Phonetics and Phonology Commons^™

Social And Structural Factors In The Development Of Baltimore's Low Back Vowels, Aidan J. Malanoski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is concerned with the low back vowels of Baltimore English: what low back systems occur, and how these systems have changed among Black and white Baltimoreans. I draw on two sources of data: 48 interviews that I conducted with natives of Baltimore and its inner suburbs, and 18 oral history interviews that were conducted from 1978 to 1981. In Chapter 3, I argue for the inclusion of the pre-rhotic sets START and NORTH in typologies of English low back vowels. With these sets included, several previously unattested low back systems are found in Baltimore. These are united by …

Lengua, Conocimiento Y Continuidad Cultural: Contextos De La Educación Avanzada Del Maya Kaqchikel, José Israel Herrera

Journal of Maya Heritage

Resumen. La revitalización de las lenguas indígenas ha dejado de concebirse exclusivamente como una estrategia de preservación lingüística para convertirse en un campo de reflexión sobre la continuidad de los sistemas de conocimiento, las pedagogías comunitarias y la diversidad epistémica. En este contexto, el presente ensayo analiza Kik'aslemal ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook como una propuesta educativa que trasciende la enseñanza avanzada del idioma kaqchikel para constituirse en un modelo de producción comunitaria del conocimiento. A partir del diálogo con la literatura sobre epistemologías indígenas, antropología lingüística y revitalización lingüística, se sostiene que la organización temática …

Folk Phonetics: A Case Study, Geoffrey S. Nathan, Margaret E. Winters

English Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

The Acquisition Of English Vowel Contrasts By Brazilian Portuguese Speakers: A Study Of Brazilian Au Pairs In The U.S., Fernanda Lourenco Da Silva

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous research has shown that second language vowel acquisition is influenced by linguistic and experiential factors, particularly for contrasts that do not exist in the learner’s first language. The present study investigated the acquisition of English vowel contrasts by Brazilian Portuguese speakers in a naturalistic immersion context, focusing on the /ɛ–æ/ and /i–ɪ/ contrasts. A total of N = 11 Brazilian au pairs or former au pairs living in the United States participated in the study. Data were collected through a quasi-longitudinal framework with pre-arrival and post-arrival speech recordings, a perception task, and a social background questionnaire. Production was analyzed …

English Diphthongs For English Learners: The Same, But Different, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

In any language, diphthongs need to be reckoned with, but teaching diphthongs to learners of English as a new language requires greater insight and special skills. In this column, we take a look at English diphthongs, why they matter, and how they might be best handled when teaching English language learners.

Introduction To Phonology Ling 323, Ibrahim Abu Elrob

Open Educational Resources

The sound system of languages and underlying representation of the sound structure and lexicon. Analysis of data from different languages; investigation of the differences and similarities in the sound systems of different languages. Exploration of language universals.

Phonetic Attrition As An Outcome Of L1-L2 Phonetic Interaction: Effects Of L2 Exposure In Arabic-English Bilinguals, Dema Smadi

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how length of second language (L2) exposure shapes the phonetic relationship between the first language (L1) and the L2 in adult Arabic-English bilinguals. Focusing on the production of voiced stops /b/ and /d/, the study examines how L1 Arabic and L2 English interact within a shared phonetic system and how this interaction develops as a function of increasing L2 exposure. Building on the Speech Learning Model and its revised version (SLM, SLM-r), the study adopts a relational perspective in which L1 and L2 are not treated as independent systems, but as dynamically interacting components of a shared …

Phonology, Geoffrey S. Nathan

English Faculty Research Publications

This paper explores the ways in which phonology is both structured by the same principles as other aspects of language but is also different, because the interaction between the substance of phonology and the human bodies used to produce and perceive it are much more tightly integrated than is the case with the structures of words, sentences and other aspects of language. Cognitive Grammar holds that the structure of language is abstracted from its use (the theory is ‘usage-based’), and this has resulted in views of the nature of language that differ radically from the dominant generative paradigm. However, the …

Training Aba Service Providers To Use Phonemic Transcription: A Comparison Of Two Alphabets, Kristin Marie Albert

Theses and Dissertations

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) service providers regularly develop speech and shape articulation when working with minimally vocal children with autism. However, these providers usually have not received training in related subject areas as part of their certification coursework. This results in a gap between their scopes of competence and practice. The present study aimed to lessen this gap by training ABA service providers to take phonemic transcription. The author, in consultation with a speech-language pathologist, developed and implemented a computer-based programmed instruction training package. Studies 1 and 2 employed a concurrent multiple-probe design with an embedded adapted alternating treatments design …

Ethnobotanical Surveys And Morphological Analysis Of Medicinal Plant Names In Lɔ́Mɔngo (Lomongo) C60 At The Elandisha Mavaolo Protected Area In Northeastern Democratic Republic Of Congo, Jean-Baptiste Grodya Musafiri, Jean-Bosco Njango Ngonda, Reddy Shutcha Ehata, Charles Kumbatulu Sita, Chrispina Alphonce, Helene B. Mavar Manga Sodila

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The aim of this research is to contribute to the documentation of Lomongo, a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In this study, we focused on two morphological aspects of medicinal plant names in Lomongo: nominal morphology and morpho-syntax. To collect data, we engaged with two categories of informants: primary informants (traditional healers) and secondary informants (native Lomongo speakers). Ethnobotanical and ethnolinguistic surveys were conducted in the “Elandisha” Mavaolo area through participant observation, semi-structured interview guides, audio recordings, and photographs. The plants identified were documented in situ with the assistance of botanists from "Matiti-Lisanga," an interdisciplinary …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

From Canterbury To The Conference: Chaucer’S First 18 Lines Reborn, Charles X. Li, Tony Liang, Anika Saphiloff

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Charles X. Li, PhD

This presentation examines the phonological shift from Chaucerian Middle English to Modern English, focusing on the Great English Vowel Shift. Using the first eighteen lines of Chaucer’s “General Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales as a case study, we demonstrate how vowel sounds in Middle English transitioned to those in Early Modern and Modern English. By analyzing specific words from these opening lines, we illustrate the vowel changes that marked the shift and their impact on pronunciation. Our presentation will conclude with a recitation of Chaucer’s first eighteenth lines, intertwined couplet by couplet by their …

From Old English Genitives To Modern English Possessives: Tracing Grammar Evolution Through Biogrammar And Grammatical Biology, Charles X. Li

Journal of the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression

Project Mentor(s): Charles X. Li, PhD

This paper presents a biologically grounded and historically informed framework, Biogrammar, as a means to explain grammatical evolution and cognitive processing. It compares Biogrammar with two foundational theories in the study of language: the Nature-Nurture Hypothesis and Chomsky’s Universal Grammar. As a case study, the paper examines the historical evolution of English plural and genitive constructions, focusing on morphological developments such as the -as/-es mergers, his-genitives, group genitives, and the rise of the of + noun phrase pattern. These diachronic changes are interpreted as evidence of grammar functioning as a biologically adaptive system shaped …

Iconicity As An Organizing Principle Of The Lexicon, Erin E. Campbell, Zed Sevcikova Sehyr, Elana Pontecorvo, Ariel Cohen-Goldberg, Karen Emmorey, Naomi Caselli

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

The view that words are arbitrary is a foundational assumption about language, used to set human languages apart from nonhuman communication. We present here a study of the alignment between the semantic and phonological structure (systematicity) of American Sign Language (ASL), and for comparison, two spoken languages—English and Spanish. Across all three languages, words that are semantically related are more likely to be phonologically related, highlighting systematic alignment between word form and word meaning. Critically, there is a significant effect of iconicity (a perceived physical resemblance between word form and word meaning) on this alignment: words are most likely to …

Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration Of Bilingual Trauma Expressions, Amira Mahmoud Othman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with …

La Historia Externa Del Español Hasta La Reconquista, Alicia Westmoreland

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper talks about the romance language, Spanish, which evolved from Vulgar Latin after the fall of the Roman Empire. Influenced by the Visigoths, Moors, and the Christian Reconquista, its linguistic development reflects centuries of cultural exchange. The Moors introduced Arabic vocabulary, while the Reconquista reinforced Castilian dominance. Despite external influences, Spanish retains a phonetic system closely linked to Latin. This essay examines Spanish’s historical linguistics, highlighting how conquests, migrations, and societal shifts shaped its evolution.

Cross-Linguistic Queerness: A Phonetic Study Of How Bilingual Mandarin-English Speakers Index A Sapphic Identity, Malena L. Sparano

Scripps Senior Theses

The comparative lack of research about Queer identities among speakers of other languages limits cross-linguistic and cross-cultural understanding of Queerness within an increasingly globalized community (Cameron and Kulick, 2003). Moreover, the focus on Monolingual, Western, men’s repertoires excludes important nuances that shape identities falling outside the heteropatriarchy, significantly neglecting Sapphic people and Lesbians (Leap, 2008). Sapphic identity helps broaden the scope of traditionally very gendered labeling, stemming from Zita’s (1981) definition as a person identifying as a woman/non-man and experiencing attraction to women or non-men. Bilingual research is key in understanding the specific roles of multivariable cultural and phonetic analysis …

Listening To Cursive: The Roles Of Regional Identity And Folk Beliefs In Perceptual Cue-Weighting, Stella Takvoryan

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Listeners use knowledge acquired from experiences to weight phonetic-level cues to phonological contrasts. Phonetic knowledge is imbued with expectations about the contexts in which cues covary, speakers of a variety, and identity categories or constructs, so it can be challenging to distinguish expectations about variation from expectations about speakers. This study aims to explore the extent that expectations about iconic vowel quality variation in Southern American Englishes can drive cue-weighting. Listeners categorized stimuli with vowel qualities synthesized from an [ɛ]-[eɪ] continuum from a Southern and a non-Southern talker, with duration manipulated in tandem. Half of the participants saw a label …

Production & Perception Of /S/ And Pitch Of Transgender Speakers, Connor J. Ryan

Honors Theses and Capstones

Linguistic research on how transgender speakers use speech traits commonly associated with gender, such as f0 and /s/, is still limited in scope. Past research has focused primarily on singular gender groups within the transgender community, particularly transmasculine speakers, leaving gaps in how speech differs among transgender speakers. Additionally, there has been little research on how transgender identity influences perception of gender in speech. Here, I use data from reading passages by fifteen university-age transgender speakers in New England to analyze variation in /s/ and f0 among transmasculine, transfeminine, nonbinary, and multigender speakers. I then performed a perception study using …

Do Deaf Readers Pre-Activate Phonology During Sentence Comprehension?, Danielle Moraga, Lauren Fillet, Eva Gutierrez-Sigut, Zed Sehyr

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Readers can use linguistic and contextual clues to predict upcoming words in a sentence. This predictive processing allows for more efficient recognition of upcoming words, particularly when the context of a sentence is predictable (Federmeier & Kutas, 1999; Metusalem et al., 2012). Evidence suggests that for hearing readers, preactivation of word semantics and phonology facilitates the recognition of upcoming words in a sentence (Ito et al., 2016). Readers who became deaf/hard-of-hearing before learning a language rely primarily on visual rather than auditory input, and it is unclear if they engage in similar predictive processes. The study aims to investigate the …