http://hdl.handle.net/1887/20793 Mon, 10 Jul 2017 07:51:16 GMT 2017-07-10T07:51:16Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50406 The processing of Dutch prosody with cochlear implants and vocoder simulations Velde, D.J. van de This doctoral dissertation reports five studies investigating the processing of prosody and music with cochlear implants or simulations thereof (vocoders) in Dutch. Cochlear implants are implanted hearing prostheses that partly restore hearing for profoundly deaf individuals by presenting an electrical reconstruction of sound to the hearing nerve. Prosody is the melody and rhythm of speech and is crucial in spoken communication. Important functions of prosody include the conveying of emotions (emotional prosody) and the marking of new or old information in utterances (linguistic prosody). These functions are realized by speakers, among other ways, by means of variation in intonation and the duration of parts of an utterance. Of these forms, the perception of intonation variations, but not particularly of duration variations, is notoriously difficult for cochlear implant users. This difficulty is caused by limitations of the device and the interface between cochlear implants and the hearing nerve. Possible limitations in perception and production of linguistic and emotional prosody by actual and simulated cochlear implant hearing had never been systematically compared. This thesis shows that cochlear implant users might have more difficulty discriminating emotional than linguistic prosody and that they rely relatively much on intonation cues for emotional prosody but on duration cues for linguistic prosody. Tests with vocoders showed that sharpening the slopes of spectral filters (simulating reduced spectral smearing) improves prosody perception up to values much extremer than tested before. Taken together, this set of experiments discusses issues to take into account when studying the perception and production of prosody by cochlear implant users and with vocoder simulations. Tue, 04 Jul 2017 22:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50406 2017-07-04T22:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50533 Resources for the study of language policies and languages of Afghanistan and its neighbors Groff, C.D. Schiffman, H. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50533 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50532 Multilingual discourses and pedagogy in North India Groff, C.D. Shoba, J.A.; Chimbutane, F. Multilingualism in the ethnolinguistically diverse country of India is a reality reflected in national-level policies but even more prevalent in daily conversations and classroom practices. Discourses regarding language in North India reflect a value placed on multilingualism and a distinction between discrete, standardized language and fluid, home-based spoken language. Use of language in pedagogical contexts also reflects this fluidity, providing spaces for multilingual practices irrespective of support from official language policies. These multilingual discourses and practices, when explored ethnographically, as in this chapter, bring to light local perspectives and local participation in language policy and planning (Ricento and Hornberger 1996; Hornberger and Johnson 2007). Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50532 2012-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50497 Diversidad lingüística en el Perú precolonial Adelaar, W.F.H. Godenzzi, J.C.; Garatea, C. Sat, 31 Dec 2016 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50497 2016-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50496 A Typological Overview of Aymaran and Quechuan Language Structure Adelaar, W.F.H. Adelaar, W.F.H. Sat, 31 Dec 2016 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/50496 2016-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49507 Effect of prosody awareness training on the quality of consecutive interpreting between English and Farsi Yenkimaleki, M. Consecutive interpreting allows two persons who do not understand each other’s language, to communicate through a bilingual intermediary: the interpreter. Typically, interpreters are native speakers of one language but not the other. The extent to which student interpreters’ performance is improved by making them aware of prosodic differences (word and sentence stress) between native and foreign language, was investigated for Iranian participants with Farsi as the native language and English as the foreign language. Effects were tested both in recto (from foreign English into native Farsi) and in verso interpreting (from Farsi into English). Interpreting quality was judged by experts on ten rating scales, relating to accuracy of interpreting as well as to intelligibility and pleasantness of the delivery. Objective correlates of the subjective ratings (e.g. counts of errors and hesitations, acoustic fluency measures) were established. Prosody training yielded better interpreting quality on all rating scales in recto interpreting, especially on fluency. In verso interpreting the overall gain was smaller, and with a trade-off between interpreting accuracy and fluency. In follow-up experiments better word recognition and comprehension of the English input was found. Explicit prosody training had a greater benefit than implicit prosody training. Tue, 06 Jun 2017 22:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49507 2017-06-06T22:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/48828 Aspectual distinctions in Dutch-Ambon Malay bilingual heritage speakers Moro, F.R. Sat, 31 Dec 2016 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/48828 2016-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49464 De moedertaal centraal. Standaardisatie-aspecten in de Nederlanden omstreeks 1650 Wal, M.J. van der Sat, 31 Dec 1994 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49464 1994-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49283 Solving the problem of double negation is not impossible: electrophysiological evidence for the cohesive function of sentential negation Schiller, N.O.; Van, Lenteren L.; Witteman, J.; Ouwehand, K.; Band, G.P.H.; Arie, Verhagen Sat, 31 Dec 2016 23:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49283 2016-12-31T23:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49241 The neurobiology of individual differences in grammar learning Kepinska, O. This thesis aims at providing insights in the neural mechanisms and brain structures underlying individual differences in second language acquisition. It reports on a series of experiments investigating neural correlates of novel grammar learning and of the analytical component of language aptitude, using a variety of neuroimaging methods: functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and electroencephalography. This thesis aims at providing insights in the neural mechanisms and brain structures underlying individual differences in second language acquisition. It reports on a series of experiments investigating neural correlates of novel grammar learning and of the analytical component of language aptitude, using a variety of neuroimaging methods: functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and electroencephalography. Wed, 31 May 2017 22:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1887/49241 2017-05-31T22:00:00Z