scholarly journals The Effect of Clear Speech on Cantonese Alaryngeal Speakers’ Intelligibility

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Tak Fai Hui ◽  
Steven Randall Cox ◽  
Ting Huang ◽  
Wei-Rong Chen ◽  
Manwa Lawrence Ng
Keyword(s):  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Heterogeneous Groups ◽  
Intelligibility Test ◽  
Sentence Intelligibility ◽  
Communication Methods ◽  
Training Protocols

<b><i>Background/Aim:</i></b> The purpose of this study was to provide preliminary data concerning the effect of clear speech (CS) on Cantonese alaryngeal speakers’ intelligibility. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Voice recordings of 11 sentences randomly selected from the Cantonese Sentence Intelligibility Test (CSIT) were obtained from 31 alaryngeal speakers (9 electrolarynx [EL] users, 10 esophageal speakers and 12 tracheoesophageal [TE] speakers) in habitual speech (HS) and CS. Two naïve listeners orthographically transcribed a total of 1,364 sentences. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Significant effects of speaking condition on speaking rate and CSIT scores were observed, but no significant effect of alaryngeal communication methods was noted. CS was significantly slower than HS by 0.78 syllables/s. Esophageal speakers demonstrated the slowest speech rate when using CS, while EL users demonstrated the largest decrease in speaking rate when using CS compared to HS. TE speakers had the highest CSIT scores in HS (listener 1 = 81.4%; listener 2 = 81.3%), and esophageal speakers had the highest CSIT scores in CS (listener 1 = 87.5%; listener 2 = 89.7%). EL users experienced the largest increase in intelligibility while using CS compared to HS (9.1%) followed by esophageal speakers (8.9%) and TE speakers (1.4%). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Preliminary data indicate that CS may significantly affect Cantonese alaryngeal speakers’ speaking rate and intelligibility. However, intelligibility appeared to vary considerably across speakers. Further research involving larger, heterogeneous groups of speakers and listeners alongside longer and more refined CS training protocols should be conducted to confirm that CS can improve Cantonese alaryngeal speakers’ intelligibility.

Transfer Effects from Listening to Frequency-Controlled and Frequency-Shifted Accelerated Speech

1981 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Wallace ◽  
Georgette Koury
Keyword(s):  
Speech Signal ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Test Sentence ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Intelligibility Test ◽  
Tonal Frequency ◽  
Sentence Intelligibility

Two experiments examined intelligibility of sentences reproduced with increased tonal frequency (the spectrum of the speech signal shifted upward), increased speech rate, or both frequency and speech rate increased. The first experiment showed that both the frequency and speech rate increases independently impaired sentence intelligibility. Sentences played back at increased rates and increased frequencies also were perceived as having been spoken more rapidly. In the second experiment subjects listened either to practice sentences played back at frequency-shifted (FS) or frequency-controlled (FC) accelerated rates. Subsequent to this practice, an intelligibility test was given on 10 FS and 10 FC accelerated sentences played back at double speed. The accelerated sentences were more intelligible for practice groups than for a no-practice control group, and FC accelerated rates produced more intelligible sentences than FS acceleration. The specific training experiences produced an interaction with the type of test-sentence acceleration early in transfer. The FS accelerated sentences were more intelligible following FS practice compared to FC practice, and the FC accelerated sentences were more intelligible following FC practice compared to FS practice.

Speech Rate Reduction and "Nasality" in Normal Speakers

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 837-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese M. Brancewicz ◽  
Alan R. Reich
Keyword(s):  
Computer Program ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Normal Rate ◽  
Rate Reduction ◽  
Speech Stimuli ◽  
Significant Stimulus ◽  
Rate Effects ◽  
Stimulus Effects ◽  
Normal Adults

This study explored the effects of reduced speech rate on nasal/voice accelerometric measures and nasality ratings. Nasal/voice accelerometric measures were obtained from normal adults for various speech stimuli and speaking rates. Stimuli included three sentences (one obstruent-loaded, one semivowel-loaded, and one containing a single nasal), and /p/ syllable trains. Speakers read the stimuli at their normal rate, half their normal rate, and as slowly as possible. In addition, a computer program paced each speaker at rates of 1, 2, and 3 syllables per second. The nasal/voice accelerometric values revealed significant stimulus effects but no rate effects. The nasality ratings of experienced listeners, evaluated as a function of stimulus and speaking rate, were compared to the accelerometric measures. The nasality scale values demonstrated small, but statistically significant, stimulus and rate effects. However, the nasality percepts were poorly correlated with the nasal/voice accelerometric measures.

scholarly journals Separate and Combined Influence of Cognitive Impairment and Dysarthria on Functional Communication in Multiple Sclerosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 1051-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynda Feenaughty ◽  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Bianca Weinstock-Guttman ◽  
Ralph H. B. Benedict
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Functional Communication ◽  
Group Assignment ◽  
Communication Problems ◽  
Intelligibility Test ◽  
Sentence Intelligibility ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Dysarthria is a consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS) that can co-occur with cognitive impairment. Clinical management thus requires understanding the separate and combined effects of dysarthria and cognitive impairment on functional communication in MS. This study compared perceptual measures of intelligibility and speech severity that capture functional communication deficits for 4 operationally defined groups with MS. The relationship between communication participation and perceptual measures was also examined. Method Forty-eight adults with MS and 12 healthy controls participated. Cognitive testing and dysarthria diagnosis determined group assignment: (a) MS with cognitive impairment (MSCI), (b) MS with a diagnosis of dysarthria and no cognitive impairment (MSDYS), (c) MS with dysarthria and cognitive impairment (MSDYS + CI), and (d) MS without dysarthria or cognitive impairment (MS). Sentence Intelligibility Test scores, scaled speech severity obtained from the “Grandfather Passage,” and Communication Participation Item Bank (CPIB) scores were analyzed. Results Sentence Intelligibility Test scores approached 100% for all groups. Speech severity was greater for the MSDYS + CI and MSDYS groups versus controls. CPIB scores were greatest for the MSDYS + CI group and were not significantly correlated with either perceptual measure. Conclusions The CPIB and speech severity were sensitive to aspects of communication problems for some groups with MS not reflected in a measure of sentence intelligibility. Findings suggest the importance of employing a variety of measures to capture functional communication problems experienced by persons with MS.

scholarly journals Frontal Anatomical Correlates of Cognitive and Speech Motor Deficits in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yana Yunusova ◽  
Jamal Ansari ◽  
Joel Ramirez ◽  
Sanjana Shellikeri ◽  
Greg J. Stanisz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

The goal of this study was to identify neurostructural frontal lobe correlates of cognitive and speaking rate changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 17 patients diagnosed with ALS and 12 matched controls underwent clinical, bulbar, and neuropsychological assessment and structural neuroimaging. Neuropsychological testing was performed via a novel computerized frontal battery (ALS-CFB), based on a validated theoretical model of frontal lobe functions, and focused on testing energization, executive function, emotion processing, theory of mind, and behavioral inhibition via antisaccades. The measure of speaking rate represented bulbar motor changes. Neuroanatomical assessment was performed using volumetric analyses focused on frontal lobe regions, postcentral gyrus, and occipital lobes as controls. Partial least square regressions (PLS) were used to predict behavioral (cognitive and speech rate) outcomes using volumetric measures. The data supported the overall hypothesis that distinct behavioral changes in cognition and speaking rate in ALS were related to specific regional neurostructural brain changes. These changes did not support a notion of a general dysexecutive syndrome in ALS. The observed specificity of behavior-brain changes can begin to provide a framework for subtyping of ALS. The data also support a more integrative framework for clinical assessment of frontal lobe functioning in ALS, which requires both behavioral testing and neuroimaging.

Tongue–Palate Contact Pressure, Oral Air Pressure, and Acoustics of Clear Speech

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 826-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Searl ◽  
Paul M. Evitts
Keyword(s):  
Contact Pressure ◽  
Air Pressure ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Speech Acoustics ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Speech Clarity ◽  
Normal Speech ◽  
Listener Ratings

Purpose The authors compared articulatory contact pressure (ACP), oral air pressure (Po), and speech acoustics for conversational versus clear speech. They also assessed the relationship of these measures to listener perception. Method Twelve adults with normal speech produced monosyllables in a phrase using conversational and clear speech. Target phonemes were /t, d, s, z, l, n/. ACP was measured at a point of articulatory contact; Po was sensed by a catheter open in the posterior oral cavity. Results ACP was increased to a greater extent in clear speech for /t, d, z/. Po was increased to a greater extent for /t, d/. Acoustic changes also occurred in terms of segment durations, speaking rate, and CV dB ratio. Regression analysis indicated that segment duration was the strongest predictor of listener ratings of speech clarity, followed by an index of articulatory effort and speaking rate. Conclusion Articulatory effort, as indexed by ACP, Po, and CV dB ratio, was increased to varying degrees depending on the consonant. Greatest changes occurred for /t, d/. Durational measures at both the segment and the phrase level were also important for predicting listener ratings of speech clarity.

scholarly journals Acoustic and Perceptual Consequences of Speech Cues for Children With Dysarthria

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (6S) ◽  
pp. 1766-1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika S. Levy ◽  
Younghwa M. Chang ◽  
Joséphine A. Ancelle ◽  
Megan J. McAuliffe
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Speech Styles ◽  
Working Space ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Speech Cues ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
Intelligibility Ratings

Purpose Reductions in articulatory working space and vocal intensity have been linked to intelligibility deficits in children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy. However, few studies have examined the outcomes of behavioral treatments aimed at these underlying impairments or investigated which treatment cues might best facilitate improved intelligibility. This study assessed the effects of cues targeting clear speech (i.e., “Speak with your big mouth”) and greater vocal intensity (i.e., “Speak with your strong voice”) on acoustic measures of speech production and intelligibility. Method Eight children with spastic dysarthria due to cerebral palsy repeated sentence- and word-level stimuli across habitual, big mouth, and strong voice conditions. Acoustic analyses were conducted, and 48 listeners completed orthographic transcription and scaled intelligibility ratings. Results Both cues resulted in significant changes to vocal intensity and speech rate although the degree of change varied by condition. In a similar manner, perceptual analysis revealed significant improvements to intelligibility with both cues; however, at the single-word level, big mouth outperformed strong voice. Conclusion Children with dysarthria are capable of changing their speech styles differentially in response to cueing. Both the big mouth and strong voice cues hold promise as intervention strategies to improve intelligibility in this population. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5116843

scholarly journals Quantitative Assessment of Interutterance Stability: Application to Dysarthria

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Cummins ◽  
Anja Lowit ◽  
Frits van Brenk
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Hypokinetic Dysarthria ◽  
Reliable Assessment ◽  
Ataxic Dysarthria

Purpose Following recent attempts to quantify articulatory impairment in speech, the present study evaluates the usefulness of a novel measure of motor stability to characterize dysarthria. Method The study included 8 speakers with ataxic dysarthria (AD), 16 speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria (HD) as a result of Parkinson's disease, and 24 unimpaired control participants. Each participant performed a series of sentence repetitions under habitual, fast, and slow speaking rate conditions. An algorithm to measure utterance-to-utterance spectro-temporal variation (UUV; Cummins, 2009) was used. Speech rate and intelligibility were also measured. Results UUV scores were significantly correlated with perceptually based intelligibility scores. There were significant differences in UUV between control speakers and the AD but not the HD groups, presumably because of differences in intelligibility in the samples used and not because of differences in pathology. Habitual speaking rate did not correlate with UUV scores. All speaker groups had greater UUV levels in the slow conditions compared with habitual and fast speaking rates. Conclusions UUV results were consistent with those of other variability indices and thus appear to capture motor control issues in a similar way. The results suggest that the UUV could be developed into an easy-to-use clinical tool that could function as a valid and reliable assessment and outcome measure.

ARTICULATION AND SPEAKING RATES IN BILINGUALS WITH REGARD TO TIME OF EXPOSURE TO ONE LANGUAGE

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-220
Author(s):  
Mirosław Michalik ◽  
Ewa Czaplewska ◽  
Anna Solak ◽  
Anna Szkotak
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Articulation Rate ◽  
Sample Number ◽  
Filled Pauses ◽  
At Home

The basic aim of the research presented in this paper was to check whether the language proficiency level of bilingual children with Polish as one of their languages is also related to the pace of speech, which is the result of two specific parameters i.e. articulation rate and speaking rate. It was assumed that children who use Polish more rarely and mostly at home will display slower speaking and articulation rates when contrasted with children who use Polish both at home and at school on an everyday basis. Participants were thirty-two children who speak Polish as one of two languages, the first research group consisting of sixteen Polish-French students at the age of 8.11 living in Wal-lonia. The second group consisted of sixteen Flemish-Polish students living in Flanders. Here the average age was 9.3 and subjects used Polish much less than their first group coun-terparts. The comparative analysis included the following parameters essential for the de-scription of the rate of speech: 1. basic: average speaking rate (phones/sec., syllables/sec, duration of pauses), average articulation rate (phones/sec., syllables/sec.), average ratio of pauses in speech sample (number and percentage), 2. accessory: average duration of all pauses (sec.), average duration of proper pauses (sec.), average duration of filled pauses (sec.), average duration of semi-filled pauses (sec.). The numerical data from the research was obtained with the use of free Audacity software. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the two research groups in either the basic or the accessory speech rate parameters. In the Polish-French group the results were comparatively better but still statistically insignificant. It seems that the data obtained will confirm the need for considerable caution in the evalua-tion of the competence of bilingual children with high language skills. Similar to children with imbalanced bilingualism, these children may also, perhaps, require some extra time to deal with certain language tasks.

Development and evaluation of a linguistically and audiologically controlled sentence intelligibility test

2013 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 3039-3056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena N. Uslar ◽  
Rebecca Carroll ◽  
Mirko Hanke ◽  
Cornelia Hamann ◽  
Esther Ruigendijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intelligibility Test ◽  
Sentence Intelligibility
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