Dynamic specification of vowels in Hijazi Arabic.

Research on various languages shows that dynamic approaches to vowel acoustics - in particular Vowel-Inherent Spectral Change (VISC) - can play a vital role in characterising and classifying monophthongal vowels compared with a static model. This study's aim was to investigate whether dynamic cues also allow for better description and classification of the Hijazi Arabic (HA) vowel system, a phonological system based on both temporal and spectral distinctions. Along with static and dynamic F1 and F2 patterns, we evaluated the extent to which vowel duration, F0, and F3 contribute to increased/decreased discriminability among vowels. Data were collected from 20 native HA speakers (10 females and 10 males) producing eight HA monophthongal vowels in a word list with varied consonantal contexts. Results showed that dynamic cues provide further insights regarding HA vowels that are not normally gleaned from static measures alone. Using discriminant analysis, the dynamic cues (particularly the seven-point model) had relatively higher classification rates, and vowel duration was found to play a significant role as an additional cue. Our results are in line with dynamic approaches and highlight the importance of looking beyond static cues and beyond the first two formants for further insights into the description and classification of vowel systems.

Promoting early language development in the Arab world and Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 10 and 17.

PURPOSE: This commentary describes a multi-national project which addresses gaps in the design and delivery of health and education services in Arabic-speaking countries in relation to early language development, with a focus on Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. This includes: (1) co-production with early years professionals and NGOs of approaches to support early language development; (2) development and standardisation of tools to identify monolingual and multilingual Arabic-speaking children at risk of poor language development; and (3) examination of language development in refugee communities. RESULT: The importance of inter-professional partnership and the inclusion of families in planning support for oral language development is highlighted. Arabic versions of the Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) Toddler were developed, and data collected from 1074 Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian monolingual infants aged 8-30 months. Data from 201 age-matched Palestinian infants in Lebanese refugee camps highlight inequalities resulting from limited maternal educational opportunities. Data from 230 multilingual Lebanese 2-year-olds enable the interpretation of CDI scores as a function of language exposure. CONCLUSION: This work contributes to the promotion of robust language development for all Arabic-speaking children. This commentary focusses on sustainable development goal (SDG) 3, SDG 4, SDG 10 and SDG 17.

Does the duration and frequency of dummy (pacifier) use affect the development of speech?

BACKGROUND: The current literature suggests a link between dummy (or pacifier) use and a number of both positive and detrimental consequences. Positive consequences include soothing effect and protection from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), while negative ones include increased risk of otitis media and dental malformation. However, there is little research surrounding the impact of dummy use on the development of speech sounds. AIMS: To investigate whether duration (in number of months) and frequency per day of dummy use have an individual or combined effect on the development of a child's speech, and if so, in what way. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A total of 100 British-English children aged 24-61 months and growing up in the UK were recruited through nurseries, playgroups and by word of mouth. Their parents were asked to complete a questionnaire about the duration and frequency of dummy use and factors known to influence the development of speech. Following this, the children's speech was assessed using the phonology section of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP). Analysis of the DEAP was conducted to determine the percentage of consonants correct, number of age-appropriate, delayed and atypical errors. Dummy use and speech outcome measures were then analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using mean and median group comparisons alongside multivariate generalized least squares and generalized negative binomial modelling approaches to test for significant associations. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The results showed that the majority of speech outcomes are not significantly associated with dummy use, however measured, in bivariate or multivariate analyses. However, there is a significant association between increased atypical errors and greater frequency of daytime dummy use. This association is strengthened by restricted sampling within the younger members of the sample, with this association not observable within children older than 38 months, the median sample age. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The evidence base for any effects of dummy use on speech is very small. Dummy use may increase the number of atypical speech errors a young child makes. However, only the frequency of daytime use seems relevant, not the duration or night-time use, and these errors may resolve over time. What this paper adds What is already known on this subject The use of a dummy with infants in Western countries is comparatively high (between 36-85%). A number of positive and detrimental consequences of dummy use have been documented in the literature; however, research on the effect of dummy use on speech development is significantly lacking. Past studies have included small sample sizes or used single measures of speech outcomes, which may not be specific enough to reveal how speech may be affected. Many speech and language therapists speculate that the use of a dummy could be contributing to many of the conditions they treat, yet this claim remains largely unsubstantiated. Clinical implications of this study The study suggests that only prolonged use of a dummy over several hours and during the day may start to show any impact on speech; even then, professionals need to be aware that the evidence base for any speech effects is very small. Clinicians and other professionals who parents consult on dummy use should make sure to provide both the pros and cons of dummy use, in order to enable parents to make an informed decision.

Static and dynamic cues in vowel production in Hijazi Arabic.

Static cues such as formant measurements obtained at the vowel midpoint are usually taken as the main correlate for vowel identification. However, dynamic cues such as vowel-inherent spectral change have been shown to yield better classification of vowels using discriminant analysis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of static versus dynamic cues in Hijazi Arabic (HA) vowel classification, in addition to vowel duration and F3, which are not usually looked at. Data from 12 male HA speakers producing eight HA vowels in /hVd/ syllables were obtained, and classification accuracy was evaluated using discriminant analysis. Dynamic cues, particularly the three-point model, had higher classification rates (average 95.5%) than the remaining models (static model: 93.5%; other dynamic models: between 65.75% and 94.25%). Vowel duration had a significant role in classification accuracy (average +8%). These results are in line with dynamic approaches to vowel classification and highlight the relative importance of cues such as vowel duration across languages, particularly where it is prominent in the phonology.

Nasalisation in the Production of Iraqi Arabic Pharyngeals.

AIM: This paper presents the auditory and acoustic investigations of pharyngeal consonants in Iraqi Arabic (IA). While the contested place and manner of articulation of these sounds have been the subject of investigation in many studies, the focus here is novel: we set out to investigate the extent to which pharyngeals in IA are accompanied by auditory nasalisation and how widespread the effect is across oral and nasal contexts. METHODS: Auditory and acoustic properties of nasalization, as produced by nine male speakers of IA, were investigated in target words with oral, nasal, and pharyngeal environments. RESULTS: When combined with oral consonants, pharyngeals exhibit little or no nasalisation; however, when pharyngeal are combined with nasals, they exhibit various degrees of nasalisation, sometimes beyond what is found for a nasal environment alone. This is especially so for voiced pharyngeals, which display more nasalisation than their voiceless counterparts. A principle component analysis combining all the acoustic correlates examined demonstrates a definite contribution of pharyngeals to the presence of nasalisation. CONCLUSION: The epilaryngeal constriction and variability in the articulation of pharyngeals are thought to be responsible for the nasalisation effect and may act as potential drivers for sound change in IA pharyngeals.

Acoustic cue weighting in the singleton vs geminate contrast in Lebanese Arabic: The case of fricative consonants.

This paper is the first reported investigation of the role of non-temporal acoustic cues in the singleton-geminate contrast in Lebanese Arabic, alongside the more frequently reported temporal cues. The aim is to explore the extent to which singleton and geminate consonants show qualitative differences in a language where phonological length is prominent and where moraic structure governs segment timing and syllable weight. Twenty speakers (ten male, ten female) were recorded producing trochaic disyllables with medial singleton and geminate fricatives preceded by phonologically short and long vowels. The following acoustic measures were applied on the medial fricative and surrounding vowels: absolute duration; intensity; fundamental frequency; spectral peak and shape, dynamic amplitude, and voicing patterns of medial fricatives; and vowel quality and voice quality correlates of surrounding vowels. Discriminant analysis and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess each acoustic cue's contribution to the singleton-geminate contrast. Classification rates of 89% and ROC curves with an area under the curve rate of 96% confirmed the major role played by temporal cues, with non-temporal cues contributing to the contrast but to a much lesser extent. These results confirm that the underlying contrast for gemination in Arabic is temporal, but highlight [+tense] (fortis) as a secondary feature.

The contested fifth liquid in Malayalam: a window into the lateral-rhotic relationship in Dravidian languages.

Apart from Tamil, Malayalam is the only Dravidian language that still retains a fifth liquid in its inventory (denoted as /ʐ/), a sound that can be traced back to Proto-Dravidian. The phonetic and phonological status of this sound has been the subject of considerable debate, both in terms of its rhotic versus lateral status and its phonetic realisation. Studies to date have been impressionistic, so this is the first acoustic study of all five liquids in Malayalam. Production data from 8 male speakers reveal that while /ʐ/ is realised as a central post-alveolar approximant, its ambiguous phonotactic patterning and mixed acoustic profile are contributors to its mixed identity. An understanding of the complex patterning of this sound, which straddles the rhotic/lateral divide, requires an appreciation of the role of secondary acoustic resonance in distinguishing members of a crowded liquid system and in preventing a /ʐ/-/ɭ/ merger.