Teachers represent the largest group of occupational voice users and have voice-related problems at a rate of over twice that found in the general population. Among teachers, music teachers are roughly four times more likely than classroom teachers to develop voice-related problems. Although it has been established that music teachers use their…

Models such as Eckman's markedness differential hypothesis, Flege's speech learning model, and Brown's feature-based theory of perception seek to explain and predict the relative difficulty second language (L2) learners face when acquiring new or similar sounds. In this paper, we test their predictive adequacy as concerns native English speakers'…

This annotated bibliography includes summaries of 19 articles and reports dealing with noise control and acoustical design in school buildings. A brief introduction discusses the need for careful attention to acoustics in any school construction or remodeling project, with particular emphasis on the need for special acoustical measures in an open…

Common and special acoustics problems are discussed in relation to the design and construction of research facilities. Following a brief examination of design criteria for the control of wanted and unwanted sound, the technology for achieving desired results is discussed. Emphasis is given to various design procedures and materials for the control…

To what extent does language acquisition recruit domain-general processing mechanisms? In this dissertation, evidence concerning this question is garnered from the study of individual differences in infant speech perception and their predictive value with respect to language development in early childhood. In the first experiment, variation in the…

An acoustic-phonetic study of six Vietnamese tones was carried out on approximately 3000 sound spectrograms of four native speakers of the Hanoi dialect. Three temporal segments, four pitch levels, and glottalization were identified as important cues for tone recognition. (Author/FWB)

The advantages of carpeting in schools are reported from a study of three public schools--(1) Shaker High School in upstate New York, where one wing is carpeted and one tiled, and the principal reports that in the carpeted wing noise is reduced, discipline is better, maintenance is about half, and the faculty experiences less fatigue, (2) Peter…

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)

The investigation calculated signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio) and average fundamental vocal frequency (Fo) for 20 hearing impaired young adults and correlated acoustic measures with degree of perceived vocal tension/harshness. Results indicated significant correlations between S/N ratios and degree of perceived vocal tension/harshness, as well as…

This technical paper analyzes the primary level of rhythm in English verse: that created by the numerical, sequential, and temporal patterns of the sounds of syllables and silences. (AN)

This is a story of one community's efforts to alleviate some noise problems and solve some others." (Author)

The introduction of noise monitoring into the industrial arts curriculum not only brings contemporary industrial practices into the classroom but also gives an opportunity to study technology-related social issues. (SK)