Unit details

PHYL5513 Speech, Language and Communication

Credit

6 points

Offering
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Semester 2	UWA (Perth)	Face to face

Content

This unit presents an overview for audiologists of speech and language development, from early childhood through to adulthood, and relates it to difficulties associated with impaired hearing. Alternative communication systems (e.g. sign language) are also presented. Topics include the production of speech sounds, basic physiological linguistics, linguistic organisation, acoustic phonetics, phoniatrics, sonograms, normal loudness, pitch and timing perception, masking in speech perception, developmental milestones, speech and language development in normal and hearing-impaired children, auditory perception (in children and adults), psychological effects, effects on reading and general education, artificial speech, Makaton, Auslan and signed English.

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) deconstruct principles of acoustic phonetics, including the production of vowels, consonants, dipthongs and affricates; (2) analyse speech sounds with time waveforms, spectra and spectograms; (3) analyse the linguistic structure of speech and its normal development; (4) appraise the process of speech and language development, including both normal and abnormal development patterns; (5) evaluate alternative communication strategies, including sign languages, pictorial languages and cued speech; (6) analyse impact of hearing loss on speech perception and speech development; and (7) evaluate common speech and language pathologies including word-finding issues, social communication difficulties, structural language impairments, literacy impairments, voice difficulties and cognitive impairments to the extent that they interfere with communication.

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) assignment and (2) theory examination. Further information is available in the unit outline.

To pass this unit, a student must: (a) achieve an overall mark of 50 per cent or higher for the unit; and (b) achieve the requisite requirements(s) or a mark of 50 per cent or greater, whichever is higher and specified in the unit outline, for the assignment and theory examination components.

For units commencing in May 2022 or later the availability of the supplementary assessment is subject to confirmation.

Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Except where supplementary assessment is not available in a unit, it will be offered to students in all units who:

• Are in good academic standing overall;
• Have passed over half the units taken in the teaching period concerned, except where they are only enrolled in two or less units in the period;
• Have submitted all assessment items in the unit;
• Have achieved a mark between 45 and 49 for the unit overall, or the same mark in any failed component item in the unit; and
• No finding of academic misconduct has been made against them in the unit concerned.

Additionally student may apply for supplementary assessment in any unit which is the final unit required for graduation in there course and where they have achieved a mark between 45 and 49 for the unit overall, or the same mark in any failed component item in the unit.

Unit Coordinator(s)

Dr Helen Goulios and Dr Robyn Choi

Unit rules

Prerequisites:

Enrolment in 90540 Master of Clinical Audiology or 00840 Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Clinical Audiology or 73560 Master of Audiological Sciences and Successful completion of one Unit(s) PHYL5510 Physiology of the Auditory System

Co-requisites:

Nil

Advisable prior study:

some biology or physiology is recommended

Incompatibility:

Nil

Contact hours

lectures/tutorials/labs: equivalent to 2 hours per week, but delivered in an intensive 5-week course in June–August; plus a self-paced speech analysis assignment

Text

Borden, G. J. et al. Speech Science Primer: Physiology, Acoustics and Perception of Speech, 3rd edn: Williams & Wilkins 1994

Recommended
reading

Denes, P. B. and Prinsen, E. N. The Speech Chain: the Physics and Biology of Spoken Language, 2nd edn: Freeman Press 1993