Speech and Hearing Sciences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/7192

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 29

A cross-linguistic study of affective prosody production by monolingual and bilingual children
(Queen Margaret University College, 2006-09) Grichkovtsova, Ioulia; This work would also not have been possible without funding. Financial assistance
The main objective of the research reported in the dissertation was to investigate the production of affective speech by monolingual and simultaneous bilingual children in Scottish English and French. The study was designed to address several important issues with respect to affective speech. First, possibility of identifying and compar- ing acoustic correlates of affective speech in productions of monolingual children was explored in a cross-linguistic perspective. Second, affective speech of bilingual chil- dren was examined in their two languages and compared to that of their monolingual peers. Third, vocal emotions encoded by monolingual and bilingual children were tested through the identification by French and Scottish monolingual adults. Five bilingual and twelve monolingual children were recorded for a cross-linguistically comparable corpus of affective speech. Children played four emotions (anger, fear, sadness and happiness) on one token utterance with the help of visual materials, which served as the reference of the expressed emotions, and as an affect inducing material. A large number of child speakers brings better understanding of cross- language and within-language variability in vocal affective expressions. The corpus was acoustically analysed and used in a cross-linguistic perception test with Scottish and French monolingual adults. The results of the perception test support the existing view in the cross-cultural research on emotions: even if people from different cultural groups could identify each others' emotions, an in-group advantage was generally present. Another im- portant finding was that some affective states were more successfully identified in one of the languages by the two groups of listeners. Specifically, French anger, as expressed by bilingual and monolingual children, was identified more successfully by both French and Scottish listeners than anger, encoded by bilinguals and mono- linguals in Scottish English, thus suggesting that children showed some emotions more in one of the languages. The joint analysis of production and perception data confirmed the association of the studied acoustic correlates with affective states, but x also showed the variability of different strategies in their usage. While some speak- ers used all the measured acoustic correlates to a significantly large extent, other speakers used only some of them. Apparently, the usage of all the possible acoustic correlates is not obligatory for successful identification. Moreover, one of the studied affective states (fear) was characterised by more variable usage of acoustic correlates than others. Cross-linguistic differences were attested in the usage of some acoustic correlates and in the preferred strategies for the realisation of affective states. Simultaneous bilingual children could encode affective states in their two lan- guages; moreover, on average, their affective states are identified even better than those of monolingual children. This ability to successfully encode vocal emotions can be interpreted as a signal of high social competence in bilingual children. Produc- tion results show that all bilingual children realise some cross-linguistic differences in their affective speech. Nevertheless, interaction between the languages in the affec- tive speech was discovered both in the production and perception data for bilinguals. This finding comes in support of other studies which call language interaction as a characteristic feature of bilingual phonetic acquisition. The specific pattern of the affective speech realisation is individual for each bilingual child, depending on the affective state and on the used language. In this context, the theory of integrated continuum, developed by Cook (2003), is discussed for its possibility to describe the paralinguistic organisation in the bilingual mind. This thesis thus contributes to a better understanding of phonetic learning by monolingual and bilingual children in the context of affective speech. It also gives a detailed analysis of cross-language and within-language variability present in affec- tive speech. This new data will be of interest to the researchers working in speech sciences, psycholinguistics, developmental and cross-cultural psychology.
ACOUSTIC SPEECH MARKERS FOR TRACKING CHANGES IN HYPOKINETIC DYSARTHRIA ASSOCIATED WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2023-06-28) Murali, Mridhula
Previous research has identified certain overarching features of hypokinetic dysarthria associated with Parkinson’s Disease and found it manifests differently between individuals. Acoustic analysis has often been used to find correlates of perceptual features for differential diagnosis. However, acoustic parameters that are robust for differential diagnosis may not be sensitive to tracking speech changes. Previous longitudinal studies have had limited sample sizes or variable lengths between data collection. This study focused on using acoustic correlates of perceptual features to identify acoustic markers able to track speech changes in people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwPD) over six months. The thesis presents how this study has addressed limitations of previous studies to make a novel contribution to current knowledge. Speech data was collected from 63 PwPD and 47 control speakers using an online podcast software at two time points, six months apart (T1 and T2). Recordings of a standard reading passage, minimal pairs, sustained phonation, and spontaneous speech were collected. Perceptual severity ratings were given by two speech and language therapists for T1 and T2, and acoustic parameters of voice, articulation and prosody were investigated. Two analyses were conducted: a) to identify which acoustic parameters can track perceptual speech changes over time and b) to identify which acoustic parameters can track changes in speech intelligibility over time. An additional attempt was made to identify if these parameters showed group differences for differential diagnosis between PwPD and control speakers at T1 and T2. Results showed that specific acoustic parameters in voice quality, articulation and prosody could differentiate between PwPD and controls, or detect speech changes between T1 and T2, but not both factors. However, specific acoustic parameters within articulation could detect significant group and speech change differences across T1 and T2. The thesis discusses these results, their implications, and the potential for future studies.
An instrumental study of alveolar to velar assimilation in slow and fast speech using EPG and EMA techniques.
(Queen Margaret University, 2000) Ellis, Lucy A.
This thesis evaluates the widely-held notion that place assimilation is (i) more frequent at faster rates of speech and (ii) a gradual phonetic process. The latter view is based on previous small-scale EPG studies which showed evidence of partial alveolar assimilations lacking complete stop closure on the alveolar ridge but with a residual tongue body gesture. For the present study, EPG data from 10 speakers were collected. Two experimental sequences, /n#k/ and /ŋ#k/, embedded in meaningful sentences, were produced by subjects 10 times each in a slow/careful style and 10 times each in a fast/casual style. The first sequence captures the potential site of assimilation and the second is a lexical velar-velar sequence with which cases of complete assimilation can be compared. The results showed that, overall, assimilation was more frequent in fast speech than in careful speech, although timing analysis revealed that assimilation is not the automatic consequence of rate-induced changes in intergestural timing of /n#k/. In fast speech, six of the ten speakers showed relatively consistent assimilatory preferences: they either produced only complete assimilations or they never assimilated. However, four speakers showed considerable intra-speaker variability. Two of the four produced either full alveolars or complete assimilations in the manner of a categorical opposition (complete assimilations were indistinguishable from control /ŋ#k/ sequences). The other two speakers produced a continuum of forms that could be ranked from full alveolars to complete assimilations via partial assimilations. Using the same stimuli, a follow-up combined EPG/EMA study was carried out, the purpose of which was to look for reduced coronal gestures undetectable in tongue-palate contact-only data. Two 'categorical' assimilators were re-recorded and these gestures were not found. This supports the interpretation that for some speakers assimilation is determined at a higher level through the application of a cognitive rule, while for others variation is 'computed on-line' during speech production itself. Current phonological models of assimilation are found to be unable to capture both gradient effects and more radical feature-sized substitutions under a single framework.
An Investigation into the Ability of Adults with Post-Stroke Aphasia to Learn New Vocabulary
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2006-05-31) McGrane, Helen
Recent studies have established that adults with post-stroke aphasia can learn to establish connections between familiar words and abstract images, and nonwords with familiar objects. What has not been investigated was whether adults with aphasia could learn non-words with abstract images/ novel meanings i.e. new vocabulary. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether adults with post-stroke aphasia could learn 'novel' word forms with 'novel' word meanings, despite phonological and/or semantic impairment. Specific research questions included: Can post-stroke adults with aphasia learn new vocabulary? If so, what factors affect their capacity to learn? Is it possible to predict which individuals will learn most successfully? The methodology was developed using preliminary studies both with adults of normal language and cognitive functioning and post-stroke non-aphasic and aphasic adults. It incorporated learning theory and a cognitive neuropsychological model of language. A range of assessments was used to facilitate the capture of new learning. 'New learning' was measured not only in terms of the accurate production of the new stimuli but also the recognition and knowledge of the word forms and meanings of this new vocabulary. In the main investigation twenty novel word forms with 20 novel meanings were taught to 12 aphasic adults (< 65 years), over a four day period, using an errorless learning paradigm. Immediate recall of these newly learnt representations was investigated as well as delayed recall. Quantitative and qualitative results from a case series of 12 participants are presented and discussed. Despite semantic and phonological difficulties, all but three participants demonstrated substantial learning of the new vocabulary. The participants' range of learning ability (from both immediate and delayed recall data) was analysed in relation to severity of aphasia, cognitive factors (including attention, memory and executive function), as well as variables such as age, months post-stroke and number of years in education. With an intensive training period, these participants with aphasia demonstrate varying degrees of ability for new learning. Possible influencing factors and implications for speech and language therapy rehabilitation are discussed.
An Investigation of Coarticulation Resistance in Speech Production Using Ultrasound
(Queen Margaret University, 2007) Zharkova, N.
Sound segments show considerable influence from neighbouring segments, which is described as being the result of coarticulation. None of the previous reports on coarticulation in vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) sequences has used ultrasound. One advantage of ultrasound is that it provides information about the shape of most of the midsagittal tongue contour. In this work, ultrasound is employed for studying symmetrical VCV sequences, like /ipi/ and /ubu/, and methods for analysing coarticulation are refined. The use of electropalatography (EPG) in combination with ultrasound is piloted in the study. A unified approach is achieved to describing lingual behaviour during the interaction of different speech sounds, by using the concept of Coarticulation Resistance, which implies that different sounds resist coarticulatory influence to different degrees. The following research questions were investigated: how does the tongue shape change from one segment to the next in symmetrical VCV sequences? Do the vowels influence the consonant? Does the consonant influence the vowels? Is the vocalic influence on the consonant greater than the consonantal influence on the vowels? What are the differences between lingual and non-lingual consonants with respect to lingual coarticulation? Does the syllable/word boundary affect the coarticulatory pattern? Ultrasound data were collected using the QMUC ultrasound system, and in the final experiment some EPG data were also collected. The data were Russian nonsense VCVs with /i/, /u/, /a/ and bilabial stops; English nonsense VhV sequences with /i/, /u/, /a/; English /aka/, /ata/ and /iti/ sequences, forming part of real speech. The results show a significant vowel influence on all intervocalic consonants. Lingual consonants significantly influence their neighbouring vowels. The vocalic influence on the consonants is significantly greater than the consonantal influence on the vowels. Non-lingual consonants exhibit varying coarticulatory patterns. Syllable and word boundary influence on VCV coarticulation is demonstrated. The results are interpreted and discussed in terms of the Coarticulation Resistance theory: Coarticulation Resistance of speech segments varies, depending on segment type, syllable boundary, and language. A method of quantifying Coarticulation Resistance based on ultrasound data is suggested.
An investigation of motor control for speech in phonologically delayed children, normally developing children and adults.
(Queen Margaret University, 1992) Waters, D. M.
Difficulty with phonological acquisition in children is currently widely regarded as a linguistic/cognitive disability but, since speech is a motor as well as a linguistic activity, speech motor control abilities must have a bearing on acquisition of the speech sound system. On the basis of previous studies, measures of speech rate and temporal variability are regarded as indices of level of speech motor control ability. Evidence was sought concerning the possibility that slow maturation of speech motor control abilities may underlie phonological delay in children. Speech timing characteristics were compared in 12 adult speakers (Group A), 12 normal preschool children (Group N, aged 3;8 years -4;10 years, mean age 4;3 years) and 12 age-matched phenologically delayed children {Group P). Measurements were made of phrase and segment durations and temporal variability in multiple tokens of an experimental phrase. The phonological structure of the speech data was also analysed and a measure of speech rate {in segments/second) was derived. The N Group were found to exhibit slower speech rates, generally longer mean phrase and segment durations and higher levels of temporal variability than the A Group. The P Group exhibited significantly slower speech rates than the N Group and there was a trend towards longer phrase and segment durations in the P Group data. With one marginal exception, no significant differences were found between the two child groups on measures of temporal variability. The weight of evidence indicated that speech motor control was less mature in the P Group than in the N Group. The findings lend some support to the view that differences in speech motor maturity may be implicated in phonological acquisition differences. Some implications for the design of therapy procedures are explored. The importance of analysing and taking account of the phonological form of speech data in investigations of speech rate is highlighted.
Articulatory characteristics of sibilant production in young people with Down's syndrome
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2014) Timmins, Claire
Speech production in children with Down’s syndrome (DS) has been found to be variable and inconsistent. Errors are concentrated in consonants that are typically late developing, such as fricatives. It has been suggested that inconsistency in speech production in DS is a result of a motor speech deficit but there is little detailed articulatory evidence to support this claim. This study (with data from MRC grant ‘Assessment and Treatment of Impaired Speech Motor Control in Children with Down's syndrome’ (G0401388)) provides a detailed phonetic analysis of the voiceless sibilants /s/ and /ʃ/, in a group of young people with DS, by means of auditory and articulatory analysis. The aim of the study is to assess fine motor ability and articulation variability at word level production in a group of speakers with well-established difficulties in speech articulation. The study analysed data from 25 children with DS, 10 typically developing children and 8 adult speakers, recorded using EPG. Perceptual measures were compared with quantitative analyses of EPG data, along with visual analysis of articulation patterns based on a new set of articulation taxonomies. The data is presented by group and in the form of 5 case studies. The case studies provide a means to analyse the relationship between articulation and auditory information in detail and to compare these with supplementary motor control measures. The results show presence of atypical articulation patterns for speakers with DS for both perceptually acceptable tokens, and those in error. Higher levels of within-speaker articulation variability are presented in comparison to the TD control group. Further findings suggest presence of articulation patterns in the TD speakers previously unidentified in EPG studies. Similar to previous studies, the results find that speakers with DS are a highly variable group and that speakers display a combination of typical and atypical speech patterns, influenced by speech motor control difficulties.
AN ARTICULATORY-ACOUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF TIMING AND COORDINATION IN THE FLUENT SPEECH OF PEOPLE WHO STAMMER
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Heyde, Cornelia
This thesis investigates Wingate’s Fault-Line hypothesis (1988) which suggests that disfluencies in people who stammer (PWS) result from a deficit in transition from consonant to vowel (CV) thereby implying that stammering as a motor-control disorder would affect transitions even when not perceptually salient. To test this proposal, we explored the perceptually fluent speech of PWS using instrumental analysis (ultrasound and acoustic) to determine the underlying pervasiveness of disfluencies in this group as compared to people who do not stammer (PNS). Following fluency screening of recorded utterances, we applied acoustic and articulatory analysis techniques to perceptually fluent utterances of 9 PWS and 9 typical speakers in order to identify indicators of disfluency in the transition from syllable onsets to the following vowel. Measures of acoustic duration, locus equation and formant slope offer insights into timing and degree of coarticulation. The articulatory ultrasound tongue imaging technique moreover provides kinematic information of the tongue. A novel technique was applied to dynamically analyse and quantify the tongue kinematics in transition. This allowed us to treat the perceptually fluent speech of PWS as an ongoing time-situated process. Both acoustic and articulatory findings indicate by-group differences in timing, whereby PWS are overall slower and more variable in the execution of CV transitions when compared to typical speakers (PNS). The findings from both instrumental approaches also indicate differences in coordination, suggesting that PWS coarticulate to a lesser extent than PNS. Overall, these findings suggest that PWS exhibit a global deficit in CV transition that can be observed in perceptually fluent as well as stammered speech. This is in keeping with the predictions of Wingate’s Fault-Line hypothesis. iv The fact that the conclusions from the acoustic and articulatory measures are coherent, shows that acoustic measures may be sufficient to act as a proxy for articulatory measures.
THE AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSE IN HEALTHY ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SYNDROME
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2018) Johnson, Christine
The Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) assesses brainstem function. This thesis explores the click and speech ABR in both healthy adults and adults with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS). Experiment One undertook auditory-cognitive assessment including ABRs, of 60 healthy adults (30 women), aged 18-30 years. For waves III and V of the click ABR, women’s responses were earlier than men’s by 0.14ms and 0.19ms. For the speech ABR, onset and offset measures were earlier in women by at least 0.43ms. No effect for left vs. right ear was found in either case. Inter-rater reliability was found to be high (ICC2,1 ≥0.89) for the click ABR and good (ICC2,1 ≥0.75) for six of the seven peaks of the speech ABR. A comparison of ABRs to those from an older group of 12 adults aged 31-49 years (six women, matched control group for Experiment Two) found the stimulus to response lag for the speech ABR, was earlier (0.78ms) in the older women but within the expected range. Click and speech ABRs were repeated after 12 weeks and the representation of F0 for women was greater by 4.8 μV at the second recording. Experiment Two assessed the auditory-cognitive profile and ABRs of 16 adults (six women) aged 29-49 years, undergoing a treatment and rehabilitation programme for people with ADS. All participants had hearing thresholds within normal limits, but exhibited deficits in auditory-cognitive profiles compared to matched, healthy adults, including their click and speech ABRs. For the click ABR, men had significant delays in wave III (0.18ms) and wave V (0.22ms). For women there were significant delays for wave I (0.11ms) and wave V (0.22ms). For the speech ABR, men had significant delays in the onset measures of waves V (0.40ms) and A (0.36ms). Women had significant delays in waves V (0.45ms), A (0.48ms) E (0.66ms) and O (0.42ms). Testing was repeated after 12 weeks of abstinence and significant improvements in the click and speech ABR were observed. For men, average click ABR latencies improved for wave III (0.12ms) and wave V (0.22ms) and for women, wave V (0.08ms) improved. Significant improvements were also found for discrete peak and onset measures of the speech ABRs for both men and women. For men, average speech ABR latencies improved for wave A (0.23ms) and the duration of the VA complex (0.15ms). For women there were improvements in wave V (0.10ms), A (0.12ms) and E (0.33ms). These results add to the body of knowledge about the ABR and support its value as a clinical tool. They also provide new information about auditory-cognitive function in adults with ADS, for whom beneficial effects of abstinence are demonstrated. The ABR has a potential role in identifying people most at risk of alcohol related brain damage and in monitoring recovery with abstinence. Keywords Auditory Brainstem Response, Frequency Following Response, Speech ABR, Reliability, Alcohol Dependence Syndrome, Abstinence.
Communication in young people with intellectual impairments: the influence of partnership.
(Queen Margaret University, 2002) Walton, A. P.
Adults with intellectual impairments experience frequent communication breakdown in their everyday interactions. This can result from impairment of the linguistic skills required for effective communication and/or difficulties dealing with non-verbal information. Problems also exist, however, in the way that some non-impaired speakers, such as care providers, approach these communicative episodes. This thesis investigates communication in young adults with intellectual impairments with three different communication partners. These were a care provider, a student and a peer with intellectual impairments. Student partners were previously unknown to the main participants and not experienced in communicating with people with intellectual impairments. Communication structure and process are investigated according to the number of words and turns used to complete a co-operative problem-solving task and the types of conversational acts used by speakers and listeners. Non-verbal communication is investigated through the use of one non-verbal signal, gaze, during the task dialogues. An interactionist approach is taken to communication, where outcome or success is viewed as a product of the collaborative efforts of speakers and listeners. Communication is seen as multi-modal and involving the exchange of information via the verbal and non-verbal channels. The results show that when both parties were intellectually impaired performance was poorest. More surprisingly, dyads including a student partner communicated more effectively and efficiently than where the partner was a carer. One reason for this may be that carers used more complex, open questions to introduce new information into the task, and these were distracting rather than useful. Overusing open questions may be problematic for this population and less effective at establishing shared understanding than where listeners check their own interpretation of previous messages, a strategy preferred by student partners. Non-verbal signals can help to ease constraints on communication by providing interlocutors with feedback information on the levels of mutual understanding.
The effects of English proficiency on the processing of Bulgarian-accented English by Bulgarian-English bilinguals
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Dokovova, Marie
This dissertation explores the potential benefit of listening to and with one’s first-language accent, as suggested by the Interspeech Intelligibility Benefit Hypothesis (ISIB). Previous studies have not consistently supported this hypothesis. According to major second language learning theories, the listener’s second language proficiency determines the extent to which the listener relies on their first language phonetics. Hence, this thesis provides a novel approach by focusing on the role of English proficiency in the understanding of Bulgarian-accented English for Bulgarian-English bilinguals. The first experiment investigated whether evoking the listeners’ L1 Bulgarian phonetics would improve the speed of processing Bulgarian-accented English words, compared to Standard British English words, and vice versa. Listeners with lower English proficiency processed Bulgarian-accented English faster than SBE, while high proficiency listeners tended to have an advantage with SBE over Bulgarian accent. The second experiment measured the accuracy and reaction times (RT) in a lexical decision task with single-word stimuli produced by two L1 English speakers and two Bulgarian-English bilinguals. Listeners with high proficiency in English responded slower and less accurately to Bulgarian-accented speech compared to L1 English speech and compared to lower proficiency listeners. These accent preferences were also supported by the listener’s RT adaptation across the first experimental block. A follow-up investigation compared the results of L1 UK English listeners to the bilingual listeners with the highest proficiency in English. The L1 English listeners and the bilinguals processed both accents with similar speed, accuracy and adaptation patterns, showing no advantage or disadvantage for the bilinguals. These studies support existing models of second language phonetics. Higher proficiency in L2 is associated with lesser reliance on L1 phonetics during speech processing. In addition, the listeners with the highest English proficiency had no advantage when understanding Bulgarian-accented English compared to L1 English listeners, contrary to ISIB. Keywords: Bulgarian-English bilinguals, bilingual speech processing, L2 phonetic development, lexical decision, proficiency
Experiences of acquiring hearing loss: lessons for rehabilitation.
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2016) DePlacido, Christine
Acquired hearing impairment affects one in six people in the United Kingdom. The process of becoming hearing impaired and seeking help is different for each individual and consequently very little is known about their personal experience of this journey. The aim of this thesis was to explore the essence of the experience of acquiring hearing impairment from the individual’s perspective, in order to better understand and meet the needs of clients seeking aural rehabilitation. Data was generated in the Phenomenological tradition using unstructured interviews and analysed using a constant comparison method drawn from Grounded Theory. Participants were recruited from the UK and the USA. Individual participant’s experience ranged from those who had not yet approached services, to those who had worn hearing aid/s for several years. Data is comprised of 24 recorded interviews, reflective journals, field notes and memos. Each interview, journal, field note and memo was coded and analysed to identify a core category. The results produced categories that identified stages the individual experiences when acquiring hearing impairment, and a core category, “Preserving the social identity” emerged. Most of the data was generated from interviews and focus groups but additionally a comprehensive audiological assessment was carried out with ten of the participants in order to compare their perception of their hearing before and after assessment. The assessment included taking a detailed medical and social history, performing otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, speech testing and the random gap detection test. This thesis adds to the body of knowledge about the personal experience of acquiring hearing impairment within the framework of Social Identity Theory. It proposes a theory of how individuals experience and adapt to changes in their social identity, and proposes that rehabilitation needs to be available at a much earlier stage than hearing aid fitting. It must also be multifaceted and multidisciplinary in order to meet the needs of the individual and their significant others at various stages in their journey. Finally it identifies an unmet need within Audiology provision and suggestions are made for service development and further areas of research.
A Fragmented Profession within the System of Professions: The Experience of the Audiology Professional in the United Kingdom
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2023-06-28) Steenkamp, Lizanne
The main purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of audiology professionals in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of this study an audiology professional is defined as someone who completed a United Kingdom or International course/training pathway in audiology and who is working in the UK. The definition can include audiologists, hear(ing) care assistants, hearing aid dispensers, hearing therapists and clinical scientists. Audiology professionals working in Higher Education were also included. Working in two different contexts with similar and dissimilar aspects of role descriptions, as well as boundaries of practice led to the research question: What is the experience of audiology professionals in becoming and being an audiology professional in the United Kingdom? The following strands narrowed the focus of the study and helped to identify the appropriate methodological approach: 1. The experience of becoming an audiology professional 2. The experience of being an audiology professional 3. The impact of change in education pathways and service delivery on the audiology professional The research question was explored through an Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods approach starting with interviews of eight participants followed by a survey circulated to the wider profession with 329 respondents. Data analysis consists of interpretive phenomenological analysis of the interviews and descriptive statistics for the surveys. The results from both stages will be discussed in relation to the sociology of professions, specifically Abbott’s (1988) system of professions with elements of Bourdieu’s social world theory (1985). The results sketch a fragmented profession divided by titles, professional organisations, and regulatory bodies as well as many education pathways across the private sector and the NHS.
INVESTIGATING HEARING CARE IN CARE HOMES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN SCOTLAND THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE WORLDVIEW
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2023-12) White, Amy
Communication is a human right and a critical enabler of other human rights. The 2021 World Report on Hearing states that age-related hearing loss should be recognised as a public health priority, owing to its impact on brain health and communication. Prevalence of deafness in care homes for older people is around 90%, yet is largely undetected and untreated. Recommendations to address these issues include hearing screening and staff training. However, solutions are not presented in the context of any legislative health and social care improvement framework. The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 transformed the care home sector to enhance safeguarding practices for older people. In addition, the Scottish Government’s See Hear Strategy pledges support for older people living with deafness to experience equality of access to health and social care services. This thesis investigated hearing care in care homes for older people through the lens of the Scottish Government’s framework for health and social care, using a two-stage mixed-methods design, underpinned by the Transformative worldview. Stage 1 explored the landscape of hearing care in care homes using documentary analysis. Sources of evidence centred on the regulatory organisations involved in the care sector. Online focus groups with the Care Inspectorate were also conducted. It was established hearing care training is not mandatory for care home staff and no regulatory framework for hearing care scrutiny exists in which to safeguard the sensory needs of older people in Scotland’s care homes. Stage 2 formed an instrumental case study of a single care home for older people in which the real-life context of hearing care was explored through documentary analysis, questionnaire, focus groups with staff and hearing assessments with residents. Results revealed there was no policy for identifying residents living with deafness nor any core workforce learning structure related to hearing care. Staff identified knowledge gaps and welcomed more opportunities for training. The prevalence of deafness across 21 residents was between 76-90%. Integrating the results of Stage 1 and 2 suggests Transformative reform is required at the level of both the care home workforce and the wider organisations involved in service improvement and regulation, to meet the recommendations of the See Hear Strategy and achieve equality for older people. The See Hear Strategy will be refreshed in 2025 and the Scottish Government is preparing major reforms through the launch of a National Care Service by 2026. This thesis is therefore timely, highlighting the need for hearing care to be recognised as a priority in care homes, and embedded in any new framework for social care to further social justice and reinforce the human right to communication.
Language development and its relationship to theory of mind in children with high-functioning autism
(Queen Margaret University, 2007) Carroll, Lianne
Impairments in language, prosodic and theory of mind (ToM) ability in individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) have been widely reported. However, this PhD study is the first to investigate changes in receptive and expressive prosody skills over time. This is also the first study to report on the relationship between prosody and ToM, independent of language ability. Additionally, this study presents a new adaptation of a ToM assessment, on which prosodic and verbal input are carefully controlled. Language, prosody and ToM skills in 24 children aged 9 to 16 years with HFA were assessed approximately 2 1/2 years after participation in a study of language and prosody conducted at Queen Margaret University College (McCann, Peppe, Gibbon, O'Hare and Rutherford, 2006). The current study reports the skills and abilities of the children with HFA in the follow-up, using a battery of speech and language assessments, as well as assessments of expressive and receptive prosody and ToM abilities. The majority of the children with HFA continue to show expressive and receptive language impairments, with expressive language ability continuing to be the most impaired language skill, mirroring results at Time point 1. Children with HFA are developing language along the same, but delayed, developmental trajectory as children with typical development. Strong growth was noted on prosodic ability within structured tasks, as measured by the total score on the prosody assessment, as compared to verbal-age matched typically developing children. The statistical gap that was present between groups in the earlier study no longer remains. However, children with HFA continue to perform worse on the understanding and use of contrastive stress. Children who showed atypical sounding expressive prosody in conversational speech in the earlier study continue to do so in the follow-up. Children with HFA are developing early ToM abilities with the same developmental progress as typically developing children, but at a chronological age approximately seven years behind. However, children with HFA struggle with second-order ToM tasks. Results show that language, prosody and ToM abilities are highly correlated. Prosody and ToM show a relationship independent of language ability. Implications of these findings to theoretical understanding, future research, as well as to speech and language assessment and intervention are presented.
Language interaction in the bilingual acquisition of sound structure: a longitudinal study of vowel quality, duration and vocal effort in pre-school children speaking Scottish English and Russian.
(Queen Margaret University, 2006) Gordeeva, Olga
This PhD thesis contributes new empirical knowledge to the question of what paths bilingual acquisition of sound structure can take in early simultaneous bilinguals. The issues of language differentiation and interaction are considered in their relationship to language input, crosslinguistic structure and longitudinal effects. Two Russian-Scottish English subjects aged between 3;4 and 4;5 were recorded longitudinally. Russian was spoken in their families, and Scottish English in the community (Edinburgh, UK). The family environments were similar, but one subject had received substantially more input in Russian than the other one. We addressed the detail of their production of prominent syllable-nuclear vowels in Scottish English and in Russian with regard to their vowel quality, duration and vocal effort. Language differentiation and interaction patterns were derived by accounting for the language mode, and by statistical comparison of the crosslinguistic structures to the speech of monolingual peers (n=7) and adults (n=14). Subjects' bilingual results revealed both substantial language differentiation and systematic language interaction patterns. The extent of language differentiation and directionality of interaction depended on the amount of language exposure. Its directionality did not necessarily depend on the markedness of the crosslinguistic structures, and could be bi-directional for the same properties. Longitudinally, language differentiation increased, while interaction reduced. The amount of reduction depended on both language input and the structural complexity of the languages with segmental tense/lax contract and complex postvocalic vowel duration conditioning showing more persistent language interaction effects. The results confirmed the importance of language input. We showed that in bilingual phonological development language interaction should be considered as a normal but non-obligatory process. Besides, some structurally complex processes potentially explainable by 'markedness' (applied to isolated segments) could rather be explained by lexical and phonotactic factors.
MEASURING PRE-SPEECH ARTICULATION
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Palo, Pertti
Abstract: What do speakers do when they start to talk? This thesis concentrates on the articulatory aspects of this problem, and offers methodological and experimental results on tongue movement, captured using Ultrasound Tongue Imaging (UTI). Speech initiation occurs at the start of every utterance. An understanding of the timing relationship between articulatory initiation (which occurs first) and acoustic initiation (that is, the start of audible speech) has implications for speech production theories, the methodological design and interpretation of speech production experiments, and clinical studies of speech production. Two novel automated techniques for detecting articulatory onsets in UTI data were developed based on Euclidean distance. The methods are verified against manually annotated data. The latter technique is based on a novel way of identifying the region of the tongue that is first to initiate movement. Data from three speech production experiments are analysed in this thesis. The first experiment is picture naming recorded with UTI and is used to explore behavioural variation at the beginning of an utterance, and to test and develop analysis tools for articulatory data. The second experiment also uses UTI recordings, but it is specifically designed to exclude any pre-speech movements of the articulators which are not directly related to the linguistic content of the utterance itself (that is, which are not expected to be present in every full repetition of the utterance), in order to study undisturbed speech initiation. The materials systematically varied the phonetic onsets of the monosyllabic target words, and the vowel nucleus. They also provided an acoustic measure of the duration of the syllable rhyme. Statistical models analysed the timing relationships of articulatory onset, and acoustic durations of the sound segments, and the acoustic duration of the rhyme. Finally, to test a discrepancy between the results of the second UTI experiment and findings in the literature, based on data recorded with Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA), a third experiment measured a single speaker using both methods and matched materials. Using the global Pixel Difference and Scanline-based Pixel Difference analysis methods developed and verified in the first half of the thesis, the main experimental findings were as follows. First, pre-utterance silent articulation is timed in inverse correlation with the acoustic duration of the onset consonant and in positive correlation with the acoustic rhyme of the first word. Because of the latter correlation, it should be considered part of the first word. Second, comparison of UTI and EMA failed to replicate the discrepancy. Instead, EMA was found to produce longer reaction times independent of utterance type.
PAUSING MID-SENTENCE: YOUNG OFFENDER PERSPECTIVES ON THEIR LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION NEEDS
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Fitzsimons, Dermot
The study investigated participants’ perceptions of their own language and communication; their interactions with peers in prison; and their experiences with professionals in the welfare and justice systems. The prevalence of language disorder in the sample was also established. International research evidence has firmly established a high prevalence of language disorder in young offender populations. Less is known about young offenders’ perspectives on their own language abilities. The study recruited an opportunity sample of ten young men in custody at Polmont HMYOI who had recent experience of removal from association, or ‘segregation’. The research investigated participants’ language and communication abilities in order to inform future support and intervention. It focused on their communication with professionals and peers in justice, education and welfare settings. Results of standardised language assessment indicated the presence of language disorder in 44% (n=4) of the sample (n=9). Informal justice vocabulary assessment results showed an unexpectedly high mean score of 85%. Thematic analysis of interview data led to formulation of three main themes. These were categorised as: Valuing Communication, Literacy and Learning; Exerting Control; and Seeking Support. The themes are discussed with reference to Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model. Participants offered reflective and rich views on their lived experience. They described their perspectives on: the antecedents of communication breakdown in prison; features of successful interaction with peers and authority figures; and a need for support in all justice environments, particularly in the court setting. Thus, this study makes a contribution to knowledge through adding to an emerging qualitative evidence base within Speech and Language Therapy.
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF ACOUSTIC VOICE ANALYSIS USING SMARTPHONE RECORDINGS FOR CLINICAL AND REMOTE ASSESSMENT
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2025-05) Jannetts, Stephen
This thesis addresses the critical need for reliable and accessible methods to assess and monitor vocal health, particularly among occupational voice users and patients accessing speech and language therapy remotely. Traditional clinical methods, including patient self-reports and acoustic analyses conducted during isolated visits, provide only limited snapshots of vocal health, often missing daily fluctuations essential for long-term well-being. Leveraging advancements in smartphone technology, which offers sophisticated audio processing and widespread accessibility, this research explores the feasibility and clinical utility of smartphone-based acoustic voice analysis. The research comprises four comprehensive studies. Studies 1, 1b and 1c evaluate the reliability of acoustic measurements obtained from four smartphone models compared to a professional studio microphone in a controlled environment. Results indicate that measures such as cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), harmonics-tonoise ratio (HNR), long-term average spectrum (LTAS) slope, and glottal noise excitation ratio (GNE) demonstrate acceptable random error, suggesting that smartphones can reliably capture these parameters under controlled conditions. Study 2 validates the use of loudspeakers to transmit pre-recorded voice signals for acoustic analysis. The study finds minimal systematic bias and acceptable random errors, particularly for reading passages, affirming the reliability of loudspeaker transmitted recordings for standardised voice assessments. Study 3 assesses the validity and reliability of smartphones in field environments, comparing their performance to a studio-grade reference microphone. Higher-end smartphones, such as the iPhone 6s, reliably capture fundamental frequency (F0), CPPS, LTAS slope, and GNE, although shimmer and jitter measures exhibit significant variability. Study 4 investigates the impact of ambient noise on smartphone recordings, revealing that spectral measures remain stable, while parameters like shimmer and jitter are adversely affected by background noise. This underscores the necessity for controlled recording environments or robust noise mitigation strategies in real-world applications. Overall, this thesis demonstrates that smartphones hold significant potential for remote and real-time vocal health monitoring, particularly when focused on specific acoustic measures and controlled recording conditions. The findings contribute to the development of standardised protocols, enhancing the integration of smartphone technology into clinical voice assessment and telehealth services.
Single-route and dual-route approaches to reading aloud difficulties associated with dysphasia.
(Queen Margaret University, 1999) Mack, S. K.
The study of reading aloud is currently informed by two main types of theory: modular dual-route and connectionist single-route. One difference between then theories is the type of word classification system which they favour. Dual-route theory employs the regular-irregular dichotomy of classification, whereas single-route considers body neighbourhoods to be a more informative approach. This thesis explores the reading aloud performance of a group of people with dysphasia from the two theoretical standpoints by employing a specifically prepared set of real and pseudoword stimuli. As well as being classified according to regularity and body neighbourhood, all the real word stimuli were controlled for frequency. The pseudowords were divided into two groups, common pseudowords and pseudohomophones, and classified according to body neighbourhood. There were two main phases to the study. In the first phase, the stimuli were piloted and the response time performances of a group of people with dysphasia and a group of matcehd control people were compared. In the second phase, a series of tasks was developed to investigate which means of word classification best explained the visual lexical decision and reading aloud performance of people with dysphasia. The influence of word knowledge was also considered. The data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis of the number of errors made indicated that classification of items by body neighbourhood and frequency provided the more comprehensive explanation of the data. Investigation of the types of errors that were made did not find a significant relationship between word type and error type, but again the results indicated that the influence of frequency and body neighbourhood was stronger than that of regularity. The findings are discussed both in terms of their implications for the two theories of reading aloud and their relevance to clinical practice.