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Center for Applied Language Sciences: |
Speech
Sciences: Out
of five Research Groups under this center, Speech Science group is engaged in
research in different aspects of phonetics such as articulatory, I experimental,
biological and clinical analysis of speech sounds. It also focuses on forensic
phonetics and speech technology.
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The
research available in these areas
in Indian institutions is applied in CIIL
for language teaching and learning, for working out phonology of languages, speech
synthesis, speech disorders, and also for solving criminal issues.
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CIIL
has a computerized speech laboratory with software supporting operatiops such
as speech acquisition, storing speech to disc memory, graphical and numerical
display of speech parameters, audio output, signal editing, and spectrographic
analysis in real time during signal acquisition. The database in the Speech Science
laboratory consists of 200 audio/video files illustrating sample pronunciations
of the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols. The video samples of the database
display subject's lips andjaw movement: the tongue position or movement close
enough to observe oral gestures; state of pharynx or glottis, etc. The quantitative
acoustic assessment of voice quality can also be undertaken at CIIL. |
The
speech sciences group also conducts training/orientation programs for the language
teachers of schools and colleges and research scholars. It has so far trained
teachers from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. |
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Psycholinguistics:
Psycholinguistics group is an interdisciplinary unit. Its activities can be classified
under three heads: research, teaching and training programs which include orientation
courses and workshops. |
The
various projects undertaken can be divided into two phases. In the first phase,
the focus was on educational issues pertaining for language learning and teaching,
especially on the Effects ofMedium of Instruction and Bilingual Education, Language
Load, Compatibility of Language Use in School Level Text books, Reading Readiness,
Psycholinguistic Principles for Material Preparation, Instructional Psychology
and Language Learning etc. The present work on role of dialect in language learning
also comes in this area. A large. number of books were brought out during this
phase. |
The.
'second phase of the research activities focused on cognition .and language. The
focus was on metaphors in children, pre-operational thought and language, language
development in children, development of narratives, bilingual acquisition, language
and cognition and language of the disadvantaged. |
Apart
from research, the psycholinguistic group conducts conferences on themes of language
acquisition, patterns bilingualism, knowledge, cognition and language, early childhood
communication, etc. |
The
group also acts as a resource for orientation programs on language teaching for
primary and secondary school teachers and for teachers dealing with hearing impaired
children. |
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