Consonant mastery is one of the most widely used metrics of typical phonological acquisition and of phonological disorder. Two fundamental methodological questions concerning research on consonant acquisition are (1) how to elicit a representative sample of productions and (2) how to analyse this sample once it has been collected. This paper…

This paper examines the effectiveness of routinizing lexical phrases to a group of second language learners. A group of proficiency class students were drilled or routinized with semi-fixed and fixed phrases which are commonly used in problem-solving group discussion. Basic frequency counts and interview were carried out to see improvement in…

The purpose of this study was to provide information concerning the possible early effects of smoking on measures of respiratory capacity and control in young adult female smokers vs. nonsmokers. In particular, maximum performance test results (vital capacity and maximum phonation time) and measures of air pressures and airflows during voiceless,…

Purpose: To review the content and psychometric characteristics of 6 published tests currently available to aid in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of motor speech disorders in children. Method: We compared the content of the 6 tests and critically evaluated the degree to which important psychometric characteristics support the tests' use for…

The article compares use of two acoustical indexes, the Articulation Index and the Speech Transmission Index with both normal hearing and hearing impaired subjects and concludes that a hybrid index which takes the best features from each procedure is the best alternative presently available. (Author/DB)

In order to motivate university students to improve their English proficiency, the Hong Kong government decided to adopt a common exit English language test for all graduating students. In the process of selecting a suitable measure for this purpose, an empirical study with a sample of over 240 students was conducted to compare two English…

In the cosmetic tongue split operation, the anterior tongue blade is split along the midline of the tongue. The goal of this case study was to obtain preliminary data on speech and tongue motility in a participant who had performed this operation on himself. The participant underwent an articulation test and a tongue motility assessment, as well…

Purpose: The major purpose of this study was to provide information about expected spoken language skills of preschool-age children who are deaf and who use a cochlear implant. A goal was to provide "benchmarks" against which those skills could be compared, for a given age at implantation. We also examined whether parent-completed…

The SPINE test (SPeech INtelligibility Evaluation), designed to measure speech intelligibility of severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children was administered to 30 hearing-impaired children (12-16 years old) to examine its validity. Results suggested that the SPINE test is a valid measure of speech intelligibility with hearing-impaired…

Results demonstrated no significant differences among three sampling procedures (word test, nonsense test, and story-retell) for type and number of articulation errors in 30 normally developing four-year-olds. Boys made significantly more errors than girls. (Author/CL)

An identification procedure to distinguish between beginning stutterers and normally disfluent children, "A Protocol for Differentiating the Incipient Stutterer," is an appraisal tool that synthesizes existing knowledge into a unique format which guides clinical observations, data collection, and interpretation. The design, administration, and…

Scores on Whole Word Accuracy (WWA), a method for assessing articulation proficiency in conversation, and Arizona Articulation Proficiency Scale (AAPS) scores were computed and correlated for 30 subjects in eight age groups (three-seven years). Developmental trends similar to those previously established for the AAPS were observed for WWA scores.…

Investigated the possibility of monaural ear differences due to left hemisphere speech specialization beyond the phonological/perceptual stage. Results found "organizational" ear differences indiscernible. Contrary previous results are explained. An incidental finding indicated that words are recognized better if tested on the same ear…

Performance of three speech impaired students (four - seven years old) on three phonological process measures--Natural Process Analysis, The Assessment of Phonological Processes, and Procedures for Phonological Analysis of Children's Language--suggested that any of the measures would identify essentially the same phonological processes as…

Scores of elementary school students referred for special education on the Clinical Evaluation of Language Functions (CELF) were compared to rating of language specialists. CELF tests did not consistently identify children requiring therapeutic help nor those with language deficits. CELF scores also exhibited considerable variability. (Author/CL)