Download or read book A Comparative Acoustic Analysis of the Long Vowels and Diphthongs of Afrikaans and South African English written by Claude Pierre Prinsloo and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Comparative Acoustic Analysis of the Long Vowels and Diphtongs of Afrikaans and South African English written by Claude Pierre Prinsloo and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book An Acoustic Comparison of the Vowels and Diphthongs of First language and African Mother tongue South African English written by Janus Daniel Brink and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Speaker accent influences the accuracy of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems. Knowledge of accent based acoustic variations can therefore be used in the develop ment of more robust systems. This project investigates the differences between first language (L1) and second language (L2) English in South Africa with respect to vowels and diphthongs. The study is specifically aimed at L2 English speakers with a native African mother tongue, for instance speakers of isi-Zulu, isi-Xhosa, Tswana or South Sotho. The vowel systems of English and African languages, as described in the linguistic literature, are compared to predict the expected deviations of L2 South African English from L1. A number of vowels and diphthongs from L1 and L2 speakers are acoustically compared and the results are correlated with the linguistic predictions. The comparison is firstly made in formant space using the first three formants found using the Split Levinson algorithm. The L1 vowel centroids and diphthong trajectories in this three-dimensional space are then compared to their L2 counterparts using analysis of variance. The second analysis method is based on simple hidden Markov models (HMMs) using Mel-scaled cepstral features. Each HMM models a vowel or diphthong from one of the two speaker groups and analysis of variance is again used to compare the L1 and L2 HMMs. Significant differences are found in the vowel and diphthong qualities of the two language groups which supports the linguistically predicted effects such as vowel substitution, peripheralisation and changes in diphthong strength. The long-term goal of this project is to enable the adaptation of existing L1 English recognition systems to perform equally well on South African L2 English.

Download or read book South African English Pronunciation written by David Hopwood and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book English Sounds in South Africa written by J. F. Swanepoel and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Comparative Grammar of the South African Languages written by Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek and published by . This book was released on 1862 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book An Acoustic Investigation of English Vowels as Produced by English L1 and Setswana L1 Foundation Phase Learners written by Maria Le Roux and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 910 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis provides a literature review on various topics related to the aims of the research project. In the process of sketching the rationale of this study, the language-in-education policy (LiEP) of South Africa is examined. The reasons why this policy is not successful, is discussed. Emanating from this discussion, the low literacy scores amongst young learners in South Africa are described and possible reasons for this occurrence are cited (Howie, Van Staden, Tshele, Dowse, & Zimmerman, 2012). The hypothesis that perceptual and articulation training of the vowels of English would enhance young English second language (Setswana first language-speaking) learners? awareness of English vowels, is posited and defended by referring to previous research (Moats, 2007; Trehearne, 2011; Seeff-Gabriel, 2003). In addition, it is stated that increased knowledge of the vowel system of English will improve English second language (EL2) learners? literacy skills (Moats, 2007). In order to explain and discuss the results of the investigations into the literacy skills of the EL2 learners participating in this study, the notions of literacy acquisition, phonological awareness skills, and language acquisition and language learning are examined. The main aim of this study is to assess the effects of intervention on the auditory perception and articulatory skills of English second language-speaking (EL2) (Setswana L1-speaking) learners in Grade 3, in the production of the monophthongs and diphthongs of the standard variety of South African English, namely White South African English (WSAfE) (Bekker, 2009). The effects are determined by acoustically comparing the vowel spaces of the participants before and after intervention. Therefore, a discussion of acoustic concepts such as the vowel space and the parameters thereof are provided. In addition, the vowels of WSAfE, those of Black South African English (BSAE), and the vowels of Setswana are discussed and compared according to their acoustic features. The results of this quasi-experimental, comparative study indicate that the vowel spaces of the EL1 and EL2 participants differ markedly before intervention, especially when comparing those of the short and long monophthongs of English. After intervention, the vowel spaces of especially the Experimental group are seen to approximate those of the EL1 participants in the Norm group. Interesting findings concerning the central schwa vowels and the diphthongs were made. These indicate that young EL2 (Setswana L1-speaking) learners do not use BSAE, but use a new? variety of English that is closer to WSAfE (Mesthrie, 2008). Pertaining to the measurable sub-aims of this study, the phonological awareness skills and literacy skills of the participants are assessed and compared, before and after intervention. The improvement of the phonological awareness skills and literacy skills of the Experimental group, as well as the changes in the vowel spaces that are noted for this group, prove the hypothesis that intervention in the form of additional input concerning the English vowels will enhance second language learners? perception and articulation. This strengthens the opinion that second language learners need quality teaching of the sound system of the language of learning and teaching.

Download or read book The Way We Speak written by Len W. Lanham and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Comparative Grammar of South African Languages written by Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek and published by . This book was released on 1869 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Vowel Systems of African Englishes written by Mungai Mutonya and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book A Comparative Grammar of South African Languages written by Wilhelm-Heinrich-Immanuel Bleek and published by . This book was released on 1869 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Variation in New World English written by Erik R. Thomas and published by Sound & Meaning: The Roman Jak. This book was released on 2001 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Acoustic Analysis of Vowel Variation in New World English examines acoustical variations in vowel configurations in a wide variety of dialects of English found in the Western Hemisphere. While the work opens with an introduction on the methods and aims of the study, the following chapter immediately moves to a detailed discussion of distinctive vowel sounds called phonemes, characterizing each variant of sound listed within the cited reference literature. The remaining chapters provide explanatory descriptions of the variants of each dialect, reviewing past research specific to that dialect. While the United States English, Canadian English, and Caribbean varieties are featured in various chapters throughout the work, individual chapters are devoted to African-American, Mexican-American, and Native American English, emphasizing not only ethnic variation but delving into the historical development of each dialect. This monograph is an essential reference on vowel variation for all sociolinguists, phoneticians, phonologists, creolists, and historical linguists.

Download or read book A Comparative Phonology of Gbe written by Hounkpati B.C. Capo and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010-10-13 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Comparative Phonology of Gbe (Publications in African Languages and Linguistics, No 14).

Download or read book A Comparative Grammar Of The South African Languages written by Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This groundbreaking study of the South African languages offers a detailed and methodical examination of their phonology and concord systems. Drawing on a comparative approach, the author identifies key similarities and differences among the various languages, shedding new light on their linguistic structures and cultural contexts. With its meticulous research and insightful analysis, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the languages and cultures of southern Africa. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Download or read book A Comparative Study of the Phonological Systems of English and Wolof written by Boubakar Kane and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The vowel and diphthong system in scottish standard english written by Annett Gräfe and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2008-06-09 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, http://www.uni-jena.de/ (Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik), course: Local and Global Varieties of English, language: English, abstract: The paper analyzes the Scottish Standard English vowel and diphthong system and especially the application of Aitken's law and vowel lengthening before postvocalic /r/. The paper includes a brief history of the development of SSE, a detailed discussion of the SSE vowel and diphthong system, the analysis of speakers of SSE (using words from Well's lexical set), and a discussion of vowel lengthening in SSE. Scotland is a region where language experienced many changes in the historical development. A standard form of English has only been spoken there for roughly three centuries. Before English was established Celtic languages such as Gaelic and Old Norse were spoken in most of today’s Scotland. From the 14th century onwards a form of English deriving from a northern English accent was established in Scotland. This form was called Scots. Gaelic and Scots both survived until today. Especially Scots had a big influence on what today is called Scottish Standard English. Due to all the different historical developments and influences and a strong national consciousness and awareness the Scottish form of Standard English, which is “pronounced with a Scottish accent and retained a few scotticisms in vocabulary” (Wells 1995: 394), has attained a status quite unique amongst the English varieties. The special phonological system contributes largely to this uniqueness. In SSE one can find phonetic realizations found nowhere else in other accents of English. One such phenomenon is the variation of vowel duration according to the phonetic environment. The rule describing this special feature of Scottish speech is called Aitken’s Law or the Scottish Vowel Length Rule. This rule was depicted (cf. Trudgill and Hannah 1994, Hansen et al. 1996) as affecting all vowels except /I/ and /V/. Wells (1995: 401) talks about the possibility that the SVLR might only affect certain vowels for some speakers of SSE. Recent research by Scobbie et al. (1999), seems to confirm this notion for SSE in general. The aim of this paper is to give a general overview of the vowel and diphthong system of SSE followed by a discussion of the ‘classical’ SVLR and the results of the new research. This is going to be framed by short discussion of the historical development of the languages spoken in Scotland and by a final speculation of how Scottish speech is going to develop in the future.

Download or read book The Vowels of South African English written by Ian Bekker and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South African English -- SAE -- Vowels -- Vowel quality -- English pronunciation -- English accents -- Sociophonetics -- Phonetics -- Acoustic phonetics -- Acoustic analysis -- New-dialect formation -- Koin?eization -- Southern Hemisphere Englishes -- Diphthong shift -- Southern shift -- Indexicality.