Question 1

The analysis of speech errors has led to the notion that speech production involves several functional levels. Which of the following is not considered to be one of those levels?

Accepted Answer

The Freudian level is not considered to be one of the functional levels involved in speech production. The levels typically recognized are the semantic level (concerned with the meaning of words), the syntactic level (concerned with the grammatical structure of sentences), and the phonological level (concerned with the sound pattern of language). The Freudian level refers to a psychological theory of unconscious motivations and conflicts.

Question 2

Which of these statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Different consonants are indeed produced by varying both the manners of articulation (how the air stream is constricted) and the places of articulation (where in the oral cavity the air stream is constricted). This combination determines the unique sound of each consonant.

Question 3

Speech spectrograms, which make speech "visible,"

Accepted Answer

Speech spectrograms display the frequency, intensity, and duration of sounds over time, but they do not directly show which specific acoustic properties define phonemes. Identifying phonemes involves more complex analysis beyond what is visible in a spectrogram.

Question 4

Whereas phonemes convey meaning and phones may convey meaning but don't have to,

Accepted Answer

Allophones never convey meaning on their own. They are variants of a phoneme and do not distinguish different words in a language. The meaning is conveyed by the specific combination of phonemes that create words.

Question 5

Achievement of desired relative positions of the articulators can be achieved with a system that is metaphorically described by a pulley with weights on either side, corresponding, say, to the upper and lower lip. What this metaphor is referring to is a neural network that relies on

Accepted Answer

This metaphor refers to a neural network system where both the upper and lower lips are controlled by their respective controllers (A and B), and there is a bilabial closure unit that not only activates these controllers but also allows them to inhibit each other (C), thus ensuring coordinated movement for tasks such as speech. This comprehensive control mechanism is represented by all the options (A, B, and C) working together.

Question 6

Imagine that painless electrodes could be attached to a person's throat and the electrodes picked up subvocal electromyographic activity that was directly related to the speech the person herad. This outcome would provide strong support for

Accepted Answer

The motor theory of speech perception proposes that when we hear speech, we are not only processing the acoustic signals but also generating a motor plan in our brains to produce the speech ourselves. Painless electrodes picking up subvocal electromyographic activity related to the speech the person heard would provide direct evidence to support this theory.

Question 7

Research on bird brains has shown that, at least for different types of birds,

Accepted Answer

Research on bird brains has shown that the left hemisphere of the bird's brain is generally specialized for singing, new neurons appear to grow in the bird's brain when songs are learned, and mirror neurons seem to play a role in bird song learning. Therefore, all of the above options are correct.

Question 8

Which of these structures is above the larynx in the human body?

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed (the pharynx, the mouth, jaws, and lips, and the nasal tract and velum) are structures located above the larynx in the human body.

Question 9

Which finding inspires the belief that inhalation is affected by planning?

Accepted Answer

The finding that experienced singers regulate the amount and speed of inhalation based on their upcoming singing phrase suggests that they are actively planning and adjusting their inhalation based on the requirements of the task. This implies that inhalation is affected by planning. Choices A and C describe physiological mechanisms related to breathing, but do not necessarily demonstrate a link between inhalation and planning.

Question 10

The difference between the sound of "v" and "f" is attributable to

Accepted Answer

The sound of "v" is produced by the vibration of the vocal folds, while the sound of "f" is formed without vibration of the vocal folds.

Question 11

Which of the following is not one of the three subsystems of the vocal tract?

Accepted Answer

The coarticulation subsystem is not one of the three main subsystems of the vocal tract. The three main subsystems are the respiratory subsystem, the laryngeal subsystem, and the articulatory subsystem. Coarticulation refers to the overlapping of articulatory movements during speech production, but it is not considered a distinct subsystem of the vocal tract.

Question 12

When speech speeds up

Accepted Answer

As speech speeds up, all of the above changes occur. Intonation flattens as there is less time to vary pitch or stress, extraneous syllables (such as "uh" or "um") are eliminated, and vowels shorten while consonants remain intact as they carry more meaning in words.

Question 13

Contrary to what would be expected if speech perception were complete "disembodied,"

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described in both options A and B is known as "embodied cognition," which suggests that our perception of language is not entirely disembodied but rather influenced by our bodily experiences and movements. Specifically, the study mentioned in the question found that participants took longer to move their hand out away from their body to affirm a sentence about pulling a drawer than to affirm a sentence about pushing a drawer, and conversely, they took longer to move their hand in toward their body to affirm a sentence about pushing a drawer than to affirm a sentence about pulling a drawer. This suggests that language comprehension involves motor simulation, where we mentally simulate bodily actions associated with the meaning of words and concepts.

Question 14

Three major types of language dysfunction accompany brain damage. The dysfunctions and their defining features are correctly matched up in which of the following? -- aphasia a language planning deficit, apraxia a phoneme sequencing deficit, and dysarthria a motor execution deficit.

Accepted Answer

Aphasia is a language planning deficit, characterized by difficulty in formulating and conveying language. Apraxia is a phoneme sequencing deficit, which is the inability to plan and coordinate the movements required for speech. Dysarthria is a motor execution deficit, characterized by weakness, slowness, or incoordination of the muscles involved in speech production. Thus, the correct match-up is aphasia with language planning deficit, apraxia with phoneme sequencing deficit, and dysarthria with motor execution deficit, which is accurately represented in option B.

Question 15

Gently tugging on facial muscles involved with production of the word "had" biases the person whose facial muscles are tugged to

Accepted Answer

Gently tugging on facial muscles involved with production of a word biases the person to hear that word when an acoustically neutral stimulus is played. This is consistent with the concept of motor resonance, which suggests that when a person hears a word, their brain automatically simulates the motor movements required to produce that word. By tugging on the facial muscles involved in producing "had," the person's brain is primed to simulate those movements, leading them to hear "had" rather than "head" when an acoustically neutral stimulus is played.

Question 16

Up-down and front-back are important dimensions in speech control because they usefully describe

Accepted Answer

The up-down and front-back dimensions are crucial in describing the position of the tongue body in relation to vowel production. Different positions of the tongue can significantly alter the shape of the vocal tract, thereby producing different vowel sounds. This is a fundamental aspect of phonetics, the study of speech sounds and their production.

Question 17

Word games such as speaking Pig Latin and "talking backwards" are important for understanding speech production because these activities

Accepted Answer

Activities like speaking Pig Latin and talking backwards highlight the importance of both syllables and phonemes in speech production, showing how they are fundamental units of language that our minds recognize and manipulate.

Question 18

Evidence has been obtained for the hypothesis that speech production is geared to achieve relative positions of the articulators to achieve appropriate acoustic results. Which of the following constitutes such evidence?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evidence has been obtained for the hypothesis...

Question 19

The textbook described a parallel distributed processing system, developed by Jordan, to explain coarticulation. This connectionist system relies on

Accepted Answer

The parallel distributed processing system developed by Jordan to explain coarticulation relies on various components, including input units, hidden units, output units, plan units, and state units. It also uses "don't care" target values and back-propagation. Therefore, the correct answer is D - all of the above.

Question 20

Speed production is affected by feedback, as shown by which of the following results?

Accepted Answer

Delayed auditory feedback is a type of feedback that can cause disruption in speech production and can give rise to stuttering. Holding pipes in the mouth does not affect speed production. Deafness, however, can lead to changes in vocal quality over the long term. Therefore all of the above points are affected by feedback.

Quiz 10: Speaking and Singing