An Acoustic Analysis of Fluctuations for Inter and Intra Speaker Variability in Speech Sounds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasdeep Kaur ◽  
Kailash Juglan ◽  
Kush Sharma ◽  
Vishal Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Speaker Variability

Phonetic Analysis and the Automatic Segmentation and Labeling of Speech Sounds

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Roach ◽  
Helen Roach ◽  
Andrea Dew ◽  
Paul Rowlands
Keyword(s):  
Speech Processing ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Automatic Segmentation ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Computer Algorithms ◽  
Continuous Speech ◽  
Considerable Debate ◽  
Theoretical Issues

A fundamentally important practice in phonetics is the analysis of continuous speech into a sequence of discrete segments. There has been considerable debate about the theoretical validity of this practice within classical auditory/kinaesthetic phonetics and in phonology as well as in the context of the acoustic analysis of speech; in recent years the issue has become more widely important as research work in automatic speech processing has resulted in computer algorithms for segmenting speech and assigning phonetic labels to the segments. Work on the automatic segmentation and labeling of speech sounds has been carried on in our department since 1980. This paper begins by examining the theoretical issues involved in segmentation and labeling, then describes our own work.

scholarly journals Effects of Hawley retainers on consonants and formant frequencies of vowels

2011 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mavis Emel Kulak Kayikci ◽  
Seden Akan ◽  
Semra Ciger ◽  
Soner Ozkan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Body ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Target Position ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Speech Disturbance ◽  
Formant Frequencies ◽  
Subjective Tests ◽  
Before And After ◽  
New Situation

Abstract Objective: To assess (1) whether Hawley retainers cause speech disturbance and (2) the duration of speech adaptation to Hawley retainers with objective and subjective tests. Materials and Methods: Twelve adolescents, aged 11.11 to 18.03 years, were included in this study. The assessment of speech sounds were done subjectively using an articulation test and objectively using acoustic analysis before and after Hawley retainer application. Results: After wearing Hawley retainers, patients showed statistically significant speech disturbances on consonants [ş] and [z]. Regarding the vowels, statistically significant changes were recorded with [i], while F1 increased and F2 and F3 decreased. Conclusions: The tongue changes its target position with the application of a foreign body within the mouth; however, in time it adapts to that new situation.

scholarly journals Voice quality and coda /r/ in Glasgow English in the early 20th century

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marton Soskuthy ◽  
Jane Stuart-Smith
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Auditory Analysis ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Diachronic Changes

We present acoustic and auditory analyses of changes to coda /r/ and voice quality in Glasgow English in the early 20th century. Our initial acoustic analysis suggests that /r/ was weakening across the board based on an increase in F3. However, an auditory analysis of the same data finds no significant changes. An acoustic analysis of the same speakers’ vowels reveals that the shift in F3 is not unique to /r/. It reflects a change in voice quality, which we link to velarisation using Vocal Profile Analysis. We then reanalyse the acoustic /r/ data controlling for voice quality, and find only moderate changes that are restricted to females. These findings provide new evidence for diachronic changes in voice quality, contribute to our understanding of the development of /r/ in Glasgow English, and highlight the importance of investigating speech sounds in their broader context using multiple methodologies.

scholarly journals Voice quality and coda /r/ in Glasgow English in the early 20th century

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-157
Author(s):  
Márton Sóskuthy ◽  
Jane Stuart-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Auditory Analysis ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Diachronic Changes

AbstractWe present acoustic and auditory analyses of changes to coda /r/ and voice quality in Glasgow English in the early twentieth century. Our initial acoustic analysis suggests that /r/ was weakening across the board based on an increase in F3. However, an auditory analysis of the same data finds no significant changes. An acoustic analysis of the same speakers’ vowels reveals that the shift in F3 is not unique to /r/. It reflects a change in voice quality, which we link to velarization using Vocal Profile Analysis. We then reanalyze the acoustic /r/ data, controlling for voice quality, and find only moderate changes that are restricted to females. These findings provide new evidence for diachronic changes in voice quality, contribute to our understanding of the development of /r/ in Glasgow English, and highlight the importance of investigating speech sounds in their broader context using multiple methodologies.

Coarticulation as an Indicator of Speech Motor Control Development in Children: An Ultrasound Study

Motor Control ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Zharkova ◽  
Nigel Hewlett ◽  
William J. Hardcastle
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Speech Motor Control ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Speaker Variability ◽  
Ultrasound Study ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Children's Speech ◽  
Speech Motor

There are still crucial gaps in our knowledge about developmental paths taken by children to adult-like speech motor control. Mature control of articulators during speaking is manifested in the appropriate extent of coarticulation (the articulatory overlap of speech sounds). This study compared lingual coarticulatory properties of child and adult speech, using ultrasound tongue imaging. The participants were speakers of Standard Scottish English, ten adults and ten children aged 6–9 years. Consonant-vowel syllables were presented in a carrier phrase. Distances between tongue curves were used to quantify coarticulation. In both adults and children, vowel pairs /a/-/i/ and /a/-/u/ significantly affected the consonant, and the vowel pair /i/-/u/ did not. Extent of coarticulation was significantly greater in the children than in the adults, providing support for the notion that children’s speech production operates with larger units than adults’. More within-speaker variability was found in the children than in the adults.

Effects of a 6-Week Straw Phonation in Water Exercise Program on the Aging Voice

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1018-1032
Author(s):  
Chia-Hsin Wu ◽  
Roger W. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Aging Voice ◽  
Before And After

Purpose Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program. Method Thirty-seven elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups: (a) SPW exercises with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group) and (b) vocal hygiene education (control group). Before and after intervention (2 weeks after the completion of the exercise program), acoustic analysis, auditory–perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of vocal impairment were conducted. Results Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio, the auditory–perceptual parameter of breathiness, and Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postintervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for other measures. Conclusions Our results supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for the aging voice, with a 6-week SPW exercise program being a clinical option. Future studies should involve long-term follow-up and additional outcome measures to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises, particularly SPW exercises, for the aging voice.

Automated Acoustic Analysis of Oral Diadochokinesis to Assess Bulbar Motor Involvement in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panying Rong
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Disease Stage ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Tongue Movement ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Syllable Repetition ◽  
Oral Diadochokinesis ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Purpose The purpose of this article was to validate a novel acoustic analysis of oral diadochokinesis (DDK) in assessing bulbar motor involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Method An automated acoustic DDK analysis was developed, which filtered out the voice features and extracted the envelope of the acoustic waveform reflecting the temporal pattern of syllable repetitions during an oral DDK task (i.e., repetitions of /tɑ/ at the maximum rate on 1 breath). Cycle-to-cycle temporal variability (cTV) of envelope fluctuations and syllable repetition rate (sylRate) were derived from the envelope and validated against 2 kinematic measures, which are tongue movement jitter (movJitter) and alternating tongue movement rate (AMR) during the DDK task, in 16 individuals with bulbar ALS and 18 healthy controls. After the validation, cTV, sylRate, movJitter, and AMR, along with an established clinical speech measure, that is, speaking rate (SR), were compared in their ability to (a) differentiate individuals with ALS from healthy controls and (b) detect early-stage bulbar declines in ALS. Results cTV and sylRate were significantly correlated with movJitter and AMR, respectively, across individuals with ALS and healthy controls, confirming the validity of the acoustic DDK analysis in extracting the temporal DDK pattern. Among all the acoustic and kinematic DDK measures, cTV showed the highest diagnostic accuracy (i.e., 0.87) with 80% sensitivity and 94% specificity in differentiating individuals with ALS from healthy controls, which outperformed the SR measure. Moreover, cTV showed a large increase during the early disease stage, which preceded the decline of SR. Conclusions This study provided preliminary validation of a novel automated acoustic DDK analysis in extracting a useful measure, namely, cTV, for early detection of bulbar ALS. This analysis overcame a major barrier in the existing acoustic DDK analysis, which is continuous voicing between syllables that interferes with syllable structures. This approach has potential clinical applications as a novel bulbar assessment.

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