Speech Scenario Adaptation and Discourse Topic Recognition on Mobile Smart Terminal

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Huang ◽  
Xuran Li ◽  
Silong Wu ◽  
Yinong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Topic

scholarly journals Variation in the input: a case study of manner class frequencies

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1091-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT DALAND
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Variation ◽  
Natural Background ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Ergodic Processes ◽  
Language Variety ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Manner Of Articulation ◽  
Discourse Topic

ABSTRACTWhat are the sources of variation in the input, and how much do they matter for language acquisition? This study examines frequency variation in manner-of-articulation classes in child and adult input. The null hypothesis is that segmental frequency distributions of language varieties are unigram (modelable by stationary, ergodic processes), and that languages are unitary (modelable as a single language variety). Experiment I showed that English segments are not unigram; they exhibit a ‘bursty’ distribution in which the local frequency varies more than expected by chance alone. Experiment II showed the English segments are approximately unitary: the natural background variation in segmental frequencies that arises within a single language variety is much larger than numerical differences across varieties. Variation in segmental frequencies seems to be driven by variation in discourse topic; topic-associated words cause bursts/lulls in local segmental frequencies. The article concludes with some methodological recommendations for comparing language samples.

Development of Topic Manipulation Skills in Discourse

1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie Brinton ◽  
Martin Fujiki
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Developmental Trends ◽  
Discourse Topic

This study investigated the manipulation of discourse topic in spontaneous conversation in three age groups. Subjects consisted of six dyads of peers at each of the following age levels (years:months): 5:0–5:11, 9:0–9:11, and adults. Fifteen min of discourse were taped, transcribed, and analyzed for each age level. Patterns of topic introduction, reintroduction, maintenance, and shading were considered at each age level. Although considerable variation within groups was evident, the results suggested several developmental trends. The number of topics introduced and reintroduced in the sampling period decreased with age, whereas the proportion of topics maintained increased with age. Additionally, subjects maintained topics for longer sequences of utterances with increasing age. Topic shading also increased with age. These results are discussed with regard to patterns of development, and clinical implications are considered.

The Acquisition of Null Subjects in Standard Arabic by Native Speakers of English

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-420
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Standard Arabic ◽  
Null Subject Parameter ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Syntactic Properties ◽  
Discourse Topic

This paper investigates the acquisition of the syntactic and discourse-pragmatic properties of null subjects in Standard Arabic (SA) by native speakers of English. Ninety participants from intermediate and advanced levels participated in a questionnaire, which aimed to investigate their knowledge on the occurrence of null subjects in SA. The results show that native speakers of English with regard to missing subject and free inversion face no difficulty in the acquisition of the syntactic properties of the null subject parameter in SA; however, they have difficulties in the acquisition of that-trace effect. In terms of discourse-pragmatic properties, the results of the study illustrate that they can also easily acquire the discourse topic and pragmatic anaphora properties of null subjects in SA. Keywords: Null Subjects, free inversion, that-trace effect, discourse topic, pragmatic anaphora, parameter.

Discourse topic

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Radzuwan Ab. Rashid ◽  
Kamariah Yunus ◽  
Zanirah Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Topic

Null anaphora in Spanish second language acquisition: probabilistic versus generative approaches

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana T. Pérez-Leroux ◽  
William R. Glass
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
Optimal Domain ◽  
Null Pronoun ◽  
Discourse Topic

The acquisition of Spanish null pronouns is an optimal domain for comparing the predictions of generativist vs. probabilistic approaches to language acquisition. This paper presents two studies on the acquisition of null subjects by English adult learners of Spanish as a second language. The first investigates a low frequency construction in which the antecedent of the pronoun is a quantifier, and the distribution is regulated by a principle of UG. The second looks at a high frequency context,where the distribution of the null pronoun depends on whether it is interpreted as focus or as discourse topic. The data indicate early mastery, and no development in the case of the low frequency quantifier construction, and gradual acquisition for the distribution of pronouns in discourse. These findings lend support to grammatical as opposed to probabilistic approaches to language learning.

Multiple constraints and the resolution of Korean null subject anaphor

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sook Whan Cho ◽  
Hyun Jin Hwangbo
Keyword(s):  
First Person ◽  
Null Subjects ◽  
Processing Load ◽  
Null Subject ◽  
Person Features ◽  
Third Person ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Syntactic Cues ◽  
Discourse Topic ◽  
Better Than

This study investigates how Korean adults interpret and identify the referent of a null subject in a narrative text, given different types of topic continuity and person features. We have found that the first-person feature was most accessible in the weak topicality condition in resolving the null subjects, and that the target sentences ending with the first-person modal suffix ‘-lay’ were read and responded to faster, and interpreted more correctly than other types of stimuli involving a third-person modal (‘-tay’) and a person-neutral modal (‘-e’). Furthermore, of the two first-person-specific featured types, the null subjects in the topically weak contexts were processed significantly better than those in the topically strong conditions. It was argued that anaphoric dependency would be formed more discursively than morpho-syntactically in the strong discourse continuity contexts involving no extra processing load due to the shift among multiple eligible candidates. It was also argued that, in the absence of discourse topic assigned strongly to more than one eligible referent in advance, morpho-syntactic cues involved in verb modality are likely to become prominent in the mind of the processor. It is concluded that these main findings support a constraint-based approach, but not the Centering-inspired work.

scholarly journals Responding to the risk of terrorism: the contribution of metaphor

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (spe) ◽  
pp. 587-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Economic Status ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Games Of Chance ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Reflection On Action ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Discourse Topic

This discourse-based study investigated semantic and affective aspects of metaphors used by people talking about background risk of terrorism. 96 members of the UK public participated in 12 focus group discussions, organized by gender, religion (Muslim / non-Muslim), and socio-economic status. 12,362 metaphors were identified in transcribed talk, coded for vehicle domain and discourse topic, and subjected to qualitative and some quantitative analyses. In contrast to negative, dominant metaphors found in studies of media and political discourse, 'ordinary' people use an intersecting range of systematic metaphors, including "GAMES OF CHANCE", "NATURAL WORLD" and "THEATER". Affect works across linguistic metaphors with various source domains, and in connection with non-metaphorical language such as reflection on action and explicit expression of empathy. Gender, religion and social class intersect in metaphor preferences.

scholarly journals Issues on topics

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Kerstin Schwabe ◽  
André Meinunger ◽  
Dieter Gasde
Keyword(s):  
Romance Languages ◽  
Present Volume ◽  
European Languages ◽  
The Status ◽  
Syntactic Behavior ◽  
Discourse Topic

The present volume contains papers that bear mainly on issues concerning the topic concept. This concept is of course very broad and diverse. Also, different views are expressed in this volume. Some authors concentrate on the status of topics and non-topics in so-called topic prominent languages (i.e. Chinese), others focus on the syntactic behavior of topical constituents in specific European languages (German, Greek, Romance languages). The last contribution tries to bring together the concept of discourse topic (a non-syntactic notion) and the concept of sentence topic, i.e. that type of topic that all the preceding papers are concerned with.  

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