Màster en Lingüística Teòrica i Aplicada. Treballs de fi de màster de recercahttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/206572024-03-29T01:21:53Z2024-03-29T01:21:53ZEffects of producing pitch gestures on the production of Chinese tonesZeng, Zhaohttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/580102023-09-30T01:30:43Z2023-09-29T00:00:00ZEffects of producing pitch gestures on the production of Chinese tones
Zeng, Zhao
Previous studies have shown the beneficial role of observing pitch gestures, which refer to hand
movements mimicking pitch heights and contours in speech, in improving the perception of L2
tones by non-tonal language speakers. However, little is known about the potential benefits of
training speakers to perform pitch gestures on tone pronunciation both during training -
simultaneously imitating tone and gesture - and after training. The present study has two
complementary aims. First, to investigate whether a brief 3-minute training session with
performing pitch gestures while imitating the four Mandarin tones can improve non-tonal
language speakers’ ability to imitate the target tones after training. Second, to investigate
whether the simultaneous production of the target tones during training is more accurate when
accompanied by pitch gestures. In a between-subjects design, 50 Catalan-Spanish bilinguals
were randomly divided into two groups: (a) the No-Gesture group (NG), in which the
participants imitated tone words without gestures, and (b) the Gesture group (G), in which they
imitated the same tone words while simultaneously producing pitch gestures. All participants
underwent a tone imitation task before and after training. The results showed that a brief 3-
minute training involving pitch gestures was not more effective than training without pitch
gestures in promoting a more accurate production of the Mandarin tones after training.
However, upon closer examination of the target production of the tones during training, further
analyses revealed that producing pitch gestures did improve imitation accuracy of Tone 3,
which is considered the most challenging tone to learn.
Treball de fi de màster en Lingüística Teòrica i Aplicada. Directores: Dra. Pilar Prieto, Dra. Florence Baills
2023-09-29T00:00:00ZExamining iconicity information in semantic and phonetic word embeddingsWright, Jamiehttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/580092023-09-30T01:30:40Z2023-09-29T00:00:00ZExamining iconicity information in semantic and phonetic word embeddings
Wright, Jamie
This study explores the concept of iconicity, which refers to a relationship of
similarity between sound and meaning in words. The Bouba-kiki effect, where participants
consistently associate certain phonemes with round or spiky shapes, and ideophones, which
are sensory words like zigzag, are examples of iconicity. In this study, iconicity ratings, based
on native speaker judgments, are used to assess iconicity, while semantic and phonetic
embeddings provide distributional and articulatory information about words. Linear
regression models are employed to connect these elements, investigating the extent to which
iconicity information is captured in English phonetic and semantic word embeddings. The
models successfully predict iconicity ratings to a certain degree, suggesting the presence of
iconicity information in these embeddings. Moreover, the models' predictions align with
previous research on the phonetic and semantic dimensions of iconicity. This research shines
light on the relationship between iconicity and word embeddings, and contributes to our
knowledge on the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of
iconicity
Treball de fi de màster en Lingüística Teòrica i Aplicada. Director: Dr. Thomas Brochhagen
2023-09-29T00:00:00ZM3D Gesture Labeling: developing and evaluating a training program for gesture annotation - a mixed-methods studyTütüncübasi, Ulyahttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/580082023-09-30T01:30:42Z2023-09-29T00:00:00ZM3D Gesture Labeling: developing and evaluating a training program for gesture annotation - a mixed-methods study
Tütüncübasi, Ulya
Various gesture labeling systems aim to establish guidelines on how to systematically assess and
annotate gestures. However, there is a lack of resources that provide guidance and training on the
proper use of the labeling systems. To address this gap, the present study aims to (a) collaboratively
develop an online training program for the M3D gesture labeling system (Rohrer et al., 2023) using
the ADDIE paradigm (Branch, 2009) and (b) to evaluate its usability, acceptability, feasibility and
effectiveness. Developing a training program for gesture annotation is essential for advancing the field
of gesture studies, equally important is conducting an evaluative process to ensure the program’s high
quality nature.
The evaluation will employ a mixed-methods approach, using the System Usability Scale (SUS)
(Brooke, 2013) for usability assessment, an ADDIE questionnaire and an in-house questionnaire for
acceptability, a starting-and-completion ratio for feasibility and an inter-annotator reliability
assessment for effectiveness. Thirteen participants took part in the evaluation. The results show that
the program has achieved a remarkable degree of usability, especially in terms of ease of use,
complexity and integration of functionalities, reaching an overall score of “Excellent”, with individual
scores ranging from 70-97.7 on a 1-100 scale. In terms of acceptability, it was found to enhance the
participants’ skills (M= 4.90, SD= 0.316), learning material was perceived as supporting the learning
process (M= 4.90, SD= 0.316) and value was added by visual material (M= 5.00, SD= 0.00). The
starting-and-completion ratio stands at 13:10. Effectiveness shows high inter-annotator reliability
results for Gesture Phases and Gesture Referentiality. Overall, the projects’ results represent a major
advancement for gesture studies, offering for the first time an online gesture annotation training
program which moves the field towards a more standardized approach to assessing gesture in
multimodal corpora.
Treball de fi de màster en Lingüística Teòrica i Aplicada. Directors: Prof. Pilar Prieto, Dr. Patrick Louis Rohrer
2023-09-29T00:00:00ZDetecting and mapping dialectal variation in a Dutch Twitter corpus: examining the use of Dutch Low Saxon onlinePieterse, Tommyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/580072023-09-30T01:30:41Z2023-09-29T00:00:00ZDetecting and mapping dialectal variation in a Dutch Twitter corpus: examining the use of Dutch Low Saxon online
Pieterse, Tommy
Recent decades have seen an increase in the prevalence of the use of computational methods in
the study of language, including in sociolinguistics. These methods allow for the study of
language variation through the analysis of social media data and even for the mapping of the
spread of linguistic variation in the real world. The goal of this study was to assess the utility
of computational methods in the extraction of Dutch Low Saxon dialect features from a large
Twitter corpus. The results indicate that these dialect features can be used successfully for the
training of classifiers and that maps generated based on these features and their associated
predictions have the potential to capture the use of Dutch Low Saxon in the Netherlands,
although methodological adjustments are advisable for future studies. The study of
socioeconomic status as it relates to Low Saxon proved feasible, although to a limited degree.
Treball de fi de màster en Lingüística Teòrica i Aplicada. Directora: Dra. Núria Bel Rafecas
2023-09-29T00:00:00Z