Monthly Archives: January 2009
Children’s Production of Word Accents in Swedish Revisited
The two word accents in Stockholm Swedish (Accent I and Accent II) are distinguished by a consistent falling pitch contour on the stressed syllable of Accent II words. The current study presents new types of evidence that this feature of word accent can be systematically found in words produced by 16- to 18-monthold Swedish-speaking children. Compared to other disyllabic productions, the stressed syllable in Accent II words have a larger F0 decline, more sequences of high-low turning points identified by a stylized contour algorithm and an earlier F0 peak. In addition, a negative correlation is found between the value of F0 peak and F0 change in the stressed syllable. Taken together, these findings indicate that children learning Swedish have internalized a subtle but lexically relevant pitch contour by a very early stage of word production.
from Phonetica
Otoacoustic emissions and effects of contralateral white noise stimulation on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in diabetic children
Objective
In this study, our aim was to determine presence of dysfunction in the efferent auditory system of children with type-I diabetes mellitus (DM) presenting no evidence of symptomatic neuropathy.
Methods
Thirty children with type-I DM (DM group) and 31 age matched healthy children (control group) with normal hearing and middle ear function were entered to the study. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), and spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAE) measurements were performed. Then, the TEOAE recording was repeated while a continuous broadband white noise (bandwidth: 50–8000 Hz) presented at 40 dB SL was delivered to the contralateral ear for efferent auditory system suppression.
Results
We found that contralateral stimulation (CS) with white noise resulted in significantly more pronounced suppression of the TEOAE response amplitude in healthy controls compared to DM group at 2000 and 4000 Hz frequencies. Further, a relatively higher percentage of the controls had suppression in at least three frequencies compared to DM group. SOAE prevalence was found to be higher in the DM group.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest presence of a dysfunction in medial olivocochlear efferent system in diabetic children. This may be regarded as an early central manifestation of diabetic neuropathy.
from the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
Siemens Hearing Instruments Launches Life And Motion – Advanced Technology Enables More Natural, Comfortable And Enhanced Hearing Experience
Siemens Hearing Instruments has launched Life™ and Motion™, two new hearing instruments developed for individuals who want discreet and fashionable devices that work with their lifestyle.
The ‘dialect myth’ and socio-onomastics. The names of the castles of Bellinzona in an integrational perspective
In this paper, it is argued that name variation and change cannot be studied in a satisfactory way within a variationist sociolinguistic framework, as the latter cannot ultimately cope with the psychological complexity involved in human communication. The reason why variationism does not describe a social ‘reality’ has to do with its insistence that lexical variants have to be assignable to ‘fixed codes’ (‘dialects’, ‘sociolects’, ‘style lects’) and that two speakers using different codes will result in misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. The present contribution offers an alternative approach to synchronic name variation inspired by an integrational semiology, thus treating linguistic signs (in this case, toponyms) as context-sensitive and in need of instantaneous referencing. By not considering proper names as part of any fixed codes the integrational fieldworker is able to observe language use unbiased, prepared to accept that in principle any name may be used between any two speakers in any situation. The objects of study for this paper are the names of the three Medieval castles of Bellinzona (Italian-speaking Switzerland), which the present author already investigated in an orthodox sociolinguistic perspective in the 1990s.
Eating Again After Stroke
Food is one of the great pleasures in life, but some are robbed of that enjoyment after suffering a stroke.
from Ivanhoe.com
Texas Medical Center researchers win collaborative grants
Simmons Family Foundation backs research on breast and childhood cancers, hearing loss, tuberculosis
from EurekAlert.org
AMA Affirms ASHA to Represent Professions in Valuation Process
The American Medical Association (AMA) reaffirmed ASHA’s lead role in the coding and valuation process for audiology and speech-language pathology services at a meeting on Oct. 2, 2008. The AMA’s decision followed a challenge by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA).
from the ASHA Leader
A study of sociolinguistic characteristics of Taiwan children’s peer-talk in a Mandarin—English-speaking preschool
This qualitative study presents sociolinguistic characteristics of peer-talk of 44 children in a Mandarin—English-speaking preschool in Taiwan where English was taught as a foreign language (EFL). Key findings: teacher-dominated talk influences children’s peer-talk; EFL and code-switching emerge in spontaneous peer-talk; children actively engage in EFL learning by using private speech for self-regulatory learning; children actively provide peer tutoring even though they are in the early stage of EFL learning; and language play creates emergent humor for children’s verbal participation in the EFL classroom, offering a way for them to resist authoritative voices and thus transform EFL into a living language.
Spoken Language Scores of Children Using Cochlear Implants Compared to Hearing Age-Mates at School Entry
This study investigated three questions: Is it realistic to expect age-appropriate spoken language skills in children with cochlear implants (CIs) who received auditory–oral intervention during the preschool years? What characteristics predict successful spoken language development in this population? Are children with CIs more proficient in some areas of language than others? We analyzed language skills of 153 children with CIs as measured by standardized tests. These children (mean age = 5 years and 10 months) attended programs in the United States (N = 39) that used an auditory–oral educational approach. Age-appropriate scores were observed in 50% of the children on measures of receptive vocabulary, 58% on expressive vocabulary, 46% on verbal intelligence, 47% on receptive language, and 39% on expressive language. Regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for the effects of nonverbal intelligence and parent education level, children who received their implants at young ages had higher scores on all language tests than children who were older at implantation. On average, children with CIs performed better on certain language measures than others, indicating that some areas of language may be more difficult for these children to master than others. Implications for educators of deaf children with CIs are discussed.
Surviving dance club music (noise) with hearing intact
By tweaking a system in the ear that limits how much sound is heard, a global team of researchers has discovered one alteration that shows that the ability of the ear to turn itself down contributes to protecting against permanent hearing loss. The report appears this week in PLoS Biology.
from EurekAlert.org
Tongue-tied for fear of stammering? Shed myths Health & Lifestyle
Stammering is a fairly common problem that predominantly affects boys and can be easily treated.
from Topix.net
One-year follow up of patients with chronic tinnitus treated with left temporoparietal rTMS
Background and purpose: Although there are a number of positive reports on the therapeutic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment of tinnitus, there are few details about the duration of treatment effects or the relative efficiency of different rTMS protocols.
Methods: Sixty six patients with chronic tinnitus were divided into four groups, receiving sham rTMS, 1, 10 and 25 Hz rTMS applied each day for 10 days over left temporoparietal cortex. They were followed up at 4 months and 1 year using the tinnitus questionnaire [Tinnitus Handicap Inventory(THI)] and self ratings of annoyance as well as measures of residual inhibition.
Results: A two factor anova revealed a significant ‘rTMS’ × ‘time’ interaction indicating that real and sham rTMS had different effects on the THI scale and annoyance of tinnitus (P = 0.026 and 0.046 respectively). After 1 year, the tinnitus was absent in one or both ears of 10 patients who had received real rTMS: one of these was in the 1 Hz group, four patients were in the 10 Hz group and five patients were in the 25 Hz group.
Conclusion: Some patients show a lasting benefit at 1 year after 10 days of rTMS treatment. It appears that treatment at 10 or 25 Hz may be more beneficial than at 1 Hz, although more work is necessary to validate this conclusion.
from the European Journal of Neurology
Language driven by culture, not biology
Language in humans has evolved culturally rather than genetically, according to a study by UCL (University College London) and US researchers. By modelling the ways in which genes for language might have evolved alongside language itself, the study showed that genetic adaptation to language would be highly unlikely, as cultural conventions change much more rapidly than genes. Thus, the biological machinery upon which human language is built appears to predate the emergence of language.
from EurekAlert.org
Study compares 2 nonsurgical treatments for reflux disease
Two non-surgical, non-pharmacological treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) both appear effective in reducing medication use and improving voice and swallowing symptoms, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. One type of therapy also appears effective for reducing heartburn and cough, whereas the other may be associated with a reduction in regurgitation.
from EurekAlert.org
NIDCD Panel Proposes New Benchmarks for Gauging Language Development in Children with Autism
A more standardized approach is needed to evaluate the language skills of young children with autism spectrum disorders, says a soon-to-be published article in the Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research.
from Docuticker
