This article reviews the text and interpretation of some ancient evidence on the pronunciation of syllable coda m in Latin. Crucial textual emendations are suggested for passages by Annaeus Cornutus and Velius Longus, and the resulting evidence is reinterpreted in the light of current phonological theories. Some of the accepted views on the pronunciation of –m are challenged by highlighting the likely sound variation in neutralization contexts. The evidence from both grammarians and inscriptions reveals that the possibility of (...) m sounding [n] in the internal preconsonantal position could have been more widespread than previously thought. (shrink)

Thomas Spence was a native of Newcastle upon Tyne who is best known for his political writings, and more particularly for his radical `Plan' for social reform involving common ownership of the land. One hitherto neglected aspect of Spence's Plan was his proposal to extend the benefits of reading and of `correct' pronunciation to the lower classes by means of a phonetic script of his own devising, first set out and used in Spence's Grand Repository of the English Language. (...) The Grand Repository was one of many English pronouncing dictionaries produced in the late eighteenth century to satisfy the growing demands for a clear guide to `correct' pronunciation. It differs from its contemporaries firstly in that it was intended primarily for the lower classes, and secondly in that it is the only eighteenth-century pronouncing dictionary of English to use a truly `phonetic' script in the sense of one sound = one symbol. In this fascinating and unique account, Beal pays particular attention to the actual pronunciations advocated by Spence and his contemporaries with a view to reconstructing what was felt to be `correct' pronunciation in eighteenth-century Britain. With broad appeal to linguists and historians alike, this study highlights the importance of pronouncing dictionaries as a resource for the historical phonologist, and provides a valuable addition to the limited body of knowledge on eighteenth-century pronunciation. (shrink)

In this study, multidimensional feature extraction is performed on the U-language recordings of the test takers, and these features are evaluated separately, with five categories of features: pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, grammar, and semantics. A deep neural network model is constructed to model the feature values to obtain the final score. Based on the previous research, this study uses a deep neural network training model instead of linear regression to improve the correlation between model score and expert score. The method (...) of using word frequency for semantic scoring is replaced by the LDA topic model for semantic analysis, which eliminates the need for experts to manually label keywords before scoring and truly automates the critique. Also, this paper introduces text cleaning after speech recognition and deep learning-based speech noise reduction technology in the scoring model, which improves the accuracy of speech recognition and the overall accuracy of the scoring model. Also, innovative applications and improvements are made to key technologies, and the latest technical solutions are integrated and improved. A new open oral grading model is proposed and implemented, and innovations are made in the method of speech feature extraction to improve the dimensionality of open oral grading. (shrink)

This article examines the pronunciation of identical consecutive letters in the Yemenite Jewish tradition, with a basic comparison with the pronunciation of identical letters in other present-day traditions. It is notable that in the Yemenite tradition also there are differences of opinion as to the pronunciation of these letters as a result of the effect of their pronunciation in other present-day traditions. In this article, we present the fundamental views with regard to the pronunciation of (...) identical consecutive letters as well as their possible pronunciations in light of the grammar rules evident from the grammarians. The article does not purport to provide a historical, developmental or chronological investigation of the grammar rules; rather, it focuses on one specific topic involving the pronunciation of identical consecutive letters in the Yemenite tradition. (shrink)

An Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) is a computer system that offers an instant, adapted instruction and customized feedback to students without human teacher interference. Reciting "Tajweed" the Holy Quran in the appropriate way is very important for all Muslims and is obligatory in Islamic devotions such as prayers. In this paper, the researchers introduce an intelligent tutoring system for teaching Reciting "Tajweed". Our "Tajweed" tutoring system is limited to "Tafkhim and Tarqiq in TAJWEED" the Holy Quran, Rewaya: Hafs from ‘Aasem. (...) The system was evaluated by reciting teachers and students, and the results were auspicious. (shrink)

_ Source: _Volume 37, Issue 1, pp 109 - 132 In 1635 the Dutch scholar Gerardus Vossius published a work on the _Art of Grammar_ where he makes reference to the circumstances in which Erasmus wrote his _Dialogue on the Correct Way of Pronouncing Latin and Greek_. Vossius quotes an account from 1569 which explains how Erasmus fell foul of a practical joke by which he was fooled into thinking that a new and more correct pronunciation of Greek had (...) been discovered, and, wanting to appear the inventor of the matter, Erasmus quickly composed and published his _Dialogue_, only to discover later that the whole story was in fact a hoax. This account of the origins of Erasmus’ _Dialogue_ has largely been taken at face value by those concerned, but I argue that it is a most unlikely explanation with several serious flaws. Although the practical joke could have taken place, it seems that it was subsequently misconstrued as the incentive for Erasmus’ _Dialogue_. On the contrary, I argue that the _Dialogue_ was intended as a sincere popularization of an ongoing academic inquiry, but that the hypothetical Greek pronunciation therein has been misunderstood as a cue to replace the traditional pronunciation. This article shows that the so-called “Erasmian” pronunciation of Greek at large today is not only un-Greek, but also un-Erasmian, for it has little to do with Erasmus and contradicts his example and counsel. (shrink)

Peu d’études se sont concentrées sur la prononciation des voyelles sous accent secondaire en anglais. Dans le cadre de l’approche introduite par Guierre, cet article propose une étude empirique large de ces voyelles et se concentre sur trois catégories clés de mots : les mots non-dérivés, les constructions contenant un préfixe sémantiquement transparent et les dérivés suffixaux. Dans leur ensemble, les analyses précédentes fondées sur le rang, les domaines phonologiques et l’isomorphisme dérivationnel sont confirmées mais certains phénomènes mis à jour (...) par cette étude rendent nécessaires quelques révisions des modèles existants. Plusieurs possibilités de formalisations sont proposées pour ces révisions, dont la plus prometteuse semble être l’analyse ayant recours aux pieds car celle-ci permettrait d’élargir considérablement la couverture empirique de la théorie. (shrink)

Everybody who has learned English as a second or foreign language knows that for reaching intermediate levels, English is an easy language regarding grammar and vocabulary; however, when reaching advanced levels, the learners are faced with complex forms of morphology, syntax, and most obviously, they are faced with the difficulties that pronunciation presents. These are mainly the problems that occur with the English students whose native language is other than English. An experienced teacher of non-native speakers of English can (...) easily recognize the causes of mispronunciation, which in most cases are lack of vocabulary, lack of practice, bad teaching experiences, lack of direct contact with the language, and lack of self-confidence. There are quite a lot of words in English, which are often mispronounced. Those who have just started to learn English as a foreign language, students at primary schools, adults using English as a means of communication and as a working tool, such as businessmen, politicians, administrators, doctors, accountants, and those studying English for teaching purposes, even the teachers of English are faced with the problems of proper pronunciation of words in English.The aim of this research is to identify the problems that the students in the Department of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Languages, Cultures and Communication face with when they deal with pronunciation of lexical words. (shrink)

Oral English, as a language tool, is not only an important part of English learning but also an essential part. For nonnative English learners, effective and meaningful voice feedback is very important. At present, most of the traditional recognition and error correction systems for oral English training are still in the theoretical stage. At the same time, the corresponding high-end experimental prototype also has the disadvantages of large and complex system. In the speech recognition technology, the traditional speech recognition technology (...) is not perfect in recognition ability and recognition accuracy, and it relies too much on the recognition of speech content, which is easily affected by the noise environment. Based on this, this paper will develop and design a spoken English assistant pronunciation training system based on Android smartphone platform. Based on the in-depth study and analysis of spoken English speech correction algorithm and speech feedback mechanism, this paper proposes a lip motion judgment algorithm based on ultrasonic detection, which is used to assist the traditional speech recognition algorithm in double feedback judgment. In the feedback mechanism of intelligent speech training, a double benchmark scoring mechanism is introduced to comprehensively evaluate the speech of the speech trainer and correct the speaker’s speech in time. The experimental results show that the speech accuracy of the system reaches 85%, which improves the level of oral English trainers to a certain extent. (shrink)

There are various philosophers who have discussed the role of language in ancient India. Among them, Bhart ṛ hari considered the relation between the superficial appearance of speech and its essential nature. In actual life, we pronounce and perceive the word. He held that there must be some link between ideal logic and worldly truth. His focus in the Brahmakā n ̣ ḍ a of the Vākyapadīya, is on the process of communication, the process of the internalization of speech. He (...) differentiates the perspective of the speaker and the hearer, and explains the movement of sounds. The spho ṭ a theory addresses both how to pronounce the word and how to perceive it. Traces of his discussion are found in the works of his follower Ma n ̣ ḍ anamiśra in his book, Spho ṭ asiddhi. (shrink)

This study investigates the use of musical intelligence to improve the English pronunciation of Chinese third level students. It is relevant for a human-centred systems engineering approach to cross-cultural interaction. Language learning is important as valid communication can help interactions and cultural understanding between countries, this also may benefit international stability. There are natural barriers between the English and Chinese language which are reflected in teaching approaches. The teaching of English in Chinese classrooms is removed from real-world English learning (...) environments. The academic environments and approaches focus on the learning of grammar, spelling and writing with little real-life conversation and interaction with native English speakers. English language learning in China is from a more academic perspective rather than practical utilisation. Correct pronunciation and accent is therefore diminished. This study demonstrates that a musical intelligence e-Learning approach can benefit Chinese English language students. (shrink)