The current trend of speakers of English as a second or an additional language (English language learners) outnumbering speakers of English as a first language (native English speakers) has shifted the focus of English language teaching from the nativeness principle to the intelligibility principle. Following the intelligibility principle, this…

Past studies have shown that first language and second language (L2) listeners can adapt to unfamiliar L2 pronunciation. However, little is known about the process of adaptation, especially by L2 listeners. The present study examined the degree to which L2 listeners' adaptation process is influenced by speaker intelligibility and input…

Meaningful gestures enhance degraded speech comprehension in neurotypical adults, but it is unknown whether this is the case for neurodivergent populations, such as autistic individuals. Previous research demonstrated atypical multisensory and speech-gesture integration in autistic individuals, suggesting that integrating speech and gestures may…

Purpose: Earlier work has established developmental benchmarks for intelligibility and articulation rate, but the intersection of these two variables, especially within individual children, has received limited attention. This study examines the interaction between intelligibility and speaking rate in typically developing children between the ages…

Background: Adults presenting with unrepaired cleft palate are not a rare occurrence in middle-income countries. However, many surgeons are hesitant to operate on these individuals because of the challenges in repairing the wide adult cleft palate, as well as concerns regarding any improvement in speech in older patients. Unfortunately, the…

Purpose: Previous studies of early speech acquisition have established characteristics of phonemes and syllable structures produced by young children. Fewer studies compared patterns in children's within-word phoneme sequences of the target words with their actual productions. Additionally, studies of consonant sequences are more frequently…

Purpose: In this study, we examined the utility of vowel intelligibility testing for assessing the impact of dysarthria on speech characteristics in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We tested the sensitivity and specificity of overall vowel identification, as well as that of vowel-specific identification, to dysarthria presence and…

This systematic review, conducted in accordance with PRISMA (2020) guidelines, analysed the consequences of gender stereotypes on language processing from 2012 to 2023. This review investigates the impact of stereotypical beliefs on the interpretation and understanding of language, including words, phrases, discourse, perceptions of professional…

Dysarthria is significantly prevalent in individuals with post-stroke etiology. Behavioral treatment remains the foundation of dysarthria treatment approaches. Clear speech is one recent compensatory treatment approach that has gained traction. The present study aimed to determine whether the 'Be Clear' treatment significantly improved speech…

Scholarship indicates the existence of implicit biases against nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). Those biases are revealed in terms of their ethnicity impacting their perceived comprehension by US native English-speaking students (NESSs) and how students' prejudices against perceived "foreign" accents undermine NNESTs'…

Background: There is a large body of research showing the negative impact of a total laryngectomy on the resultant voice signal across multiple outcomes (e.g., speech intelligibility/acceptability, listener comprehension, voice quality). However, there is limited information on the effects of laryngectomy on broader communication acts,…

Background/Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore (a) the influence of different types of background noise and their informational content on the ability of speakers to initiate and maintain clear speech (CS), a widely utilized technique for enhancing speech intelligibility, and (b) the impact of background noise and CS usage on…

This paper examines English's linguistic imperialism and the resulting widespread use of the language among speakers of various linguistic backgrounds. It challenges the mistaken belief that native speakers (NS) are inherently better at speaking English simply due to their birthplace. Despite the growing number of non-native speakers (NNSs),…

Language should be inclusive. This implies that it should be accessible for as many people as possible. The concept of easy-to-read language ("Leichte Sprache," LS) developed for this purpose and primarily for people with learning difficulties is beneficial for L2 learners of German as well. Inclusive language also entails the aspect of…

Purpose: Talkers adapt their speech according to the demands of their listeners and the communicative context, enhancing the properties of the signal (pitch, intensity) and/or properties of the code (enhancement of phonemic contrasts). This study asked how mothers adapt their child-directed speech (CDS) in ways that might serve the immediate goals…