• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.9-20
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• 2014

In this paper, we propose an automatic fluency evaluation algorithm for English speaking tests. In the proposed algorithm, acoustic features are extracted from an input spoken utterance and then fluency score is computed by using support vector regression (SVR). We estimate the parameters of feature modeling and SVR using the speech signals and the corresponding scores by human raters. From the correlation analysis results, it is shown that speech rate, articulation rate, and mean length of runs are best for fluency evaluation. Experimental results show that the correlation between the human score and the SVR score is 0.87 for 3 speaking tests, which suggests the possibility of the proposed algorithm as a secondary fluency evaluation tool.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to investigate speech rate and fluency in stuttering adults. It was suggested that a measurement guideline of speech rate and fluency for collecting clinically meaningful data be used. Subjects included 10 adults who stutter (mean age=25;8). Syllables were used as the unit of measurement for analyzing the duration of speech. The mean rate was 241 SPM (syllables per minute) for reading, and 196 SPM for spontaneous speaking. Fluency was also measured in both cases. The correlation between rate of speech and fluency was high (r=0.92). A strong positive correlation was found between different investigators in measuring speech rates and fluencies.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.149-156
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• 2015

We propose a new method for automatic fluency scoring of English speaking tests spoken by nonnative speakers in a free-talking style. The proposed method is different from the previous methods in that it does not require the transcribed texts for spoken utterances. At first, an input utterance is segmented into a phone sequence by using a phone recognizer trained by using native speech databases. For each utterance, a feature vector with 6 features is extracted by processing the segmentation results of the phone recognizer. Then, fluency score is computed by applying support vector regression (SVR) to the feature vector. The parameters of SVR are learned by using the rater scores for the utterances. In computer experiments with 3 tests taken by 48 Korean adults, we show that speech rate, phonation time ratio, and smoothed unfilled pause rate are best for fluency scoring. The correlation of between the rater score and the SVR score is shown to be 0.84, which is higher than the correlation of 0.78 among raters. Although the correlation is slightly lower than the correlation of 0.90 when the transcribed texts are given, it implies that the proposed method can be used as a preprocessing tool for fluency evaluation of speaking tests.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to assess the speech rate, fluency and the type of dysfluencies of normal adults in order to provide a basic data of normal speaking. The number of subjects of this study were 30(14 females and 16 males), and their ages ranged 17 to 36. The rate was measured as syllables per minute (SPM). The speech rates in reading ranged 273-426 with a mean of 348 SPM and in speaking ranges 118-409 (mean=265). The average of their fluencies was 99.1% in reading and 96.9% in speaking. The rater reliability of speech rate in the data assessed by video was very high (r=0.98) and the rater reliability of speech fluency was moderately high (r=0.67). The disfluency types were also analysed from 150 disfluency episodes. Syllable repetition and word interjection were the most common disfluent types.

• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.29-52
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• 2014

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a discourse analysis activity that can be used in the stage after performing tasks in task-based Korean speaking class and show its pedagogical advantages. A discourse analysis activity is an metadiscourse activity in which learners speak what they have spoken. By analyzing discourse and performing tasks again, learners can enhance their fluency and accuracy, make their knowledges in target language more stable and extend them, and develop problem solving skills. Consequently, this facilitates learners' acquisition of Korean language. This paper reviewed theoretical background of proposing discourse analysis activity, suggested the pedagogical advantages of the analysis, and examined discourse analysis activity in Korean speaking class. And it included the discourse sample of learners in actual class.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.699-710
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• 2007

The study purposes to explore the effects of individual characteristics and home environments of children on their bilingual language aquisition, that is, to examine whether their English language competency is different from their Korean language competency depending on those variables. Thus English or Korean language competency of children who had had early exposure in English learning were studied in terms of child's individual characteristics such as age, gender, exposure period to English, intelligence, and experiences of visiting English-speaking countries, and home environments such as parental age, educational level, income level, their perceived English competency, their perceived significance of English and Korean language, and the frequency of using English at home. 72 children who went to English kindergarten were tested with Peabody Pictures Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) in Korean version and in English version respectively. The results show that child's intelligence and experiences of visiting English-speaking countries influence their Korean language competency. Also child's age, exposure period to English and experiences of visiting English-speaking countries influence their English language competency. Moreover their mother's educational background, father's English fluency, mothers' English fluency, and the frequency of using English at home influence child's English language competency, whereas any variables did not influence child's Korean language competency. Accordingly, child's English and Korean language competencies are related to each other.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.476-484
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of reading, writing fluency of the underachieving children and stuttering children and school-aged children and frequency of errors. The participants were 15 underachieving children and 15 stuttering children and 15 school-aged children without disabilities. All participants were required to conduct reading, writing, speaking tasks. First, work for the reading tasks were different among the underachieving children and stuttering children and school-aged children. Second, writing tasks were not different among the groups in the writing fluency, but it was lacking in accuracy, which is stuttering, speaking fluency as well as their language fluency is suggesting the need for diagnosis and intervention. Third, this type of errors of writing tasks is showed higher levels of ommission, substitution, grammatical errors in the underachieving children group. The therapy of reading of stuttering also consider a treatment program that can be configured in the combined writing tasks.

• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1-38
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• 2017

This longitudinal study analyzed syntactic development (Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency; CAF) of six L2 Korean learners in a natural learning context. The learners recalled the stories of a short animated video through speaking and writing every 3 months, from month 0 to 15. The learners' responses were analyzed for a series of CAF measures and their cognitive, psychological, and social variables were investigated. The results showed that (i) L2 Korean learners' speaking and writing in various time periods showed significant differences in spoken and written accuracy, and complexity; (ii) the correlation between spoken and written complexity, spoken and written accuracy, as well as spoken and written fluency were significant, and (iii) the regression analysis showed that learners' cognitive, social, and psychological variables have significant effect on the L2 Korean syntactic development. The current study reports that L2 Korean learners engaged in self-learning in a natural learning environment without formal instruction made significant syntactic development.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2012

This study deals with how stuttering changes in its frequency in a situation where adult participants who stutter are exposed to one type of background noise, that is, multi-talker babble noise. Eight American English-speaking adults who stutter participated in this study. Each of the subjects read aloud sentences under each of three speaking conditions (i.e., typical solo reading (TSR), typical choral reading (TCR), and multi-talker babble noise reading (BNR)). Speech fluency was computed based on a percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS) and speaking rate was also assessed to examine if there was significant change in rates as a measure of vocal change under each of the speaking conditions. The study found that participants read more fluently both during BNR and during TCR than during TSR. The study also found that participants did not show significant changes in speaking rate across the three speaking conditions. Some discussion was provided in relation to the effect of multi-talker babble noise on the frequency of stuttering and its further speculation.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.141-149
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• 1999

Parental speaking rates reduction is frequently recommended by speech-language pathologists as a way to facilitate the fluency of preschool children who stutter. However, this clinical notion is in need of empirical support. For this reason, Sim & Zebrowski (1995) examined the ability of young children imitating different speaking rates. However, Sim & Zebrwoski's study was not made in a natural context but in the laboratory, so the findings are limited to apply to the clinical situation. The current study aimed to examine the ability of three different speaking rates(baseline, 10% slower, and 24% slower) in a natural situation both with instruction and without instruction. The results show that (1) all children were able to imitate the stimulus speaking rates adequately, (2) instruction about speaking rates for each child influenced the ability to imitate slower speaking rates. These clinical implications of findings in this study are that 4-5 year-old children are able to imitate different speaking rates with instruction and can be candidates for the parental speaking rates reduction program in the stutter therapy.