• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.109-118
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• 2010

Using a speeded classification task (Garner, 1978), we investigated the perceptual interaction of distinctive features in Korean consonants. The main questions of this study were whether listeners can perceptually identify the component features that make up complex consonant sounds, whether these features are processed independently or dependently and whether there is a systematic hierarchy in their dependency. Participants were asked to classify syllables based on their difference in distinctive features in the task. Reaction times for this task were also gathered. For example, participants classified spoken syllables /ta/ and /pa/ as one category and /$t^ha$/ and /$p^ha$/ as another in terms of aspiration condition. In terms of articulation, participants classified /ta/ and /$t^ha$/ as one category and /pa/ and /$p^ha$/ as another. We assumed that the difference between their RTs represents their interdependency. We compared the laryngeal features and place features (Experiment 1), resonance features and place features (Experiment 2), and manner features and laryngeal features (Experiment 3). The results showed that distinctive features were not perceived in a completely independent way, but they had an asymmetric and hierarchical interdependency. The laryngeal features were found to be more independent compared to place and manner features. We discuss these results in the context of perceptual basis in phonology.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.71-84
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• 2003

In the acoustic modeling for large vocabulary speech recognition, a sparse data problem caused by a huge number of context-dependent (CD) models usually leads the estimated models to being unreliable. In this paper, we develop a new clustering method based on the C45 decision-tree learning algorithm that effectively encapsulates the CD modeling. The proposed scheme essentially constructs a supervised decision rule and applies over the pre-clustered triphones using the C45 algorithm, which is known to effectively search through the attributes of the training instances and extract the attribute that best separates the given examples. In particular, the data driven method is used as a clustering algorithm while its result is used as the learning target of the C45 algorithm. This scheme has been shown to be effective particularly over the database of low unknown-context ratio in terms of recognition performance. For speaker-independent, task-independent continuous speech recognition task, the proposed method reduced the percent accuracy WER by 3.93% compared to the existing rule-based methods.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.19-27
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• 2012

When two speakers read a text together, the produced speech has been shown to reduce a high degree of variability (e.g., pause duration and placement, and speech rate). This paper provides a quantitative analysis of speech rate variation exhibited in synchronous speech by examining the global and local patterns in two dialects of Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan and Shanghai). We analyzed the speech data in terms of mean speech rate and the reference of "Just Noticeable difference (JND)" within a subject and across subjects. Our findings show that speakers show lower and less variable speech rates when they read a text synchronously than when they read alone. This global pattern is observed consistently across speakers and dialects maintaining the unique local variation patterns of speech rate for each dialect. We conclude that paired speakers lower their speech rates and decrease the variability in order to ensure the synchrony of their speech.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.77-87
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• 2019

The study aimed to develop Speech Range Profile (SRP) and to examine and validate its clinical application. Forty-five participants without voice disorders aged 18-29 years were compared using SRP and Voice Range Profile (VRP). The authors developed the "Fire!" paragraph as a SRP task compromising 14 sentences including all Korean spoken phonemes and sentence types. To compare SRP and VRP results, the participants read the paragraph (reading) and counted from 21 to 30 (counting) as a part of SRP tasks, and produced a vowel /a/ from low to high frequencies (gliding) and a shortened form of the VRP as a part of VRP tasks. $F0_{max}$, $F0_{min}$, $F0_{range}$, $I_{max}$, $I_{min}$, and $I_{range}$ for each task were measured and compared, showing that $F0_{max}$, $F0_{min}$, $F0_{range}$, $I_{max}$, and $I_{range}$ were not different between reading and gliding. $I_{min}$, had the lowest value in counting. It is concluded that the newly developed SRP task, reading the "Fire" paragraph, can yield a maximum phonation range similar to that found by VRP. Therefore, it is expected that voice evaluation can be effectively performed in a relatively short time by applying SRP with the "Fire" paragraph, a functional utterance task, in place of VRP, which may be difficult to measure long term or in cases of severe voice disorders.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.91-102
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• 2005

This study investigated to the effects of a mental image drawing in RHD patients with left neglect. Three subjects participated in this study. All subjects were right handed and native speaker of korean. In task 1, the patients were presented with visual stimulus card directly above the response sheet and were asked to draw the picture. In task 2, they were presented with items auditorily and asked to draw the picture(mental image drawing). In all experimental conditions, there was no response time limit. The results showed that the subjects showed left neglect leaving some space on the left side in task 1. And the picture was drawn the left side from the right in direction. However, the neglect disappeared in task 2. And the picture was drawn the right side from the left in direction. The results of the present study suggested that a mental image drawing technique can be effective in treating individuals who exhibit left neglect. Also, the picture direction showed that the korean normality was same.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.79-94
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to compare phonological awareness ability of students with Down Syndrome(DS) and typically developing children(TD). TD and DS were equal the reading abilities(reading recognition). The subject were 10 DS and 10 TD, and were examined by test of phonological awareness. The test of phonological awareness was composed according to phonological units(word, syllable, phoneme) and task types(deletion, discrimination, blending). The results obtained in this study were as follows: The total score of phonological awareness ability of DS were significantly lower than TD. And the score of phonological awareness ability according to phonological units and task types were significantly lower than TD. But both DS and TD performed better on phonological deletion and blending task than discrimination. TD and DS represented different correlation between task types and phonological units. This means that TD performed better on all types of tasks and phonological units than DS.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.37-45
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• 2003

This study attempted to determine the effects of a context-based drawing task on the language expression of a severe Wernicke's and Broca's aphasic. The subjects in this study showed a poor auditory comprehension and naming performance. They also showed paraphasia and perseveration. This study focused on improving language expression by a drawing task based on conversation at hand. Ten target words were chosen which were easily drawnable and familiar to the subjects. The results showed that the context-based drawing task was effective on improving the subjects' confrontation naming ability and expressive language ability in terms of explanation of sentences. In addition, the Broca's aphasic showed improved naming ability when the contextual cues were given and he was supposed to spontaneously name words.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.127-133
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• 2010

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between sentence repetition and sentence production in school-age children. The participants included 120 school-age children through 1st to 6th grades who were then divided into three grade groups (lower grade: 1st to 2nd grades, intermediate grade: 3th to 4th grades, and higher grade: 5th to 6th grades). The repetition task consisted of 32 sentences that were classified by sentence length (5, 6, 7, and 8 words) and structure (conjunctive and embedded sentences). The sentence production task utilized Lee's (2007) grammaticality judgement and sentence combining task. The findings of present study were as follows. (1) The higher grade performed significantly better than the lower and intermediate grades. (2) The participants performed significantly worse when imitating longer sentences than when imitating shorter ones. In addition, there were interaction effects between grade groups and sentences length. (3) The participants performed significantly better when imitating conjunctive rather than embedded sentences. (4) There was significantly positive correlation between the sentence repetition and sentence production task.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.45-52
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• 2023

Previous studies have established a role for cognitive differences in explaining variability in speech processing across individuals. In the case of perceptual cue weighting in the context of a sound change, studies have produced conflicting results regarding the relationship between executive function and the use of redundant cues. The current study aimed to explore this relationship in acoustic cue weighting during speech production. Forty-one Korean-speaking children read a list of stop-initial words and completed two tests that assess executive function, i.e., Dimensional Change Card Sorting (DCCS) and digit n-back. Voice onset time (VOT) and fundamental frequency (F0) were measured in each word, and analyses were carried out to determine the extent to which children's executive function predicted their use of both informative and less informative cues to the three pairs comprising the Korean three-way stop laryngeal contrast. No evidence was found for a relationship between cognitive ability and acoustic cue weighting in production, which is at odds with previous, albeit conflicting, results for speech perception. While this result may be due to the lack of task demands in the production task used here, it nevertheless expands the empirical ground upon which future work in this area may proceed.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.123-128
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• 2017

This study aims to compare the performance of syllable identification task according to auditory and visual stimuli presentation methods and syllable position. Twenty-two typically developing children (age 4-6) participated in the study. Three-syllable words were used to identify the first syllable and the final syllable in each word with auditory and visual stimuli. For the auditory stimuli presentation, the researcher presented the test word only with oral speech. For the visual stimuli presentation, the test words were presented as a picture, and asked each child to choose appropriate pictures for the task. The results showed that when tasks were presented visually, the performances of phonological awareness were significantly higher than in presenting with auditory stimuli. Also, the performances of the first syllable identification were significantly higher than those of the last syllable identification. When phonological awareness task are presented by auditory stimuli, it is necessary to go through all the steps of the speech production process. Therefore, the phonological awareness performance by auditory stimuli may be low due to the weakness of the other stages in the speech production process. When phonological awareness tasks are presented using visual picture stimuli, it can be performed directly at the phonological representation stage without going through the peripheral auditory processing, phonological recognition, and motor programming. This study suggests that phonological awareness skills can be different depending on the methods of stimulus presentation and syllable position of the tasks. The comparison of performances between visual and auditory stimulus tasks will help identify where children may show weakness and vulnerability in speech production process.