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In the following exercise, you will break into groups and discuss

the interactions between:

Type of speech sounds produced

Nature of the listeners hearing levels


Q. Which are the easiest/most difficult sounds to hear/process?

R. In answering these questions you must think of the


following (discussed on the following slides):
Impact of ones degree of hearing loss by frequency
(i.e., likely audibility of the speech sound)
An individuals likely temporal and frequency resolution
The speech sounds spectral information and its duration
Formant transitions (frequency onsets of vowels and the
rapidity of transition to the following consonant)
Degree of Hearing Levels x Frequency

Focus: Speech Sounds and Audibility

Question:
Which Vowel formant would be more susceptible to significant hearing
thresholds in the higher frequencies (F1 or F2)?
Degree of Hearing Levels x Frequency-
Vowels
Question:
Which Vowel formant would be more susceptible to significant
hearing thresholds in the higher frequencies (F1 or F2)?

Response:
F2 as these occur at higher frequencies than F1

How Vowels Formants Are Formed


Degree of Hearing Levels x Frequency-
Consonants

Question:
Which Consonants would be more susceptible to significant hearing
thresholds in the higher frequencies?
Degree of Hearing Levels x Frequency:
Consonants

Question:
Which Consonants would be more susceptible to significant hearing
thresholds in the higher frequencies?

Response:
Fricatives, Affricatives, High Frequency Plosives (/t/, /d/), (/r/ versus /l/)
Temporal/Frequency Resolution

Focus: Temporal/Frequency Resolution x Hearing Levels

Questions:
Which speech sounds/aspects would be least affected by poor
frequency/temporal resolution?

Which speech sounds/aspects would be most affected by poor


frequency/temporal resolution?
Temporal/Frequency Resolution:

Question:
Which speech sounds/aspects would be least affected by poor
frequency/temporal resolution?

Response:
a. Speech sounds with greater frequency separation be easiest to perceive:
For vowels: Front versus back vowels have greatest F2 separation
For consonants: if in same speech sound class, then anteriorly versus more
posteriorly produced (e.g., /f/ versus /sh/)

b. Speech Sounds with more sustained productions be least affected by temporal


resolution:
Vowels, in general, would not be so affected by temporal resolution- though
dipthongs might be more difficult because of F1/F2 transitions over production
Nasals, semi-glides (e.g., /y/), and fricatives be easiest re temporal resolution
Temporal/Frequency Resolution:

Question:
Which speech sounds/aspects would be most affected by poor frequency/temporal
resolution?

Response:
a. Speech sounds that have least frequency separation be most affected by poor frequency
resolution:
Vowels: Vowels that have relatively close F2 (e.g., /i/ versus /e/) would be most difficult
Consonants: Speech sounds that have relatively close peak energies be impacted (/f/
versus /th/, alveolar versus velar (e.g., /sh/ versus /s/)

b. Speech sounds with shortest productions (plosives, stops) and very fast changing
formant transitions (plosives, stops, liquids- /r/, /l/) would be most affected by poor
temporal resolution
Frequency Spectral Information & Duration

Question:
Which are the slowest changing, longest lasting speech sounds?
Frequency Spectral Information & Duration- contd

Response: Longest duration, slowest changing speech sounds?

Vowels:
All relatively long in duration (@ 125-175 msecs), thus, not as impacted
by duration as much as consonants re perception of frequency spectral
information

Consonants:
Nasals and fricatives are relatively long in duration (@125-150 msecs),
depending on location in word (medial being shorter than initial and final
positions)
If information is audible relative to the frequency loss, then temporal
resolution should be sufficient to hear/perceive place
Longest Duration, Slowest Changing
Speech Sounds- contd?

Note that even though liquids (l/r/) are relatively long in nature (similar to
fricative duration as long as it is not in a blend ), only true for F1 and F2
F1 and F2 are almost identical between /r/ and /l/, however, F3 is
different
Problem is that the third formant changes rapidly (making it harder to
perceive/distinguish between the two sounds)
Frequency Spectral Information & Duration

Question:
Which are the fastest changing, shortest lasting speech
sounds?
Shortest Duration/Fastest Changing Speech Sounds?

Response:

Shortest, speech sounds are the plosives


The duration of the burst is @ 25 msecs (thus, spectral information
representing speech sound contained within 1/40th of a second)
To distinguish place (i.e., determine different phonemes) on the basis of
the burst requires hearing WNL
Thus, for moderate or greater degree of hearing loss, the frequency
information in the burst either inaudible or too short a duration
(temporal resolution insufficient) to adequately perceive the burst
information
Note that individual may be able to determine the plosive on basis of
the formant transition from consonant to vowel
Formant Transitions
(Frequency Onsets X Rapidity Of Transition)

Question:
Which category of speech sounds exhibit the fastest formant
transitions?
Formant Transitions
(Frequency Onsets X Rapidity Of Transition)

Response: Which category of speech sounds exhibit the fastest


formant transitions?

Fricative formant transitions to/from the vowels is longer in


duration than for plosives (and liquids), thus easier to perceive on
the basis of temporal resolution

Regarding liquids, third formant transitions in/l/ and /r/ are very
fast changes.

Thus, harder to perceive in those with hearing loss and many with
processing difficulties (CAPD)- think of Japanese (cant distinguish
/r/ from /l/)
Formant Transitions
(Frequency Onsets X Rapidity Of Transition)

In individuals with moderately-severe or greater hearing levels,


likely difficult to discriminate stop place (though individual still
might be able to perceive fricatives, if these sounds are
audible)

- Example, /su/ versus /shi/ is easier than /tu/ versus /pu/


Can You Remember?
Organize the following acoustic characteristics by
degree of difficulty:

(1) Vowel Place


(2) Sustained Consonant Place
(3) Plosive Place
(4) Voice Onset Time
(5) Manner
(6) Sustained Voicing
(7) Number of Syllables
Class Task

Ling 6 Sound Assessment of a Hard of Hearing Individual


(Dr. Medwetsky) in Class:

Detection and Recognition


Unaided versus Aided
Female Talker
UNAIDED:

Distance /a/ /u/ /ee/ /f/ /sh/ /s/ /m/

Detection

Recognition

AIDED:
Distance /a/ /u/ /ee/ /f/ /sh/ /s/ /m/

Detection

Recognition
Male Talker
UNAIDED:

Distance /a/ /u/ /ee/ /f/ /sh/ /s/ /m/

Detection

Recognition

AIDED:
Distance /a/ /u/ /ee/ /f/ /sh/ /s/ /m/

Detection

Recognition
What Did We Find?
Predictions:
Obviously, able to hear at greater distances with hearing aids on
Likely found that distance for recognition versus detection needed
to be closer for at least some speech sounds
Likely found that distance for female generated fricatives (/s/ and
/s/ likely needed to be closer in distance (due to higher frequency
components)
Examining An Audiogram: A Process To
Determine What Might Be Perceived by a Client

If given a case, use the steps below to guide you in predicting


what a client might perceive:

First, examine the audiogram for audibility

That is, determine which speech sounds might be too


soft (i.e., below threshold line) or which might be
audible (above threshold line)
Examining An Audiogram- contd:

When examining vowels, important to consider F1 and F2


For example, for /i/, F1 might be audible in low frequencies but
F2 might be inaudible in high frequencies (especially if produced
by females)

In this case, if hear F1 but not F2, then person will perceive only
F1; Because F1 in /i/ is similar to the /u/, one perceives /u/

Thus, in discrimination task /i/ versus /u/, hear /u/ both times
Examining An Audiogram- contd
Examining An Audiogram- contd

Aided (PTA)

Next, consider ability to perceive vowel/consonant place

Unaided: need to hear at 40 dB HL or better to perceive all consonant/vowel


place via audibility (though for /sh/ likely still perceive at @ 55 dB)

If aided (unaided better than 70 dB), likely can still perceive place with hearing
aids, as sounds are audible and temporal resolution is likely sufficient for all
consonants

If > 70 dB loss, then place for stops and voice onset time will both be affected
Examining An Audiogram- contd
Aided (PTA)

If greater than 80 dB loss, then manner and vowel place likely to


be affected

If greater than 90 dB, pitch variation (intonation) is affected

If greater than 100 dB, talker gender affected

If any audibility present with hearing aids in low frequencies, then


# of syllables (temporal pattern), final consonant voicing for stops
(preceding vowel duration still possible), and sustained voicing (Fo)
still present

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