Speech and Hearing Sciences
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Item The effects of English proficiency on the processing of Bulgarian-accented English by Bulgarian-English bilinguals(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Dokovova, MarieThis 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, proficiencyItem MEASURING PRE-SPEECH ARTICULATION(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Palo, PerttiAbstract: 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.Item THE AUDITORY BRAINSTEM RESPONSE IN HEALTHY ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE SYNDROME(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2018) Johnson, ChristineThe 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.Item AN ARTICULATORY-ACOUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF TIMING AND COORDINATION IN THE FLUENT SPEECH OF PEOPLE WHO STAMMER(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Heyde, CorneliaThis 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.Item PAUSING MID-SENTENCE: YOUNG OFFENDER PERSPECTIVES ON THEIR LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION NEEDS(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2019) Fitzsimons, DermotThe 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.Item Visualising articulation: real-time ultrasound visual biofeedback and visual articulatory models and their use in treating speech sound disorders associated with submucous cleft palate(2018) Roxburgh, ZoeBackground: Ultrasound Tongue Imaging (UTI) is growing increasingly popular for assessing and treating Speech Sound Disorders (SSDs) and has more recently been used to qualitatively investigate compensatory articulations in speakers with cleft palate (CP). However, its therapeutic application for speakers with CP remains to be tested. A different set of developments, Visual Articulatory Models (VAMs), provide an offline dynamic model with context for lingual patterns. However, unlike UTI, they do not provide real-time biofeedback. Commercially available VAMs, such as Speech Trainer 3D, are available on iDevices, yet their clinical application remains to be tested. Aims: This thesis aims to test the diagnostic use of ultrasound, and investigate the effectiveness of both UTI and VAMs for the treatment of SSDs associated with submucous cleft palate (SMCP). Method: Using a single-subject multiple baseline design, two males with repaired SMCP, Andrew (aged 9;2) and Craig (aged 6;2), received six assessment sessions and two blocks of therapy, following a motor-based therapy approach, using VAMs and UTI. Three methods were used to measure therapy outcomes. Firstly, percent target consonant correct scores, derived from phonetic transcriptions provide outcomes comparable to those used in typical practice. Secondly, a multiplephonetically trained listener perceptual evaluation, using a two-alternative multiple forced choice design, to measure listener agreement provides a more objective measure. Thirdly, articulatory analysis, using qualitative and quantitative measures provides an additional perspective able to reveal covert errors. Results and Conclusions: There was overall improvement in the speech for both speakers, with a greater rate of change in therapy block one (VAMs) and listener agreement in the perceptual evaluation. Articulatory analysis supplemented phonetic transcriptions and detected covert articulations and covert contrast as well as supporting the improvements in auditory outcome scores. Both VAMs and UTI show promise as a clinical tool for the treatment of SSDs associated with CP.Item The relationship between language skills, social cognition and externalising behaviour in Primary school aged boys(Queen Margaret University, 2010) Mackie, LeilaThere is evidence of a high incidence of language difficulties (LD) amongst boys with externalising behaviour (EB); however we still have little understanding about why they co-occur. This 3 part study investigates aspects of this relationship framed within a biopsychosocial model and with a focus on pragmatic language skills and social cognition. Firstly, this study seeks to replicate recent research that has indicated a close association between pragmatic language skills and EB. It is the first study to consider the strength of this association while controlling for other variables known to commonly co-occur with LD and EB: aspects of the child's ability (word decoding and nonverbal cognitive skills), and aspect of their environment (parenting stress, maternal education and family set up). Secondly, this study furthers our understanding of the social cognitive and friendship skills of boys with LD, in both areas through investigating reasons for variance in ability. A better understanding of an LD population feeds into our understanding of EB due to the high proportion of boys with EB who have coexisting LD. Thirdly, this study measures social cognition of boys EB while accounting for the role of LD, thus investigating whether difficulty with these tests is associated with the high rate of LD in this population. Previous studies have not adequately considered this. Method: Boys aged 8 to 11 years receiving additional support in school were assessed for LD and EB and two groups (not mutually exclusive) were identified: boys with LD (n=31) and boys with EB (n=35). A control group of typically developing boys matched for age and SES were also identified (n=42). For part one, participants completed assessments of language skills, word decoding and non-verbal cognitive ability. Teachers completed a checklist to provide a measure of pragmatic language skills. Parents completed questionnaires to provide measures of parenting stress, family set-up and maternal education. For the second and third part of the study participants' social cognition was assessed and parent and teachers completed a checklist for measurement of emotional and behavioural difficulties including friendship skills. Results and discussion: In the first part of this study, all variables measured were found to be significantly associated with EB, as would be expected within a biopsychosocial model in which many factors interact with each other in the development of EB. However, particularly close associations were found between pragmatic language skills and EB (replicating previous research in this area), followed by language skills. This indicates a close and specific association between communication skills and EB, even when other closely associated variables are accounted for. In part two, amongst boys with LD, different social cognition assessments were found to be associated with different aspects of communication skills. One was most closely associated with structural (particularly expressive) language and the other two with pragmatic language. This indicates that they are tapping different constructs and highlights the difficulty using a proxy to give an indicator of social cognition; it is not easy to assess. Variability in friendship skills of boys with LD was not associated with any aspect of communication skills. Significant correlations were found with two of the social cognition test scores only. This is at variance with research indicating a link between friendship and receptive language skills. In part 3, the EB group scored significantly lower than the Control group in tests of social cognition, however EB was not found to be linked with social cognition score. Only boys with LD (with or without EB) scored significantly lower than the Control group. This has implications for previous research into the social cognition of boys with EB which has not fully considered the high proportion with LD and the extent this may be contributing to their low social cognition scores. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.Item Speech and Prosody in developmental disorders: Autism and Down's Syndrome(Queen Margaret University, 2010) Cleland, JoanneLanguage impairment is a key characteristic of many developmental disorders, with the relationship between linguistic and cognitive ability a critical topic for research in this field. Speech (articulation and phonology) and prosody have largely been absent from these discussions, perhaps because they are not universally impaired. The portfolio of published research critically appraised here addresses the relationships between speech and prosody and other domains, such as language and cognition, in two conditions in which disordered speech is common: primarily at the suprasegmental level in autism and at the segmental level in Down’s syndrome. Speech disorders were found in both conditions, though speech was much more severely impaired in Down’s syndrome. Errors were typically categorised as delayed phonological processes, implying a linguistic cause. However, through fine phonetic transcription and instrumental techniques it was shown that both conditions also presented with distortions that were more phonetic in nature and with non-developmental errors. Severity of speech disorder was not related to cognitive or linguistic ability as measured by standardised assessments, suggesting that a generalised delay in language or cognition was not the cause of disordered speech. In autism minor delays and distortions may be due to a lack of ability to identify with peers and impaired theory of mind, whereas in Down’s syndrome anatomical differences and difficulty with motor planning are likely causes. Both linguistic and paralinguistic prosody were found to be disordered in children with autism and correlations with linguistic ability were found. However, disordered prosody is more likely to be due to impaired theory of mind or weak central coherence than a result of delayed language. Both autism and Down’s syndrome present with speech that is disordered rather than simply delayed and this is unlikely to be due to delayed language, suggesting that specific, targeted intervention may be warranted.Item Ultrasound and acoustic analysis of lingual movement in teenagers with childhood apraxia of speech, control adults and typically developing children(Queen Margaret University, 2010) Kocjancic, TanjaChildhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a neurological motor speech disorder affecting spatiotemporal planning of speech movements. Speech characteristics of CAS are still not well defined and the main aim of this thesis was to reveal them by analysing acoustic and articulatory data obtained by ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound recording provided temporal and articulatory measurement of duration of syllables and segments, amount and rate of tongue movement over the syllables and observation of the patterns of tongue movement. Data was provided by three teenagers with CAS and two control groups, one of ten typically developing children and the other of ten adults. Results showed that, as a group, speakers with CAS differed from the adults but not from the typically developing children in syllable duration and in rate of tongue movement. They did not differ from either of the control groups in amount of tongue movement. Individually, speakers with CAS showed similar or even greater consistency on these features than the control speakers but displayed different abilities to adapt them to changes in the syllable structure. While all three adapted syllable duration and rate of tongue movement in the adult-like way, only two showed mature adaptation of segment durations and of the amount of tongue movement. Observing patterns of tongue movement showed that speakers with CAS produce different patterns than speakers in the control groups but are at the same time, like adults, very stable in their articulations. Also, speakers with CAS may move their tongues less in the oral space than speakers in the control groups. The differences between the control groups were similar to those found in previous studies. The results provide support for the validity of the methods used, new information about CAS and a promising direction for future research in differential diagnostic and therapy procedures.Item Articulatory characteristics of sibilant production in young people with Down's syndrome(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2014) Timmins, ClaireSpeech 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.