Anna Gravelin Coy, Brent Archer, Mary Oddo, Jason A Whitfield
{"title":"Reliability of a procedure for segmenting extemporaneous speech produced by speakers with Parkinson disease.","authors":"Anna Gravelin Coy, Brent Archer, Mary Oddo, Jason A Whitfield","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2559685","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2559685","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gravelin et al. (2023) developed a segmentation procedure informed by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) for parsing extemporaneous speech samples. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the reliability, utility, and application of this system when it is applied to samples produced by 10 participants with Parkinson Disease (PD). Two expert analysts and one clinician analyst utilised an SFL-based segmentation procedure to identify clauses and clause complexes. We calculated intra- and inter-rater reliability for each analyst and pair of analysts. We also measured speech acoustics, including duration, inter-complex pause durations, and speech rate for each clause complex. Both intra- and inter-rater reliability for SFL segmentation procedures within and between analysts revealed high percent agreement that was significantly greater than chance (κ = 0.661-0.855; <i>p</i> < 0.001) for speakers with PD. Acoustic analyses revealed expected variation in number and duration of spoken syllables of clause complexes between and within speakers. The clause-focused segmentation approach operationalised in Gravelin et al. (2023) and the current study is a reliable method for segmenting extemporaneous speech produced by individuals with PD. Moreover, this method allows for acoustic examination of speech and prosody production.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"355-371"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145132348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anita Lorenc, Daniel Król, Katarzyna Klessa, Łukasz Mik, Agnieszka Borowiec
{"title":"Developing acoustic field distribution analysis tools for noninvasive assessment of laterality and nasality in disordered and typical pronunciation.","authors":"Anita Lorenc, Daniel Król, Katarzyna Klessa, Łukasz Mik, Agnieszka Borowiec","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2550419","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2550419","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This research note presents an acoustic field distribution analyser with sample visualisations, applied to the study of typical and disordered laterality and nasality in speech - an area lacking fully non-invasive diagnostic tools. A portable system was developed by combining a custom circular microphone array with software for temporal, spectral and spatial speech analysis in both horizontal and vertical planes. The array comprises 16 micro-electro-mechanical microphones equipped with pulse-density modulators, along with a laser distance sensor that focuses the acoustic beam on the facial contours and compensates for the speaker's head movements - thereby increasing the array's focusing precision. Two case studies visualise disordered speech in patients with (1) occlusal development disorders and compensatory articulation, and (2) bilateral cleft lip and palate with resonance issues, compared to typical speech patterns. Spatial analysis of the acoustic field distribution enabled a non-invasive comparison of articulation symmetry and air pressure distribution in both the horizontal and vertical planes, facilitating the investigation of (undesired) lateral and (hyper)nasalised pronunciations. The system allows for the investigation of the acoustic field distribution around the speaker's face, offering potential for research, diagnostic and therapeutic uses. Further validation involving a larger group of patients is underway.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"320-333"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145076465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Steven R Cox, Ting Huang, Wei-Rong Chen, Manwa L Ng
{"title":"An analysis of pausing in Cantonese alaryngeal speech.","authors":"Steven R Cox, Ting Huang, Wei-Rong Chen, Manwa L Ng","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2566332","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2566332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to examine pausing associated with Cantonese alaryngeal speech between and within phrases selected from a standard reading passage. <i>The North Wind and the Sun</i> was read aloud at a self-determined habitual speaking rate by 31 Cantonese alaryngeal speakers (9 electrolarynx [EL] speakers, 10 esophageal [ES] speakers, and 12 tracheoesophageal [TE] speakers) and four Cantonese control speakers. An analysis of pause durations between phrases and silent intervals within phrases was conducted. Results showed significant differences in pause durations between phrases and within phrases for Cantonese alaryngeal speakers. Cantonese TE and ES speakers exhibited significantly longer pause durations between phrases and longer silent durations within phrases compared to EL speakers. Findings highlight the need for alaryngeal voice and speech rehabilitation protocols to include prosodic aspects, especially for ES speech that continues to serve as a viable option for verbal communication postlaryngectomy.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"434-450"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145240265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anouk Scheffer, Britt Hakvoort, Brigitta Keij, Esther Ottow-Henning, Huub van den Bergh, Ellen Gerrits, Frank Wijnen
{"title":"Longitudinal relations between phonological and grammatical development of young children with developmental language disorder.","authors":"Anouk Scheffer, Britt Hakvoort, Brigitta Keij, Esther Ottow-Henning, Huub van den Bergh, Ellen Gerrits, Frank Wijnen","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2568701","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2568701","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most children with a developmental language disorder (DLD) have persistent grammatical difficulties, and a considerable subgroup of these children also experience difficulties in their speech production development. Research suggests that speech and language development are related, but what this relation looks like is unclear. We examined whether phonological and grammatical complexity and accuracy scores of 3- to 6-year-old children with DLD are related over time. We included 37 children with DLD (mean age T1 = 4;2 (SD = 1;0), range: 2;9-6;0) who received intervention in a clinical setting. Picture-naming tasks and language sample analyses were conducted four times at 3-month intervals within a 9-month period. We conducted a growth curve analysis on outcome measures for phonological and grammatical complexity and accuracy. Our results show that the children with DLD improve in phonological and grammatical complexity and accuracy, and this improvement can be captured by a linear function. The phonological and grammatical scores within each dimension were related at T1; children with higher scores in phonological complexity/accuracy were likely to have higher scores in grammatical complexity/accuracy as well. However, this relation becomes weaker within the 9-month follow-up. Therefore, our results indicate that children who improve in one domain do not necessarily improve at the same rate in the other domain. This study provides new insights into how the phonological and grammatical developmental trajectories of children with DLD are related. This might help clinicians in selecting interventions targeting one or both of these domains.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"480-501"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145309701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phonological skills of Persian monolinguals with social communication disorder: A comparison with typically developing peers and effects of narrative intervention.","authors":"Pegah Nikrah, Elena Babatsouli","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2568041","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2568041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is a lack of research on how the phonological skills of Persian-speaking children with social communication disorder (SCD) compare to those of typically developing (TD) children and what the effects of narrative-based interventions may be on these phonological skills. While research suggests language interventions can indirectly enhance phonology, findings remain mixed. This study examined phonological skills in three Persian-speaking children (ages 3;7-5;0) with SCD with a pre/post-intervention longitudinal study design. Phonological measures included mean length of utterance in words (MLUw), percentage of consonants correct (PCC), whole-word accuracy and complexity, phonological mean length of utterance (pMLU), and consonant cluster accuracy. Post-intervention, all children showed some improvements across metrics. Consonant cluster accuracy improved, while reductions and omissions decreased, but some later-acquired sounds showed persistent errors. Findings indicate mostly better or comparable skills to those of TD peers, and that narrative intervention may indirectly enhance phonological skills, supporting a whole-language approach for SCD treatment. The study underscores the need to establish phonological norms in children's SCD in Persian, and cross-linguistically, and highlights the benefits of language-focused interventions for speech development.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"451-479"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147348912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Playful speech in managing problematic responses in interaction involving Mandarin speakers with aphasia: A conversation analysis.","authors":"Xinxin Yang, Wen Ma","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2555239","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2555239","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People with aphasia (PWA) often experience difficulties in conversation. Conversational partners (CPs) regularly respond by initiating various forms of repair. Drawing on Conversation Analysis (CA), this study examines how CPs employ playful speech to manage problematic responses (e.g. delays, errors) produced by PWA. The findings reveal that playful speech not only draws attention to linguistic difficulties, often in a light-hearted manner, but also creates opportunities for laughter or next-turn repair. PWA typically orient to the non-serious nature of the speech by responding with laughter, after which a repair is commonly provided by the CP. This study highlights the potential of playful speech as an alternative for addressing communication breakdowns, offering practical clinical implications for aphasia management.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"334-354"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145919018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ida-Lotta Myllylä, Mari Wiklund, Viljami Haakana, Lari Vainio, Satu Saalasti, Martti Vainio
{"title":"Perceived prosodic typicality in Finnish preadolescents: Findings from speakers on the autism spectrum.","authors":"Ida-Lotta Myllylä, Mari Wiklund, Viljami Haakana, Lari Vainio, Satu Saalasti, Martti Vainio","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2026.2642726","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2026.2642726","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Speech of persons on the autism spectrum is often described as prosodically distinctive, yet the perceptual basis and acoustic correlates of these judgements remain undefined. We investigated how prosodic typicality is perceived in low-pass filtered speech from Finnish-speaking preadolescents on the autism spectrum and matched controls, and how these perceptions relate to acoustic features. A total of 53 listeners rated 150 utterances for typicality and provided written comments. Mixed-effects modelling revealed no significant effect of diagnostic group on perceived typicality; instead, individual listener variability predominated. Acoustically, speakers on the autism spectrum exhibited greater pitch range, intensity range and frequent pausing. However, only select acoustic measures predicted typicality ratings, regardless of speaker group. Analysis of listener comments emphasised the salience of intonation and voice quality to typicality perceptions. These findings suggest that perceived prosodic typicality may not be a direct marker of neurodivergence but rather reflect the interaction of specific acoustic configurations and listener expectations.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147522516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phonetic transcription, whole-word match judgement, and intra-word consistency judgement of Mandarin-speaking children's speech by English-language trained speech-language pathologists and students.","authors":"Lujia Yang, Karen E Pollock","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2026.2622602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2026.2622602","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Limited research has investigated speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) abilities to transcribe speech in unfamiliar languages and ways to improve those skills. This study aims to evaluate the Mandarin phonetic transcription skills, whole-word match (WWM) judgements, and intra-word consistency judgements of English-language trained SLPs and SLP students. Participants included SLPs and SLP graduate students from diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds with varying English transcription proficiency. Results showed that SLPs and SLP students were able to make significant progress in transcribing Mandarin as an unfamiliar language with appropriate support following a self-directed training programme. Most participants reported increased confidence in their Mandarin transcription skills following the training. The difference between SLPs and SLP students was not significant. Participants' feedback was summarised to guide future training and support revisions to the training guide.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"1-37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147348875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global knowledge in 131 languages and dialects about children's speech development, assessment, and intervention.","authors":"Sharynne McLeod, Helen L Blake","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2026.2635344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2026.2635344","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper exhorts communication specialists to look beyond English language knowledge by providing evidence to disrupt the unsubstantiated belief that there are <i>few</i> assessment and intervention resources for supporting multilingual children's speech. The Multilingual Children's Speech website https://www.csu.edu.au/research/multilingual-speech/home has curated 1337 (mostly free) resources for supporting multilingual children's speech acquisition, assessment, and intervention in 131 of the world's languages and dialects (86 languages). Specifically, there are 658 speech acquisition studies in 55 languages, 423 speech assessment resources in 77 languages, and 178 speech intervention resources in 21 languages. This free website includes links to assessment tools, intervention manuals, journal articles, books, chapters, theses, and video recordings for 16 of the top 20 most spoken languages in the world and many minority languages, Indigenous languages (e.g. Māori, Samoan, Sesotho, Setswana, Warlpiri, isiXhosa, Zapotec, isiZulu) and languages and dialects impacted by colonisation and slavery (e.g. African American English, Fiji English, Jamaican Creole, Tok Pisin). Only 17.95% of the resources are about English, with 51.68% about 39 other Indo-European languages, and 30.37% about 46 languages belonging to 15 non-Indo-European language families. Previous analyses of curated knowledge about children's development in psychology and linguistics have found a WEIRD bias 'Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies'; however, only 29.07% of the languages included on the Multilingual Children's Speech website are WEIRD. While only 1.23% of the 7000 world languages are represented on the website, these assessment and intervention resources will continue to grow due to ongoing work of multilingual communication specialists across the globe.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147357328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bilingualism in the preserved speech variant of Rett syndrome: A longitudinal case study.","authors":"Rebecca H Day, Sarah Cooper, Eirini Sanoudaki","doi":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2508260","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02699206.2025.2508260","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting physical and linguistic development. To the authors' knowledge, there have been no studies published documenting bilingual linguistic abilities in an individual with RTT. Recent studies have found no evidence of a detrimental effect of bilingual exposure on language development in numerous other neurodevelopmental conditions. The aims of this study were to document bilingualism in RTT and to assess the development of language skills over time. A longitudinal, single-case study approach was taken for this research. The participant was a female adolescent with the preserved speech variant of Rett syndrome (PSV RTT), who had been exposed to both English and Welsh from birth. Data collection comprised administering parental questionnaires, documenting expressive vocabulary, and repeated administration of standardised English- and Welsh-medium tests at 18-month intervals. Repeated measures showed an improvement in linguistic and non-linguistic abilities between data points 1 and 2. There was a growth in English and Welsh expressive vocabulary in line with the participant's level of exposure to each language. Further increases in English and Welsh vocabulary comprehension were seen at the third data point after changes in the amount and mode of language exposure received. This study is the first to document bilingualism in RTT, including the development of receptive and expressive abilities in both languages over time. This study found no evidence of a detrimental effect of bilingualism in this individual and highlights the need for further research into bilingualism in RTT.</p>","PeriodicalId":49219,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics","volume":" ","pages":"207-226"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144210040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}