School of Communication Science and Disorders Professor Yunjung Kim was invited to serve as Guest Editor for the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, a leading journal in the field. Her forum “Native Language, Dialect, and Foreign Accent in Dysarthria” was published in a collection of papers from international scholars. She also participated in the forum as an author of two articles, “Raising Awareness About Language-and Culture-Specific Considerations in the Management of Dysarthria Associated with Parkinson’s Disease within the United States” and “Does native language matter in perceptual ratings of dysarthria?”
“Although it’s a small collection, I am really excited to provide a variety of article types including tutorial, commentary, and research articles offering experimental and clinical outcomes,” Kim says. “I believe that this forum would be relevant and informative to so many people, including speech-language pathologists, researchers, and students majoring in communication science disorders.”
Dysarthria is a type of speech disorder caused by a wide range of neurological conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease, and can make speech difficult to understand. Kim’s forum focused on the role of linguistic variation in the manifestation of dysarthria, such as native language, dialects, and foreign accents, emphasizing the importance of considering the language background of clients as much of the existing research is almost exclusively from monolingual English speakers.
Kim aims to bring attention to the way language variation affects dysarthria symptoms, serving as a foundation for further research and promoting awareness of the diversity of the clients studied and served
“I hope that this forum will be a kickstarter to raise awareness of dysarthria with diverse language backgrounds,” she says.
Kim encourages clinicians to prepare for a change in the population structure in which the U.S. population is aging considerably and becoming more racially and ethnically diverse by incorporating language-specific aspects of dysarthria into their assessment and management system. She shares that she was most shocked about how little is known about the topic. “Studies of foreign accents and dialects including regional, ethnic, and social dialects within dysarthria research are extremely rare, which is left to be homework for us.” She is hopeful that expanding their knowledge in the matter will aid the advancement of the field but emphasizes that it will require a collective effort across language groups, disciplines, and professions.