Projects per year
Abstract
While utterance fluency measures are often studied in relation to perceived L2 fluency and proficiency, the effect of creaky
voice remains ignored. However, creaky voice is frequent in a
number of languages, including Finnish, where it serves as a cue
for phrase-boundaries and turn-taking. In this study we investigate the roles of creaky voice and utterance fluency measures
in predicting fluency and proficiency ratings of spontaneous L2
Finnish (F2) speech. In so doing, 16 expert raters participated in
assessing narrative spontaneous speech samples from 160 learners of Finnish. The effect of creaky voice and utterance fluency
measures on proficiency and fluency ratings was studied using
linear regression models. The results indicate that creaky voice
can contribute to both oral proficiency and fluency alongside
utterance fluency measures. Furthermore, average duration of
composite breaks – a measure combining breakdown and repair phenomena – proved to be the most significant predictor
of fluency. Based on these findings we recommend further investigation of the effect of creaky voice to the assessment of
L2 speech as well as reconsideration of the utterance fluency
measures used in predicting L2 fluency or proficiency
voice remains ignored. However, creaky voice is frequent in a
number of languages, including Finnish, where it serves as a cue
for phrase-boundaries and turn-taking. In this study we investigate the roles of creaky voice and utterance fluency measures
in predicting fluency and proficiency ratings of spontaneous L2
Finnish (F2) speech. In so doing, 16 expert raters participated in
assessing narrative spontaneous speech samples from 160 learners of Finnish. The effect of creaky voice and utterance fluency
measures on proficiency and fluency ratings was studied using
linear regression models. The results indicate that creaky voice
can contribute to both oral proficiency and fluency alongside
utterance fluency measures. Furthermore, average duration of
composite breaks – a measure combining breakdown and repair phenomena – proved to be the most significant predictor
of fluency. Based on these findings we recommend further investigation of the effect of creaky voice to the assessment of
L2 speech as well as reconsideration of the utterance fluency
measures used in predicting L2 fluency or proficiency
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of Speech Prosody 2022 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Place of Publication | Baixas |
| Publisher | ISCA - International Speech Communication Association |
| Publication date | 2022 |
| Pages | 777-781 |
| Article number | 158 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
| MoE publication type | A4 Article in conference proceedings |
| Event | Speech Prosody 2022 - Lisbon, Portugal Duration: 23 May 2022 → 26 May 2022 Conference number: 11 http://labfon.letras.ulisboa.pt/sp2022/index.html |
Publication series
| Name | Speech prosody |
|---|---|
| Publisher | International Speech Communication Association |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2333-2042 |
Fields of Science
- 6161 Phonetics
- 516 Educational sciences
Projects
- 1 Finished
-
DigiTala: DigiTala - Digital support for training and assessing second language speaking
Hilden, R. (Project manager), Hilden, R. (Principal Investigator), Kurimo, M. (Principal Investigator), Kuronen, M. (Principal Investigator), Heijala, M. (Participant), Huhta, A. (Participant), Lehtovuori, K. M. R. (Participant), Tarvainen-Li, L. L. E. (Participant), von Zansen, A. K. (Participant), von Zansen, A. K. (Participant) & Laihanen, E. A. (Other)
Suomen Akatemia Projektilaskutus
01/09/2019 → 31/08/2023
Project: Research Council of Finland: Academy Project