Tag Archives: Cantonese

Cantonese Time-Compressed Speech Test: Normative values for young adults

Lau, C.T.L., McPHERSON, B. and Fuente, A. Cantonese Time-Compressed Speech Test: Normative values for young adults. Asia Pacific Journal of Speech Language and Hearing, 15, 197-210. 2012.

Cantonese is a Chinese dialect spoken by over 50 million speakers in China and around the world. However, few Cantonese assessment tools for (central) auditory processing disorders are available. One common auditory processing assessment tool presented to English language listeners is time-compressed speech. The present study aimed at creating a prototype time-compressed speech test in Cantonese and developing initial normative data for this population. Fifty young Cantonese-speaking adults participated in the study. Three lists of bisyllabic Cantonese words with 0%, 45%, and 65% time compression rates were presented. Over 95% correct word recognition scores at all three compression rates were found. Word recognition scores were very similar for 0% and 45% compression lists but a relatively large standard deviation and slight mean drop in performance was noted for the 65% compression list. There was no significant difference between left and right ears or between genders. These results were comparable to previous studies of time-compressed speech performance for normal hearing listeners in other languages. From the findings, it was concluded that 45% is an appropriate time compression rate· for evaluating the auditory closure abilities of Cantonese-speaking individuals and that a Cantonese time-compressed speech test may be useful in the clinical diagnosis of (central) auditory processing disorders in Cantonese speaking individuals.

Adaptation of the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap into Cantonese

Fuente, A., McPHERSON, B., Kwok, E.T.T., Chan, K. and Kramer, S. Adaptation of the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap into Cantonese. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Audiology, 32(2), 115-126. 2012. 

Abstract:

This research aimed to adapt the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (AIADH) into Cantonese. A total of six Cantonese-English bilingual speakers participated in the adaptation of the AIADH. One-hundred and thirty- three normal-hearing and hearing-impaired Chinese-speaking participants from Hong Kong completed the Cantonese adaptation of the questionnaire (C-AIADH). Good internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire was indicated by a high Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Statistical analysis showed that the newly adapted questionnaire could differentiate between normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects. Percentiles were computed from the data obtained from normal-hearing subjects (n = 35) to obtain normal scores for the C-AIADH. The findings and possible clinical uses are discussed.

Chinese speech audiometry material: Past, present, future

 Ma, X.,McPHERSON, B. and Ma, L. Chinese speech audiometry material: Past, present, future. Hearing, Balance and Communication, 11, 52-63. 2013

Speech audiometry plays an important role in the assessment of hearing abilities, as it may more accurately reflect auditory function in the daily communication environment of listeners than other auditory assessment measures. Speech perception tests have been developed for over a century in Western countries, and they are commonly used procedures in North America and Europe, as well as Australia. The course of history and scientific progress has influenced speech audiometry in both its clinical and research aspects. Test materials developed from syllables and words to phases and sentences, and test protocols have evolved from using only simple speech stimuli in quiet to hearing-in-noise tests. In the early years, the purpose of speech audiometry was primarily to evaluate telecommunication systems. Today, speech tests are more often applied to assess speech perception abilities for individuals with hearing impairment. In addition to aiding diagnosis of the location of peripheral auditory pathology and measuring (central) auditory processing abilities, with the development of auditory amplification devices speech tests are also utilized to assess the outcomes of hearing aid and cochlear implant rehabilitation. Compared to the well documented speech test materials of Western countries, development in this field in China has been relatively delayed. A lack of material standardization, few test versions for the numerous Chinese dialect groups or for non-Chinese language minority populations, and insufficient test materials for children, have obstructed the development of speech audiometry in China. This review highlights key research milestones in the development of Chinese speech audiometry material, including work conducted in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and suggests priorities for future research in this field in China.

Executive and language control in the multilingual brain

[speaker]Kong, PH[/speaker]

Kong, A. P.-H., Abutalebi, J., Lam, K. S.-Y., & Weekes, B. Executive and language control in the multilingual brain. Behavioural Neurology. 2013 DOI: 10.3233/ben-120331

Link to HKU Scholars Hub

Abstract:

Neuro imaging studies suggest that the neural network involved in language control may not be specific to bi-/multilingualism but part of a domain general executive control system. We report a trilingual case of a Cantonese (L1), English (L2), and Mandarin (L3) speaker, Dr. T, who sustained a brain injury at the age of 77-years causing lesions in the left frontal lobe and in the left temporo-parietal areas resulting in fluent aphasia. Dr. T’s executive functions were impaired according to a modified version of the Stroop color-word test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance was characterized by frequent perseveration errors. Dr. T demonstrated pathological language switching and mixing across her three languages. Code switching in Cantonese was more prominent in discourse production than confrontation naming. Our case suggests that voluntary control of spoken word production in trilingual speakers shares neural substrata in the frontal-basal ganglia system with domain-general executive control mechanisms. One prediction is that lesions to such a system would give rise to both pathological switching and impairments of executive functions in trilingual speakers.