Prosodic features, self-monitoring, and dysfluency in native and non-native Mandarin speech
This study explores the relationship between the prosodic features for time delay, self-monitoring in speech production, and perceived dysfluency. In this study, twenty native and non-native speakers of Chinese took a speech test. Each speech was transcribed, prosodic features were assigned symbols, and the coding system traced self-monitoring. An additional twenty-eight native speakers assessed the fluency of the speech samples, and then the researcher matched assessment results with symbols and coding, and analyzed them. The results indicate that uh/um and self-monitoring influence perceived dysfluency in most cases while other prosodic features do not; that the filled pause in non-native speech is a salient feature of perceived dysfluency; and how a dysfluency is perceived. The study also finds the native speakers’ perception bias.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1What is fluency?
- 1.2What is studied?
- 1.3Assessment of fluency
- 1.3.1Analysis of production
- 1.3.2Perception assessment
- 1.3.3Some terms used in the production analysis
- 2.Methodology
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Procedure
- 2.3Analysis
- 2.3.1Transcription
- 2.3.2Counting and coding system
- 3.Results
- 3.1Global score and local dysfluency number: highly correlated
- 3.2The relationship between prosodic features/self-monitoring and perceived dysfluency
- 3.2.1How many prosodic features or self-monitorings are produced when dysfluencies are perceived?
- 3.2.2How many dysfluencies are perceived when a specific feature is produced?
- 3.2.3Feature combinations and perceived dysfluencies
- 3.2.4In which cases do prosodic features and self-monitoring influence fluency?
- 3.2.4.1Analysis of silent pause
- 3.2.4.2Analysis of filled pause
- 3.2.4.3Analysis of self-monitoring
- 4.Discussion
- 4.1NS perceptual bias
- 4.2How do prosodic features and self-monitoring influence perceived fluency?
- 4.3Comparison between NS and NNS
- 5.Conclusion
- 6.Pedagogical implications
- Acknowledgements
-
References
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