Research title: Investigating prosody and syntax interface in Bantu languages in Southern Africa

Introduction

Thank you very much for coming to participate in our study. We ask you to read this form and understand the purpose of this study, the study procedures, data retention, voluntary participation, benefits, and contact information. If you agree to all of the terms and conditions of your participation, please sign this informed consent form. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask the experimenter.

Purpose of this Research

This research is conducted by researchers from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. The goal of our research is to investigate the characteristics of sentence pronunciation across various Bantu languages: e.g. Xitsonga, Tshivenda, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Tswana, Siswati, Southern Ndebele and other neighboring languages.

Description of the Research Procedure

This study consists of three parts: 1) recording using a digital recorder with a head-worn microphone, 2) recording using an electroglottograph, and 3) listening to speech sounds using a noise-blocking headphone. In the first part of the study, you will be asked to read the sentences presented by a computer screen. In the second part of the study, you will be asked to read sentences, with strapping sensors of an electroglottography around your neck. In the third part of the study, you will be asked to sit in front of a laptop computer and wear a noise-blocking headphone. A single session will take no more than 2 hours to complete. A series of sentences in your language will be played, and we will ask you to make judgments using a computer keyboard, or a response keypad.

Data retention and Confidentiality

The data will be made anonymous before analysis by removing personal information to ensure the confidentiality of the participant’s personal information. After removing personal information, part of the data will be provided to research assistants for annotation. Also, data or summarized results will not be released in any way that could identify participants. All data will be stored in a cabinet in the lab, and be accessible only by members of this research team.

Voluntary Participation

Participation in this study is voluntary, and your decision whether or not to participate in this study has no bearing whatsoever on your present or future relationship with International Christian University. You may withdraw from the study at any time and discontinue participation without penalty. If you request your data to be removed after participation, we will promptly destroy them as long as your request is made before we present the research results. 

Potential Risks

There are no anticipated detriment/risks to subjects.

Benefits

The findings will provide a better understanding of the voicing contrast across languages. Regardless of whether or not you can complete the entire experiment, you will receive ZAR 150 /hour in 2022 for your participation.  

Contact

This research has been reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee at the International Christian University. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask the experimenter. If you have any further comments or questions about this study, please contact Dr. Seunghun Lee (International Christian University, Tel: +81-422-33-3243, e-mail: seunghun@icu.ac.jp).