Acoustic and Psychophysical Dimensions of the Perceived Speech Naturalness of Nonstutterers and Posttreatment Stutterers

1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Evan Metz ◽  
Nicholas Schiavetti ◽  
Pat Richard Sacco
Keyword(s):  
Magnitude Estimation ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Scaling Procedure ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Duration Measure ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Speech Naturalness

The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine through psychophysical comparison of scaling data whether speech naturalness is a prothetic or a metathetic continuum, and to examine the relationship between selected acoustic characteristics of the speech of nonstutterers and treated stutterers and listeners' judgments of their speech naturalness. Comparison of magnitude estimation and interval scaling data indicated that speech naturalness behaves like a metathetic continuum, suggesting that either scaling procedure is valid for the quantification of this dimension. The speech of the nonstutterers was judged more natural than the speech of the treated stutterers, and a global voice onset time (VOT) measure (averaged across places of articulation) and a sentence duration measure were found to be the acoustic parameters most highly correlated with and predictive of speech naturalness. These results suggest the possibility that stuttering treatments that employ strategies like gentle voicing onset and prolonged speech may result in somewhat slower posttherapy speech patterns characterized by prolonged VOTs that could influence listeners to judge the speech as more unnatural than the speech of nonstutterers.

Voice Onset Time in Consonant Cluster Errors: Can Phonetic Accommodation Differentiate Cognitive From Motor Errors?

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1577-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Pouplier ◽  
Stefania Marin ◽  
Susanne Waltl
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Spectral Properties ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Consonant Cluster ◽  
Acoustic Data ◽  
Processing Level ◽  
Production Models ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Phonetic accommodation in speech errors has traditionally been used to identify the processing level at which an error has occurred. Recent studies have challenged the view that noncanonical productions may solely be due to phonetic, not phonological, processing irregularities, as previously assumed. The authors of the present study investigated the relationship between phonological and phonetic planning processes on the basis of voice onset time (VOT) behavior in consonant cluster errors. Method Acoustic data from 22 German speakers were recorded while eliciting errors on sibilant-stop clusters. Analyses consider VOT duration as well as intensity and spectral properties of the sibilant. Results Of all incorrect responses, 28% failed to show accommodation. Sibilant intensity and spectral properties differed from correct responses irrespective of whether VOT was accommodated. Conclusions The data overall do not allow using (a lack of) accommodation as a diagnostic as to the processing level at which an error has occurred. The data support speech production models that allow for an integrated view of phonological and phonetic processing.

scholarly journals Non-nutritive suck and voice onset time: Examining infant oromotor coordination

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250529
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Heller Murray ◽  
Joanna Lewis ◽  
Emily Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Burst Duration ◽  
First Year ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
First Year Of Life ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Relationship

The variability of a child’s voice onset time (VOT) decreases during development as they learn to coordinate upper vocal tract and laryngeal articulatory gestures. Yet, little is known about the relationship between VOT and other early motor tasks. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between infant vocalization and another early oromotor task, non-nutritive suck (NNS). Twenty-five full-term infants (11 male, 14 female) completed this study. NNS was measured with a customized pacifier at 3 months to evaluate this early reflex. Measures of mean VOT and variability of VOT (measured via coefficient of variation) were collected from 12-month-old infants using a Language Environmental Analysis device. Variability of VOTs at 12 months was significantly related to NNS measures at 3-months. Increased VOT variability was primarily driven by increased NNS intraburst frequency and increased NNS burst duration. There were no relationships between average VOT or range of VOT and NNS measures. Findings from this pilot study indicate a relationship between NNS measures of intraburst frequency and burst duration and VOT variability. Infants with increased NNS intraburst frequency and NNS burst duration had increased VOT variability, suggesting a relationship between the development of VOT and NNS in the first year of life. Future work is needed to continue to examine the relationship between these early oromotor actions and to evaluate how this may impact later speech development.

Intelligibility and the Acoustic Characteristics of Speech in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 496-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moira Mulligan ◽  
Joseph Carpenter ◽  
Joanne Riddel ◽  
Maureen Kenny Delaney ◽  
Gary Badger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Transition Rate ◽  
Transition Rates ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Als Patients ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in specific speech parameters in 14 patients, 7 dysarthric and 7 non-dysarthric, with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), over a 6-month period. Measurements of single word intelligibility, F2 formant trajectories (extent, duration and rate) and diadochokinetic rate showed decreased performance in dysarthric patients as compared to non-dysarthric patients at baseline. F2 transition rates of less than 4 Hz/msec were seen only in dysarthric ALS patients. A relationship between the F2 transition rate and single word intelligibility was noted for patients with moderate to high intelligibility, but at lower levels of intelligibility the F2 rate reached a plateau despite continued decline in intelligibility. Our results support the need for frequent evaluation of dysarthric ALS patients to better understand the relationship between intelligibility and the acoustic parameters of speech.

Acoustical Durations of Speech Segments During Stuttering Adaptation

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 494-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Prins ◽  
Carol P. Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
Free Speech ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Related Literature ◽  
Speech Segments ◽  
High Adaptation ◽  
Speech Naturalness

Acoustical durations of stutter- and disfluency-free speech segments from Readings #1 and #5 in an adaptation series were measured in 4 adapting, 4 nonadapting, and 4 nonstuttering subjects. The segment durations measured were intervocalic interval, stop-gap, voice onset time, and vowel duration. No clear trends in the change of acoustical durations from Reading #1 to Reading #5 distinguished the adapting, nonadapting, or nonstuttering subjects. Moreover, on the basis of speech naturalness judgments, listeners did not differentiate the Reading #1 and #5 phrase segments of subjects with high adaptation versus those with low adaptation scores. From these findings and related literature, adaptation of stuttering, as well as other fluency-inducing conditions, are viewed as circumstances that reduce demands upon central motor-linguistic processes.

scholarly journals The relationship between inhibitory control and speech production in young multilinguals

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-79
Author(s):  
Iga Krzysik
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Phonological Development ◽  
L2 Production ◽  
Global Accuracy ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Repetition Task

AbstractSpeech production in multilinguals involves constant inhibition of the languages currently not in use. In relation to phonological development, higher inhibitory skills may lead to the improved suppression of interference from the remaining languages in one’s repertoire and more accurate production of target features. The participants were 20 sequential multilingual learners (13-year-olds with L1 Polish, L2 English, L3 German), acquiring their L2 and L3 by formal instruction in a primary school. Inhibition was measured in a modified flanker task (Eriksen & Eriksen 1974; Poarch & Bialystok 2015). Multilingual production of voice onset time (VOT) and rhotic consonants was tested in a delayed repetition task (e.g. Kopečková et al. 2016; Krzysik 2019) in their L2 and L3. The results revealed that higher inhibitory control was related to increased global accuracy in the L2 and L3 production. Moreover, higher inhibitory control was also linked to higher accuracy in the overall L2 production, but there was no significant relationship with the L3 accuracy. These findings suggest that inhibition may play a role in phonological speech production, however, it may depend on one’s level of proficiency.

scholarly journals Temporal pattern analysis of voicing in children with and without alterations in sonority feature

Revista CEFAC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliane Ramone ◽  
Silvana de Coelho Frota
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Production Test ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Minimal Pairs ◽  
The Voice

ABSTRACT Purpose: to compare acoustic characteristics of stop consonants in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese with and without alterations in speech referring to voicing feature. Methods: out of 66 children assessed, 18 were selected for this study, aged from 9 to 12 years, distributed in Control Group, 8 without language alterations, and Deviation Group, 10 children with alterations in speech, regarding sonority features. Participants with hearing loss, with cognitive deficit, left-handed ones or using neurological medication, were excluded. The following tests were performed: tonal audiometry, ABFW speech test, and a PowerPoint interactive production test, which was developed by the author for this study, with the purpose of comparing the minimal pairs in words. At the end, the acoustic analysis was conducted, by using the PRAAT program. The acoustic characteristics of stops related to total and relative duration of voice onset time were compared in the two groups and analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test, with a significance level lower than 0.05. Results: significant differences were observed in the duration of the voice onset time between the two groups, such as the increase in absolute voice onset time in the Deviation Group in voiced stops, and reduction in absolute onset time in voiceless stops. The relative voice onset time presented significant differences between the two groups only in voiceless stops. Conclusion: Brazilian Portuguese speakers with alteration in their sonority feature showed an acoustic pattern different from that of other speakers, regarding the voice onset time.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Voice Onset Time and Increase in Vocal Effort and Fundamental Frequency

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Matti D. Groll ◽  
Surbhi Hablani ◽  
Cara E. Stepp
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Voice Disorder ◽  
High Pitch ◽  
Vocal Hyperfunction ◽  
Vocal Effort ◽  
Vocal Strain ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Prior work suggests that voice onset time (VOT) may be impacted by laryngeal tension: VOT means decrease when individuals with typical voices increase their fundamental frequency ( f o ) and VOT variability is increased in individuals with vocal hyperfunction, a voice disorder characterized by increased laryngeal tension. This study further explored the relationship between VOT and laryngeal tension during increased f o , vocal effort, and vocal strain. Method Sixteen typical speakers of American English were instructed to produce VOT utterances under four conditions: baseline, high pitch, effort, and strain. Repeated-measures analysis of variance models were used to analyze the effects of condition on VOT means and standard deviations ( SD s); pairwise comparisons were used to determine significant differences between conditions. Results Voicing, condition, and their interaction significantly affected VOT means. Voiceless VOT means significantly decreased for high pitch ( p < .001) relative to baseline; however, no changes in voiceless VOT means were found for effort or strain relative to baseline. Although condition had a significant effect on VOT SD s, there were no significant differences between effort, strain, and high pitch conditions relative to baseline. Conclusions Speakers with typical voices likely engage different musculature to increase pitch than to increase vocal effort and strain. The increased VOT variability present with vocal hyperfunction is not seen in individuals with typical voices using increased effort and strain, supporting the assertion that this feature of vocal hyperfunction may be related to disordered vocal motor control rather than resulting from effortful voice production.

Constraints on speech rate: A heritage-language perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 136700692092093
Author(s):  
Naomi Nagy ◽  
Marisa Brook
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Articulation Rate ◽  
Heritage Languages ◽  
Subject Pronoun ◽  
Highly Correlated

Research questions: Polinsky argues that speech rate in heritage languages is highly correlated with proficiency level. In sociolinguistics studies, speech rate in monolingual speakers is found to be conditioned by social factors. What occurs when both proficiency and social factors vary? Is speech rate a valid measure of proficiency? Methodology: We use two automated methods of measuring articulation rate (syllables per second), cross-referenced to improve accuracy: an orthographic vowel count and an acoustic measure of amplitude changes from syllable nucleus to periphery. Data and analysis: Across 51 speakers, each recorded in an hour-long conversation in Heritage Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, or Homeland Italian, we calculate speech rate in more than 10,000 clauses. Findings: Linear regression analyses reveal that articulation rate correlates with generation (since immigration) and age, but, surprisingly, not with ethnic orientation, sex or language. Age and generation are partly collinear in our sample, and models with generation fit better than those with age. We also find that articulation rate does not predict performance on sociolinguistic variables (voice onset time for stops, subject pronoun presence) in heritage varieties. Originality: This study compares two ways of calculating articulation rate automatically, examining whether speech rate is a viable stand-in for proficiency when social factors and proficiency vary independently. We resolve several obstacles to using articulation rate as a stand-in for more labor-intensive proficiency measures in spontaneous speech data. Implications: These findings suggest that speech rate is a valid proxy for heritage language proficiency. The factor with the strongest effect is generation since immigration (indicating the dominant language in the speaker’s childhood community). The effects of the social factors are complex but must be considered in order to interpret the proficiency measure accurately.

Motor-Motor Adaptation: Preliminary Findings

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda I. Shuster ◽  
Robert Allen Fox
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Experimental Technique ◽  
Voice Onset Time ◽  
Motor Adaptation ◽  
Onset Time ◽  
Stop Consonants ◽  
Experimental Procedure ◽  
Speech Token ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigated the relationship between speech perception and speech production. An experimental technique called motor-motor adaptation was devised. Subjects produced a speech token repeatedly (20 to 40 repetitions), then produced a second token one time. These tokens all contained stop consonants and were subsequently analyzed for voice onset time. The results paralleled previous findings using the experimental procedure, perceptuomotor adaptation. The present study supports the notion of a perception-production link.

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