Search Results (14)

Cantonese automatic speech recognition (ASR) faces persistent challenges due to its nine lexical tones, extensive phonological variation, and the scarcity of professionally transcribed corpora. To address these issues, we propose a lightweight and data-efficient framework that leverages weak phonetic supervision (WPS) in conjunction with two pho-neme-aware augmentation strategies. (1) Dynamic Boundary-Aligned Phoneme Dropout progressively removes entire IPA segments according to a curriculum schedule, simulating real-world phenomena such as elision, lenition, and tonal drift while ensuring training stability. (2) Phoneme-Aware SpecAugment confines all time- and frequency-masking operations within phoneme boundaries and prioritizes high-attention regions, thereby preserving intra-phonemic contours and formant integrity. Built on the Whistle encoder—which integrates a Conformer backbone, Connectionist Temporal Classification–Conditional Random Field (CTC-CRF) alignment, and a multi-lingual phonetic space—the approach requires only a grapheme-to-phoneme lexicon and Montreal Forced Aligner outputs, without any additional manual labeling. Experiments on the Cantonese subset of Common Voice demonstrate consistent gains: Dynamic Dropout alone reduces phoneme error rate (PER) from 17.8% to 16.7% with 50 h of speech and 16.4% to 15.1% with 100 h, while the combination of the two augmentations further lowers PER to 15.9%/14.4%. These results confirm that structure-aware phoneme-level perturbations provide an effective and low-cost solution for building robust Cantonese ASR systems under low-resource conditions. Full article

This paper examines Gorgia Toscana (GT), a phenomenon of stop lenition observed in Tuscan varieties of Italian. Traditionally, this process has been understood to occur in post-vocalic positions, which, in the native lexicon, corresponds to onset position due to the absence of stops in syllable codas in Italian, apart from geminate consonants that straddle the coda and onset of adjacent syllables. However, stops in coda positions are found in both loanwords (e.g., admin, Batman) and bookwords (e.g., ritmo, tecnica). Drawing on original acoustic data collected from 42 native speakers of Florentine Italian, we investigated the realization of stops in such lexical items through allophonic classification and quantitative analysis. Our primary aim was to test the Onset Hypothesis, which posits that Gorgia exclusively affects stops in onset positions, implying that coda stops should not undergo lenition. Our findings support this hypothesis. We provide a phonological analysis within the frameworks of Strict CV and Coda Mirror, emphasizing the importance of syllable structure in understanding the manifestation of Gorgia Toscana, which we argue cannot be adequately captured solely by considering the linear order of segments. Full article

The main purpose of this study is to test a method for the analysis of phonetic variation in natural speech. The method takes into account the continuous nature of the speech flow and allows for the investigation of the systematic variation phenomena that occur in the speech net of the cross-word coarticulation phenomena that are expected in connected speech. We will describe some of the most frequent phonetic variation patterns that may be observed in the speech chain seen as a sequence of syllables, in relation to internal syllabic structure and lexical stress. The present study concerns speech data from the Italian section of the NOCANDO corpus. The data consist of about 1000 syllables extracted from monological speech from different speakers. In two different analysis layers, we attempted to align the “phonological” expected form and observed realisation. The results of this attempt led to the definition of syllabic deletion, substitution, or insertion when the alignment fails. The proposed method provides insight into the phonetic variation processes that can systematically occur in natural speech with relation to specific linguistic structures; in particular, unstressed syllables are most likely to undergo variation phenomena, and systematic differences concern the syllabic position of the segmental change, in that the presence of lexical stress prevents vowel deletion or centralization, but allows for onset changes (such as consonant cluster simplification or lenition). Full article

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate lenition, a phonological process involving consonant weakening, as a diagnostic marker for differentiating Parkinson’s Disease (PD) from Atypical Parkinsonism (APD). Early diagnosis is critical for optimizing treatment outcomes, and lenition patterns in stop consonants may provide valuable insights into the distinct motor speech impairments associated with these conditions. Methods: Using Phonet, a machine learning model trained to detect phonological features, we analyzed the posterior probabilities of continuant and sonorant features from the speech of 142 participants (108 PD, 34 APD). Lenition was quantified based on deviations from expected values, and linear mixed-effects models were applied to compare phonological patterns between the two groups. Results: PD patients exhibited more stable articulatory patterns, particularly in preserving the contrast between voiced and voiceless stops. In contrast, APD patients showed greater lenition, particularly in voiceless stops, coupled with increased articulatory variability, reflecting a more generalized motor deficit. Conclusions: Lenition patterns, especially in voiceless stops, may serve as non-invasive markers for distinguishing PD from APD. These findings suggest potential applications in early diagnosis and tracking disease progression. Future research should expand the analysis to include a broader range of phonological features and contexts to improve diagnostic accuracy. Full article

Objective: This study investigated the degrees of lenition, or consonantal weakening, in the production of Spanish stop consonants by native English speakers during a study abroad (SA) program. Lenition is a key phonological process in Spanish, where voiced stops (/b/, /d/, /ɡ/) typically weaken to fricatives or approximants in specific phonetic environments. For L2 learners, mastering this subtle process is essential for achieving native-like pronunciation. Methods: To assess the learners’ progress in acquiring lenition, we employed Phonet, a deep learning model. Unlike traditional quantitative acoustic methods that focus on measuring the physical properties of speech sounds, Phonet utilizes recurrent neural networks to predict the posterior probabilities of phonological features, particularly sonorant and continuant characteristics, which are central to the lenition process. Results: The results indicated that while learners showed progress in producing the fricative-like variants of lenition during the SA program and understood how to produce lenition in appropriate contexts, the retention of these phonological gains was not sustained after their return. Additionally, unlike native speakers, the learners never fully achieved the approximant-like realization of lenition. Conclusions: These findings underscore the need for sustained exposure and practice beyond the SA experience to ensure the long-term retention of L2 phonological patterns. While SA programs offer valuable opportunities for enhancing L2 pronunciation, they should be supplemented with ongoing support to consolidate and extend the gains achieved during the immersive experience. Full article

The rebranding of reggaetón towards Latin urban has been criticized for tokenizing Afro-Caribbean linguistic and cultural practices as symbolic resources recruitable by non-Caribbean artists/executives in the interest of profit. Consumers are particularly critical of an audible phonological homogeneity in the performances of ethnonationally distinct mainstream performers, framed as a form of linguistic minstrelsy popularly termed a ‘Caribbean Blaccent’ that facilitates capitalization on the genre’s popularity by tapping into the covert prestige of distinctive phonological elements of Insular Caribbean Spanish otherwise stigmatized. This work pairs acoustic analysis with quantitative statistical modeling to compare the use of lenited coronal sibilant allophones popularly considered indexical of Hispano-Caribbean origins in the spoken and sung speech of four of the genre’s top-charting female performers. A general pattern of style-shifting from interview to sung speech wherein sibilance is favored in the former and phonetic zeros in the latter is revealed. Moreover, a statistically significant increased incidence of [-] across time shows the most recent records to uniformly deploy near-categorical reduction independent of artists’ sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds. The results support the enregisterment of practices popularized by the genre’s San Juan-based pioneers as a stylistic resource—a reggaetón voice—for engaging the images of vernacularity sustaining and driving the contemporary, mainstream popularity of música urbana. Full article

Propelled by existing research on stop consonant variability in Spanish, this pilot study provides a preliminary acoustic analysis of stop consonant lenition exhibited by speakers of six different varieties of Spanish in Latin America and Spain to explore the gradient acoustic variability in the production of /ptk/ and /bdɡ/ among speakers of different Spanish varieties. Using the acoustic correlate of relative intensity, this analysis considers the effect of various linguistic factors (phoneme, lexical stress, point of articulation, sonority) as well as the extralinguistic factor of Spanish variety on the production of stop consonants in initial, intervocalic position. Results display a higher degree of weakening among speakers of Peninsular and Insular varieties of Spanish compared with those of Latin-American varieties such as Colombian, Mexican, and Peruvian. These exploratory data support the gradient nature of consonant lenition and provide a baseline for future research on stop consonant variability across the Spanish-speaking world. Full article

Spanish voiced stops /b, d, ɡ/ surfaced as fricatives [β, ð, ɣ] in intervocalic position due to a phonological process known as spirantization or, more broadly, lenition. However, conditioned by various factors such as stress, place of articulation, flanking vowel quality, and speaking rate, phonetic studies reveal a great deal of variation and gradience of these surface forms, ranging from fricative-like to approximant-like [$\underset{\top }{\mathsf{\beta }}$, $\underset{\top }{\mathsf{ð}}$, $\underset{\top }{\mathsf{ɣ}}$]. Several acoustic measurements have been used to quantify the degree of lenition, but none is standard. In this study, the posterior probabilities of sonorant and continuant phonological features in a corpus of Argentinian Spanish estimated by a deep learning Phonet model as measures of lenition were compared to traditional acoustic measurements of intensity, duration, and periodicity. When evaluated against known lenition factors: stress, place of articulation, surrounding vowel quality, word status, and speaking rate, the results show that sonorant and continuant posterior probabilities predict lenition patterns that are similar to those predicted by relative acoustic intensity measures and are in the direction expected by the effort-based view of lenition and previous findings. These results suggest that Phonet is a reliable alternative or additional approach to investigate the degree of lenition. Full article

Heritage language variation and change provides an opportunity to examine the interplay of contact-induced and language-internal effects while extending the variationist framework beyond monolingual speakers and majority languages. Using data from the Heritage Language Variation and Change in Toronto Project, we illustrate this with a case study of Tagalog (r), which varies between tap, trill, and approximant variants. Nearly 3000 tokens of (r)-containing words were extracted from a corpus of spontaneous speech of 23 heritage speakers in Toronto and 9 homeland speakers in Manila. Intergenerational and intergroup analyses were conducted using mixed-effects modeling. Results showed greater use of the approximant among second-generation (GEN2) heritage speakers and those that self-report using English more. In addition, the distributional patterns remain robust and the approximant appears in more contexts. We argue that these patterns reflect an interplay between internal and external processes of change. We situate these findings within a framework for distinguishing sources of variation in heritage languages: internal change, identity marking and transfer from the dominant language. Full article

The lenition of Spanish intervocalic voiced stops, commonly grouped as /bdg/, has increasingly been examined within Spanish as a Heritage Language research. This study seeks to identify social, phonetic, and lexical factors that predict the degree of lenition of /bdg/ among heritage speakers of Spanish. We analyzed 850 intervocalic productions of /bdg/ by 20 adult Spanish heritage speakers of various generations in an oral word list production task. Using spectrographic analyses, productions were categorized as full approximant, tense approximant, and occlusive. Results from linear mixed-effects models indicated that the phonetic context and the number of family generations residing in the US significantly predicted the degree of lenition of intervocalic voiced segments while age of acquisition of Spanish, current contact hours, and cognate status did not predict changes in the degree of lenition. Specifically, as the speaker’s number of family generations residing in the US increased, fewer segments were lenited. We conclude that variations in /bdg/ lenition among heritage speakers of Spanish reflect the changes in pronunciation of other segments of heritage speakers over generations. Full article

The use of calendula for its lenitive properties’ dates to the XII century. This plant contains several bioactive compounds, including terpenoids, terpenes, carotenoids, flavonoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Calendula flower extract is used in soothing cosmetics, such as after-sun, sensitive skin and eye contour products. The anti-inflammatory properties of this ingredient were demonstrated in an animal model, but the mechanism of action is poorly understood. Therefore, our work explored the effect of a calendula flower extract on NO production, a pro-inflammatory radical produced by nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and highly released by innate immune cells in inflammatory-related pathologies. NO production was evoked by the Toll-like receptor 4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in macrophages, using concentrations that did not compromise cells viability. This ingredient exhibited a dose-dependent NO inhibition, reaching 50% at 147 μL/mL without cytotoxicity. Together with previous literature, these results provide experimental evidence on the anti-inflammatory properties of calendula flower extract, as well as its usefulness in cosmetics with soothing properties and adjunctive skin care in the treatment of the diseases associated with dysregulation of the NO signaling cascade. Full article

Inflammation and oxidative stress are part of the complex biological responses of body tissues to harmful stimuli. In recent years, due to the increased understanding that oxidative stress is implicated in several diseases, pharmaceutical industries have invested in the research and development of new antioxidant compounds, especially from marine environment sources. Marine seaweeds have shown the presence of many bioactive secondary metabolites, with great potentialities from both the nutraceutical and the biomedical point of view. In this study, 50%-ethanolic and DMSO extracts from the species C. amentacea var. stricta were obtained for the first time from seaweeds collected in the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean). The bioactive properties of these extracts were then investigated, in terms of quantification of specific antioxidant activities by relevant ROS scavenging spectrophotometric tests, and of anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by evaluation of inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. The data obtained in this study demonstrate a strong anti-inflammatory effect of both C. amentacea extracts (DMSO and ethanolic). The extracts showed a very low grade of toxicity on RAW 264.7 macrophages and L929 fibroblasts and a plethora of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that were for the first time thoroughly investigated. The two extracts were able to scavenge OH and NO radicals (OH EC50 between 392 and 454 μg/mL; NO EC50 between 546 and 1293 μg/mL), to partially rescue H₂O₂-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages cell death, to abate intracellular ROS production in H₂O₂-stimulated macrophages and fibroblasts and to strongly inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory mediators, such as NO production and IL-1α, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible NO synthase gene expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results pave the way, for the future use of C. amentacea metabolites, as an example, as antioxidant food additives in antiaging formulations as well as in cosmetic lenitive lotions for inflamed and/or damaged skin. Full article

Stawy Dojlidzkie (The Dojlidy Ponds) are located in the north-eastern part of Poland, near the capital of the Podlasie province, in Białystok. The Dojlidy Ponds (DP) are a complex of more than 20 reservoirs arranged adjacent to one another in an area of about 140 hectares. The largest recreation reservoir (Plażowy) is located within the city limits. Its total area is 34 hectares, it has a capacity of 597,040 m³ and a maximum depth of approximately 2.5 m. DP are supplied by a tributary of the Dojlidy Górne and the River Biała, the principal river of Bialystok. Water tests of a limnic and lenitic character in the upper part of River Biała catchment in Bialystok were conducted from March to October 2014. Referring the obtained results to the actual norms, it can be concluded that most of the parameters analyzed in DP can be assigned to the first class of surface waters. Exceptions were the iron ions, orthophosphates (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), Kjeldahl nitrogen, and also water color and DOC. According to the evaluation of trophic status, the water of DP is eutrophic. The average value of TSI was 55 in the water of the tested objects. The obtained results show that the ecological status of water in the largest pond within the DP complex, in accordance with, the Ecological State Macrophyte Index (ESMI) represent to the good state. Full article