Amee P. Shah

Perception of lexical stress by brain-damaged individuals: Effects on lexical–semantic activation

A semantic priming, lexical-decision study was conducted to examine the ability of left- and right-brain damaged individuals to perceive lexical-stress cues and map them onto lexical-semantic representations. Correctly and incorrectly stressed primes were paired with related and unrelated target words to tap implicit processing of lexical prosody. RESULTS conformed with previous studies involving implicit perception of lexical stress, in that the left-hemisphere damaged individuals showed preserved sensitivity to lexical stress patterns as indicated by priming patterns mirroring those of the normal controls. An increased sensitivity to the varying stress patterns of the primes was demonstrated by the right-hemisphere damaged patient group, however. RESULTS are discussed in relation to current theories of prosodic lateralization, with a particular focus on the nature of task demands in lexical stress perception studies. Language: en

Why do non‐native speakers have a foreign accent? A three‐dimensional perspective

A three‐dimensional perspective, following the speech‐chain model, is taken in arriving at the variables that influence the production and perception of foreign‐accented speech. Essentially, research to date indicates the interactive role of all three communication components of the speech‐chain model. First, speech‐related variables, i.e., the interlanguage differences in the phonetic patterns of the speech, of L2 speakers compared to the L1 speech patterns influence listeners perception of accentedness of non‐native speech. Second, speaker‐related variables (i.e., differences in age, other psychological variables) cause the non‐native speakers to have difficulties in learning to map new sounds of the L2 onto their existing L1 phonetic system, thus resulting in foreign‐accented speech patterns. Lastly, differences in listener‐related factors (i.e., L1 of the listener, prior linguistic experience, amount of exposure, listening‐conditions in which they hear the accented speech) have been found to influence...

Accuracy and response times in identifying foreign accents: Are listeners all over the map?

The present study aims to increase the understanding of how listeners process different foreign accents. Specifically, listeners were presented with 50 varieties of foreign accented speech samples and asked to point to the general area on a world map where they thought the accent was from, and also provide a label/name for the accent. Accuracy and response times were obtained for both methods of accent‐identification, and a correlation between these two methods was performed. Errors in identification were further analyzed to investigate the consistent patterns of confusion across listeners’ scores. Prosodic similarities across certain types of accents, or geographical proximities across these confusable accents were further studied as potential sources of the consistent patterns of confusion across some accents. Furthermore, listener‐related variables, including age, education level, travel experience, linguistic and phonetic experience, and musicality were analyzed further to determine each of their role...

Investigating whether ease of lexical processing affects listeners’ ratings of the strength of talkers’ foreign accent.

Many research studies in spoken word recognition have examined the role that different types of surface variability have on listeners’ perception of spoken words (e.g., influence of same versus different talker manipulations). In our ongoing research program, we are investigating the other direction of this relationship. Our initial two experiments investigated whether linguistic complexity affects listeners’ overt subjective impressions of the strength of talkers’ foreign accents. Ease of lexical processing was manipulated in two ways, namely, sentence context and long‐term repetition priming. In the sentence context experiment, participants made accent ratings on the last word of each sentence presented to them; this word was either related or unrelated to the sentence context. In the long‐term repetition priming experiment, participants made their accent ratings to isolated spoken words, which they either had (primed) or had not (unprimed) heard earlier in the experiment. Stronger accent ratings in the unrelated sentence context and unprimed conditions were predicted. Response time to provide their accent rating responses to sentence context and priming manipulations was also studied. Our results should lead to a greater understanding of the role that lexical processing plays in listeners’ perception of foreign accents and perhaps other types of surface variability.

The nature and time course of the relationship between surface variability and linguistic processing.

It is becoming increasingly prevalent to study and understand the role of surface information in the process of speech perception and to attempt to accommodate these variables in theories of speech perception. Indeed, theories of speech perception increasingly require an account of the precise circumstances under which surface details affect the ease with which listeners access spoken words. To date, the majority of studies have focused on manipulating various components of surface information (e.g., speaking rate, talker differences, dialect difference, and so on) to determine whether these manipulations matter to the processing task. The present set of studies in our laboratory represents the converse component of this relationship in order to determine whether linguistic complexity can affect or modulate listeners’ overt subjective impressions of the surface information. Two different methodologies, including semantic priming and repetition priming, were used manipulate ease of lexical access and deter...

Examining the relationship between lexical access and the perceived strength of foreign‐accents.

Foreign‐accented speech is one source of variability that listeners may face during the perception of spoken language. Although a number of previous studies have examined the role that foreign‐accented speech plays in listeners’ ability to process spoken language, we are interested in examining the converse of this relationship. That is, previous work has demonstrated that accent manipulations affect listeners’ ability to process spoken language. For example, the speed and accuracy with which listeners access spoken words produced with a foreign‐accent is compromised (at least initially) relative to the same words produced with a native‐accent. However, the present study, which builds on our previous work [Shah and McLennan (2007)], examines whether manipulations known to affect listeners’ ability to access spoken words will affect listeners’ subjective judgment of foreign‐accented speech. More specifically, because spoken words are typically easier to process when they have been heard recently (repetitio...

Basic processes underlying speaking and singing: Preliminary acoustic and aerodynamic comparisons

Intuitively, we think speech and singing are different. Perceptually, we hear the difference. Aesthetically, we appreciate the difference. Psychologically, we benefit from the positive effect of singing. The important question is whether this perceived difference is purely perceptual or is it grounded in physiological reality? It is important to identify the difference between speaking and singing if indeed there is one as it can shed light on our theoretical understanding of normal auditory perception and vocal production processes. Addressing this question has practical applications as well, as the findings could yield valuable information for working with clients in the fields of speech pathology and vocal music training. In addressing this question, the present investigation targeted broad areas to identify the differences between speech and singing. Specifically, respiration (the mechanics of breathing), articulation (the movements of the oral musculature), phonation (vocal‐fold movement and air pres...

Perceptual and production variables in explicating interlanguage speech intelligibility benefit

This study attempts to investigate the importance of the degree of similarity or difference in the language backgrounds of the speakers and listeners, as it interacts differentially in intelligibility judgment of foreign‐accented speech (Bent and Bradlow, 2003). The present study attempts to clarify the distinction in the matched and mismatched listening conditions, in context of addressing the overarching question whether auditory exposure to a language alone, without corresponding proficiency in production of that language, can provide a listening advantage. Particularly, do listeners understand accented‐English speech spoken by native individuals of the language to which they are exposed to, as compared to listeners without that exposure? Greek‐accented English speakers (and native monolingual English speakers) were judged for their speech intelligibility by four groups of listeners (n=10, each): native Greek speakers (matched), Greek‐Americans (matched only through auditory exposure to Greek without a...

Temporal features of Spanish‐accented English

In this study we attempt to identify the acoustic parameters of Spanish accented English that give it the perception of being accented. Recordings of eight multisyllabic (3, 4, and 5 syllables) words spoken in sentences by 22 Spanish speakers of English and five native speakers of American English (AE) were analyzed for temporal acoustic differences. Segmental durations of Spanish productions, including differences of stressed–unstressed (s/u) vowel duration ratios, Voice Onset Time (VOT) and flap/stop duration, differed from native productions. The sentences and the excised target words were given to native (AE) listeners (N=10) who judged the degree of accentedness on a 9‐point scale. The degree of accentedness on target words correlated with perceived ratings on the eight sentences (i.e., global accentedness), rho=+0.82. Spearman rank‐order correlations between s/u vowel duration ratios and native listener ratings of accentedness on target words varied from +0.04 to 0.68. The VOT duration of initial vo...