This paper examines, analyzes, and synthesizes literature on VOT production and perception in the context of Motor Theory of speech perception. Specifically, positive and negative evidences from speech production and perception, language acquisition, and evidence of dissociation from speech disorders of VOT are reviewed in the light of the Necessity Condition versus a weaker version of motor th...

PURPOSE To investigate the correlation among velopharyngeal closure, hypernasality, audible nasal air emission (NAE) and nasal rustle (NR), in individuals with repaired cleft palate. METHODS One hundred patients with repaired cleft palate and lip, submitted to pressure-flow study for measurement of velopharyngeal orifice area (velopharyngeal area) and speech sample recordings. Velopharyngeal ...

The usefulness of teaching pronunciation in language instruction remains controversial. Though past research suggests that teachers can make little or no difference in improving their students’ pronunciation,  current  findings  suggest  that  second  language  pronunciation  can  improve  to  be near  native-like  with  the  implementation  of  certain  criteria  such  as  the  utilization  of...

The application of an adaptive compressive sensing method in the speech signal processing is proposed in this paper. First, the threshold of wavelet transform is used to preprocess the speech signal. Then, according to the parameters of the speech frame, each frame is adaptively assigned a measurement number. Finally, the measurement matrix is used to reconstruct the speech signal. Experimental...

Four examples of the use of vocal fold contact phase measurement are discussed for unilateral paresis. In each case this aspect of voice quality is of greater importance than the physical measurement of loudness and pitch related parameters. For three of the cases electrostimulation has been used as a main part of the treatment. Phonation in both connected speech and, for comparison, in sustain...

alternative assessment approaches received considerable attention soon after a discontent with traditional, one-shot testing. these approaches, however, have been used only to improve learners’ linguistic ability despite communicative models of language which pointed that knowledge of language also involves pragmatic ability (bachman, 1990; bachman & palmer, 1996). the present study tries t...

This paper proposes an approach for Voice Activity Detection (VAD) based on the automatic measurement of gesturing. The main motivation of the work is that gestures have been shown to be tightly correlated with speech, hence they can be considered a reliable evidence that a person is talking. The use of gestures rather than speech for performing VAD can be helpful in many situation (e.g., surve...