This review describes a computational approach for modeling the development of speech motor control in infants. We address the development of two levels of control: articulation of individual speech sounds (defined here as phonemes, syllables, or words for which there is an optimized motor program) and production of sound sequences such as phrases…

Debate around inflectional morphology in language acquisition has contrasted various rule- versus analogy-based approaches. This paper tests the rule-based Tolerance Principle (TP) against a new type of pattern in the acquisition of the possessive suffix -im in Northern East Cree. When possessed, each noun type either requires or disallows the…

Affective factors, such as anxiety, are located among the obstacles that hinder language learning and can result in language learners who are resistant to language input, especially in foreign language learning contexts. Thus, the current research effort aimed at examining the level of speaking anxiety among foreign language learners (English and…

Presenting pictures of faces side by side is a common paradigm to assess infants' attentional biases according to social categories, such as gender, race, and language. However, seeing static faces does not represent infants' typical experience of the social world, which involves people in motion and performing actions. Here, we assessed infants'…

This study extended an existing crosslinguistic model of verb-marking errors in children's early multiword speech (MOSAIC) by adding a novel mechanism that defaults to the most frequent form of the verb where this accounts for a high proportion of forms in the input. Our simulations showed that the resulting model not only provides a better…

This paper examines the ways in which the indexical meanings that attach to enregistered speaking styles are debated and contested in interaction by younger Japanese adults. Contested meanings include discourses of so-called "hyoojungo" 'Standard Japanese' and the speaking styles that are collectively described as 'Okinawan dialect',…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate child- and intervention-level factors that predict improvements in functional communication outcomes in children with motor-based speech sound disorders. Method: Eighty-five preschool-age children with childhood apraxia of speech (n = 37) and speech motor delay (n = 48) participated.…

Previous research has shown that task repetition can positively affect L2 oral performance. However, few studies have explored the effects of task repetition on young EFL learners' production. Also, task repetition research has paid little attention to effects of "spacing" examined through longer time intervals between the two occasions…

Background: Previous studies on language production in normal ageing have primarily focused on distinct dimensions of older adults' spoken language performance, such as fluency and complexity. However, little attention has been paid to the complex, interconnected relations between these dimensions. Additionally, older adults have been treated as a…

Although automatic speech recognition technologies have gained popularity in second language learning, there are still difficulties facing the use of automatic speech recognition in second language learning. Through a bibliometric review and a meta-analysis, this study examines the effects of automatic speech recognition on second language…

English is widely regarded as a global language, and it has become increasingly important for global communication. As a result, the demand for English language education has been on the rise. In China, a significant number of individuals are engaged in learning the English language. However, many English learners in China encounter challenges…

High-Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) has demonstrated effectiveness in second language (L2) acquisition. This study utilizes a meta-analysis to explore the influence of high variability on learning L2 pronunciation and identifies the factors that moderate this impact. The studies were collected using a keyword search in the SCOPUS database.…

This article examines verbal and non-verbal communication between the interpreter and the injured party in a video-recorded main hearing of a criminal matter at a court of first instance in Finland. The language of the court was Finnish and the interpreter and injured party communicated in French, the interpreter's B language and the injured…

One important dimension of classroom group dynamics & collaboration is how much each person contributes to the discussion. With the goal of measuring how much each student speaks, we investigate how automatic speaker diarization can be built to handle real-world classroom group discussions. We examine key design considerations such as the…

Language learning activities involving time-pressured repetition of similar content have been shown to facilitate improvements in fluency. However, concerns have been voiced about whether these gains might be offset by reduced levels of grammatical accuracy. This descriptive study tracked the oral proficiency of 32 Japanese university students…