren Ausrichtung zudem jeweils eher theoretisch oder eher praktisch sein kann, oft auf sehr unterschiedliche Art.Für unsere Studie über die französischen gesprochenen und gesungenen Sprachlaute haben wir als Zeitraum das 17. und 18. Jahrhundert ausgewählt, eine Zeit, in der Musik und Sprache per Definition grundlegende strukturelle Verbindungen aufweisen. Diese Charakteristik ermöglicht es uns, die beiden Disziplinen zu konfrontieren und zwei Traditionen, deren enge theoretische Verbindung sich im Laufe der Geschichte stark abgeschwächt hat, erneut zu verbinden.Der theoretische Rahmen der „connected history“ ermöglicht es uns, die von den Grammatikern ausgearbeiteten Ideen und Theorien zu den Sprachlauten unter drei verschiedenen Ansätzen (Akustik, Artikulation und Prosodie) zu analysieren und sie im kulturellen und epistemologischen Kontext ihrer Zeit zu verankern. Er erlaubt darüber hinaus Fragestellungen nachzugehen, die von den Grammatikern nur mit Schwierigkeiten (und oft zwischen den Zeilen) angesprochen werden können: die Veränderlichkeit der Sprache und ihrer Laute aufgrund der Emotivität des Sprechers. Die Studie bestätigt damit die Effizienz der Methoden der „connected history“ für einen interdisziplinären Korpus zu linguistischen (und, genauer gesagt, phonetischen) Problemen.

Title: Suprasegmental level of language and non-verbal aspects of the contemporary teaching French as a foreign language at the czech schools Keywords: French as a foreign language (FLE), teacher-student interaction, the role of teachers, nonverbal communication, gestures, facial expressions, emotions, the European Framework of Reference for Languages, didactics of foreign languages, language level A1 Abstract: The thesis addresses the absence of suprasegmental level of language and non- verbal aspects of the contemporary teaching of French as a foreign language in the textbooks and at the Czech schools and also examines their importance. Moreover, it aims to analyze the above mentioned phenomena in the French textbook with approval clause textbooks: Amis et compagnie 1, Vite ! 1 and Le français entre nous 1 and draw attention to an insufficient integration of these occurrences in the contemporary teaching of the French language, as well as in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Furthermore, this thesis describe the actual situation and indicate the importance to systematically incorporate stated methods into French lessons, and also to indicate that incorporating suprasegmental and non-verbal methods is realistic, practical and even entertaining, as the comprehensible verbal...

This work deals with the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease by analyzing the speech signal. At the beginning of this work there is described speech signal production. The following is a description of the speech signal analysis, its preparation and subsequent feature extraction. Next there is described Parkinson's disease and change of the speech signal by this disability. The following describes the symptoms, which are used for the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (FCR, VSA, VOT, etc.). Another part of the work deals with the selection and reduction symptoms using the learning algorithms (SVM, ANN, k-NN) and their subsequent evaluation. In the last part of the thesis is described a program to count symptoms. Further is described selection and the end evaluated all the result.

Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher’s self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs ttests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants’ self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants’ aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class iv artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and…, mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student. Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.