Anne Hermes

Sources of variation in tonal alignment: Evidence from acoustic and kinematic data

Abstract This study is concerned with the alignment of f0 peaks in rising LH pitch accents in German, both in relation to acoustically defined segments, referred to as segmental anchors, as well as to dynamically defined speech gestures, referred to as articulatory anchors. The effects investigated were the effects of syllable structure (test words ˈCV:CV and ˈCVCV, where the test syllable is open or closed, respectively), dialectal background (the varieties of German spoken in Dusseldorf and Vienna), and accent status in the intonational hierarchy (prenuclear and nuclear accents). As reported for related languages, peaks in closed syllables tended to be later than those in open syllables. However, it was only in nuclear accents that those differences were systematic for all four speakers. Thus only limited support can be provided for an alignment with the syllable edge. Although there was a tendency for Southern varieties to have later peaks than Northern ones, as also found in previous studies, alignment latencies of individual speakers in the two dialectal groups overlapped. These results support a gradient view of dialectal variation in tonal alignment. In this view, dialectal differences are not represented symbolically. Rather, the rising accents used by speakers of both varieties can be adequately captured with one symbolic representation. When comparing prenuclear and nuclear accents, by contrast, differences were found which could be interpreted as discrete. Whereas nuclear accent peaks were anchored to the intervocalic consonant, prenuclear accent peaks were anchored to the following unstressed vowel. This anchor shift could clearly be observed both in the acoustic and articulatory records, reflecting a difference at the symbolic level, possibly in terms of an additional tone following the LH complex.

The variability of syllable patterns in Tashlhiyt Berber and Polish

Abstract In this study we investigate the timing of word-initial clusters and its relation to distinct phonological syllable parses in Tashlhiyt Berber and Polish. To this end, we use experimental, articulographic data (steps 1 and 2) combined with computer-based simulation (step 3). In step 1, we test how temporal properties of consonantal clusters such as overlap can vary within a single language. In step 2, we relate articulatory coordination patterns to distinct phonological syllable parses, involving simple and complex onsets, in order to calculate stability indices for each language. In step 3, we test the robustness of these stability patterns by adding anchor variability to the system. The analysis reveals that variability plays a different role in the two languages. Tashlhiyt shows a tight cluster timing with low variability in overlap across clusters. The phonetic heuristics for Tashlhiyt reveal a simple onset parse with a phonetic outcome that is strikingly robust against temporally induced variability. In contrast, Polish shows a considerably high variability in overlap between the different cluster types. The phonetic heuristics for Polish reveal a general trend towards a complex onset parse, but this time the picture is less clear. Furthermore, the Polish timing patterns are more sensitive to anchor variability than Tashlhiyt. This difference in the degree of sensitivity to variability is interpreted to be the result of different language-specific regulatory mechanisms mediating between different levels of description, such as segmental context and prosodic marking of different pragmatic functions. Natural human communication requires both stability and variability regulated by different needs and constraints within a given language, leading to differing degrees of flexibility in the hierarchical network of local weights and clocks attached to the different constituents of the prosodic hierarchy.

The Effect of Uni- and Bilateral Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation on Speech in Patients With Essential Tremor: Acoustics and Intelligibility.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) is performed to suppress medically‐resistant essential tremor (ET). However, stimulation induced dysarthria (SID) is a common side effect, limiting the extent to which tremor can be suppressed. To date, the exact pathogenesis of SID in VIM‐DBS treated ET patients is unknown.

Articulatory coordination and syllable structure in Italian

Contents: Research on the syllable - Articulatory Phonology - Articulatory coordination - The case of word initial s clusters - Article Allomorphy - Italian - Coupling hypothesis of syllabe structure.

The effects of Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation on speech dynamics in patients with Essential Tremor: An articulographic study

Acoustic studies have revealed that patients with Essential Tremor treated with thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) may suffer from speech deterioration in terms of imprecise oral articulation and reduced voicing control. Based on the acoustic signal one cannot infer, however, whether this deterioration is due to a general slowing down of the speech motor system (e.g., a target undershoot of a desired articulatory goal resulting from being too slow) or disturbed coordination (e.g., a target undershoot caused by problems with the relative phasing of articulatory movements). To elucidate this issue further, we here investigated both acoustics and articulatory patterns of the labial and lingual system using Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) in twelve Essential Tremor patients treated with thalamic DBS and twelve age- and sex-matched controls. By comparing patients with activated (DBS-ON) and inactivated stimulation (DBS-OFF) with control speakers, we show that critical changes in speech dynamics occur on two levels: With inactivated stimulation (DBS-OFF), patients showed coordination problems of the labial and lingual system in terms of articulatory imprecision and slowness. These effects of articulatory discoordination worsened under activated stimulation, accompanied by an additional overall slowing down of the speech motor system. This leads to a poor performance of syllables on the acoustic surface, reflecting an aggravation either of pre-existing cerebellar deficits and/or the affection of the upper motor fibers of the internal capsule.

Mechanisms of regulation in speech: Linguistic structure and physical control system

Abstract Speech variation is a naturally-induced phenomenon in human speech communication which can be attributed to the inevitably multifaceted nature of interactions between various higher-order linguistic and lower-order physiological factors. Speech is dynamic, and it is assumed that there are regulation mechanisms behind these complex interactions of structural, contextual and phonetic cues leading to an overwhelming variety of gradient phenomena in the speakers’ linguistic behaviour. Recent years have increasingly witnessed the extensive development of dynamical theories which attempt to capture mechanisms of regulation that underlie speech production and perception in a unified way. In this introductory paper, we touch on some basic theoretical groundings of speech dynamics, and discuss the significance of the contributions made by each paper of the special issue under the rubric of mechanisms of regulation in speech. The special issue is interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together papers from different perspectives, ranging from tutorial and critical review papers on dynamic systems to original research papers on the regulation of speech in both normal and adverse (atypical) conditions. These selected papers, taken together, make considerable advancements in illuminating how variation in production and perception can be seen as a window to linguistic structure within and across languages.