Marty Meinardi | Dublin Institute of Technology (original) (raw)
Papers by Marty Meinardi
International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 2005
... null Brooks, Tony / Carmeli, Eli / Dalton, Arthur J / Davidson, Philip W / Galil, Ahron / Hel... more ... null Brooks, Tony / Carmeli, Eli / Dalton, Arthur J / Davidson, Philip W / Galil, Ahron / Heller, Tamar / Huff, Marlene B. / Janicki, Matthew P. / Kerr, Mike / Levy, Howard B / Lindström, Bengt / Morad, Mohammed / Omar, Hatim A. / Prasher, Vee / Shek, Daniel TL / Sher, Leo / Stratakis ...
ABSTRACT This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) coursewa... more ABSTRACT This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) courseware for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). It arises out of the Enterprise Ireland funded DITCALL (Digital Interactive Toolkit for Computer Assisted Language learning) project. The focus of the research for this courseware is on using authentic video and audio material that is as natural and true to life as possible and providing adequate, pedagogically efficient and visually pleasing lesson material that will prepare prospective students for the environment in Dublin. The thesis centres around the validity of using authentic spoken Native Speaker (NS) English, and investigates how learners of English can be facilitated in improving their listening and language processing skills when practicing with authentic material. A novel approach to making in particular spoken authentic material available to the language learner by way of a digital slow-down tool, which slows down speech without distortion, is presented in this thesis. Testing carried out for the present study furthermore indicates that the use of the patented DITCALL digital slow-down tool enhances word recognition in rapid speech and make authentic NS speech accessible to all levels of learner, enhances and improves performance in, especially, listening skills and, it is felt, also facilitates the student’s ability to process spoken Native Speaker (NS) English. This thesis also explores the NS’s preferred listening and speaking styles and the importance of cultural background information for language learners, looking in particulatr at the issue of acculturation. This study attempts to pinpoint which skill improvement strategies are most beneficial for Non-native Speakers (NNSs), and which will facilitate their acceptance in the target language speech community.
Recall, 2010
ABSTRACT This paper has a dual aim: to situate functionalities among the complex of factors that ... more ABSTRACT This paper has a dual aim: to situate functionalities among the complex of factors that help shape online interactions and to explore the heterogeneity of audio conferencing and its implications. Following a critical discursive synthesis of the treatment ...
ABSTRACT This article discusses the matter of shared knowledge from the perspective of the differ... more ABSTRACT This article discusses the matter of shared knowledge from the perspective of the different deictic centres of understanding. Difficulties, which may result from a possible lack of a shared knowledge between NSs and NNSs due to differences in language experiences and personal backgrounds, are identified.
Numerous studies of spoken language have investigated scripts which were read aloud rather than t... more Numerous studies of spoken language have investigated scripts which were read aloud rather than the dynamics of real, unscripted, informal native-to-native (L1-L1) dialogues. Studying television or radio recordings is also problematic, as participants are in 'broadcast' mode, aware that they are being recorded and therefore unlikely to exhibit those reduced features of spoken language which are found in everyday interchanges.
ABSTRACT The Dynamic Speech Corpus (DSC) being developed at the Dublin Institute of Technology ai... more ABSTRACT The Dynamic Speech Corpus (DSC) being developed at the Dublin Institute of Technology aims at being a learning corpus as well as exemplifying natural, dialogic interaction recorded at industry-standard quality so as to avail of DIT’s slow-down technology. The availability of time-scaling means that materials can be developed which fulfil Richard Cauldwell’s ambition of ‘spending more time with the signal’. Literally. By slowing the signal down to 40% without tonal distortion, the learner has 2.5 times as long to study how an utterance was said, not just what was said. This makes it possible to create new types of listening exercises based on real, unscripted dialogue, rather than scripted interchanges, which – while necessary to teach lexis in context – are insufficient to prepare students for exposure to a real speech community. These dialogues are characterised by the use of speaker ‘blur’ in order to highlight citation elements of communicative importance to the speaker. This presentation will demonstrate how it is possible to construct exercises, using naturalistic materials, aimed at helping learners notice the principled use of elisions and phonetic reductions in native-to-native interchanges, by listening for what was not said, with the use of the slow-down tool and an orthographic transcription.
A common suggested treatment for verbal apraxia is repetition, and the use of slow speech. The re... more A common suggested treatment for verbal apraxia is repetition, and the use of slow speech. The required slow speech may be attained by time-scaling ordinary-speed speech. However, when used for this purpose, the quality of the expanded speech must be of a very high quality to be of pedagogical benefit. This paper describes a new method of time-scaling based on the knowledge of speech characteristics, the relative durations of speech segments, and the variation of these durations with speaking rate. The new method achieves a high quality output making it suitable for use as a computer-assisted speech therapy tool.
It is a common experience of many learners of a foreign language that native speakers (NSs) of th... more It is a common experience of many learners of a foreign language that native speakers (NSs) of that language speak too quickly for them to understand or imitate. Slowing down a segment of speech with older technology results in the familiar deepening of the voice as the pitch drops as well. The result is unpleasant and not particularly instructive. The DITCall-Slow tool slows recorded speech without tonal distortion, so that the learner has -literally -more time to hear what was said by the NS and, especially at slower playback speeds, can attend to the manner in which the sequence was spoken. While the tool is currently being commercialised for the study of English as a foreign language (EFL), it can be applied to any spoken language. The current paper examines why the technology works and its place in modern language learning.
Recall, 2007
This paper outlines the ongoing construction of a speech corpus for use by applied linguists and ... more This paper outlines the ongoing construction of a speech corpus for use by applied linguists and advanced EFL/ESL students.
This presentation will outline the current development and functionalities of the DIT Dynamic Spe... more This presentation will outline the current development and functionalities of the DIT Dynamic Speech Corpus which is based on natural, informal dialogue and recorded at a high level of audio quality.
This paper introduces a new development in speech technology and describes its planned applicatio... more This paper introduces a new development in speech technology and describes its planned application in an EFL context. Special attention is paid to the pedagogical potential of the resultant language tool.
International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 2005
... null Brooks, Tony / Carmeli, Eli / Dalton, Arthur J / Davidson, Philip W / Galil, Ahron / Hel... more ... null Brooks, Tony / Carmeli, Eli / Dalton, Arthur J / Davidson, Philip W / Galil, Ahron / Heller, Tamar / Huff, Marlene B. / Janicki, Matthew P. / Kerr, Mike / Levy, Howard B / Lindström, Bengt / Morad, Mohammed / Omar, Hatim A. / Prasher, Vee / Shek, Daniel TL / Sher, Leo / Stratakis ...
ABSTRACT This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) coursewa... more ABSTRACT This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) courseware for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). It arises out of the Enterprise Ireland funded DITCALL (Digital Interactive Toolkit for Computer Assisted Language learning) project. The focus of the research for this courseware is on using authentic video and audio material that is as natural and true to life as possible and providing adequate, pedagogically efficient and visually pleasing lesson material that will prepare prospective students for the environment in Dublin. The thesis centres around the validity of using authentic spoken Native Speaker (NS) English, and investigates how learners of English can be facilitated in improving their listening and language processing skills when practicing with authentic material. A novel approach to making in particular spoken authentic material available to the language learner by way of a digital slow-down tool, which slows down speech without distortion, is presented in this thesis. Testing carried out for the present study furthermore indicates that the use of the patented DITCALL digital slow-down tool enhances word recognition in rapid speech and make authentic NS speech accessible to all levels of learner, enhances and improves performance in, especially, listening skills and, it is felt, also facilitates the student’s ability to process spoken Native Speaker (NS) English. This thesis also explores the NS’s preferred listening and speaking styles and the importance of cultural background information for language learners, looking in particulatr at the issue of acculturation. This study attempts to pinpoint which skill improvement strategies are most beneficial for Non-native Speakers (NNSs), and which will facilitate their acceptance in the target language speech community.
Recall, 2010
ABSTRACT This paper has a dual aim: to situate functionalities among the complex of factors that ... more ABSTRACT This paper has a dual aim: to situate functionalities among the complex of factors that help shape online interactions and to explore the heterogeneity of audio conferencing and its implications. Following a critical discursive synthesis of the treatment ...
ABSTRACT This article discusses the matter of shared knowledge from the perspective of the differ... more ABSTRACT This article discusses the matter of shared knowledge from the perspective of the different deictic centres of understanding. Difficulties, which may result from a possible lack of a shared knowledge between NSs and NNSs due to differences in language experiences and personal backgrounds, are identified.
Numerous studies of spoken language have investigated scripts which were read aloud rather than t... more Numerous studies of spoken language have investigated scripts which were read aloud rather than the dynamics of real, unscripted, informal native-to-native (L1-L1) dialogues. Studying television or radio recordings is also problematic, as participants are in 'broadcast' mode, aware that they are being recorded and therefore unlikely to exhibit those reduced features of spoken language which are found in everyday interchanges.
ABSTRACT The Dynamic Speech Corpus (DSC) being developed at the Dublin Institute of Technology ai... more ABSTRACT The Dynamic Speech Corpus (DSC) being developed at the Dublin Institute of Technology aims at being a learning corpus as well as exemplifying natural, dialogic interaction recorded at industry-standard quality so as to avail of DIT’s slow-down technology. The availability of time-scaling means that materials can be developed which fulfil Richard Cauldwell’s ambition of ‘spending more time with the signal’. Literally. By slowing the signal down to 40% without tonal distortion, the learner has 2.5 times as long to study how an utterance was said, not just what was said. This makes it possible to create new types of listening exercises based on real, unscripted dialogue, rather than scripted interchanges, which – while necessary to teach lexis in context – are insufficient to prepare students for exposure to a real speech community. These dialogues are characterised by the use of speaker ‘blur’ in order to highlight citation elements of communicative importance to the speaker. This presentation will demonstrate how it is possible to construct exercises, using naturalistic materials, aimed at helping learners notice the principled use of elisions and phonetic reductions in native-to-native interchanges, by listening for what was not said, with the use of the slow-down tool and an orthographic transcription.
A common suggested treatment for verbal apraxia is repetition, and the use of slow speech. The re... more A common suggested treatment for verbal apraxia is repetition, and the use of slow speech. The required slow speech may be attained by time-scaling ordinary-speed speech. However, when used for this purpose, the quality of the expanded speech must be of a very high quality to be of pedagogical benefit. This paper describes a new method of time-scaling based on the knowledge of speech characteristics, the relative durations of speech segments, and the variation of these durations with speaking rate. The new method achieves a high quality output making it suitable for use as a computer-assisted speech therapy tool.
It is a common experience of many learners of a foreign language that native speakers (NSs) of th... more It is a common experience of many learners of a foreign language that native speakers (NSs) of that language speak too quickly for them to understand or imitate. Slowing down a segment of speech with older technology results in the familiar deepening of the voice as the pitch drops as well. The result is unpleasant and not particularly instructive. The DITCall-Slow tool slows recorded speech without tonal distortion, so that the learner has -literally -more time to hear what was said by the NS and, especially at slower playback speeds, can attend to the manner in which the sequence was spoken. While the tool is currently being commercialised for the study of English as a foreign language (EFL), it can be applied to any spoken language. The current paper examines why the technology works and its place in modern language learning.
Recall, 2007
This paper outlines the ongoing construction of a speech corpus for use by applied linguists and ... more This paper outlines the ongoing construction of a speech corpus for use by applied linguists and advanced EFL/ESL students.
This presentation will outline the current development and functionalities of the DIT Dynamic Spe... more This presentation will outline the current development and functionalities of the DIT Dynamic Speech Corpus which is based on natural, informal dialogue and recorded at a high level of audio quality.
This paper introduces a new development in speech technology and describes its planned applicatio... more This paper introduces a new development in speech technology and describes its planned application in an EFL context. Special attention is paid to the pedagogical potential of the resultant language tool.