Acoustic Analysis and Speech Intelligibility in Patients Wearing Conventional Dentures and Rugae Incorporated Dentures

This document presents a case study of acoustic analysis in an open-plan office. Since Mexico does not have a standard for evaluating acoustic conditions in offices, it is relevant to compare different acoustic evaluation methods used for open-plan offices. According to several studies, one of the main acoustic characteristics for open-plan office spaces is speech intelligibility. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to compare psychoacoustic parameters to evaluate speech intelligibility in open-plan offices. We analyzed physical factors as reverberation and speech clarity in different office points, as well as semantic factors based on subjective methods with standardized values of the quality of speech intelligibility. The study was carried out under real open-plan office conditions in a library in a university in northern Mexico. The study factors of interest were type of sound, sound source, and location of the listener, with Reverberation Time (RT), Speech Transmission Index (STI) and Loss of consonant articulation (%ALCons) as the measures of impact on intelligibility. This case study provides additional evidence of the relationship between intelligibility and the position of sound sources; also, it was noted that location of listeners influenced analyzed intelligibility parameters. On the other hand, this case study offers information concerning to use psychoacoustic parameters for subjective classification of quality of the speech intelligibility to evaluate how is background noise perceived in open-plan office users. However, it is noteworthy that this study represents a single office with its own interior and space design characteristics.

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Archaeoacoustic Examination of Lazarica Church

Acoustics ◽

10.3390/acoustics1020024 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 423-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zorana Đorđević ◽

Dragan Novković ◽

Uroš Andrić

Keyword(s):

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Sound Field ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Central Dome ◽

Acoustic Effect ◽

Additional Information ◽

Medieval Church ◽

Transmission Index ◽

Speech Transmission

The acoustic analysis provides additional information on building tradition and related indoor practice that includes sound, thus deepening our understanding of architectural heritage. In this paper, the sound field of the Orthodox medieval church Lazarica (Kruševac city, Serbia) is examined. Lazarica is a representative of Morava architectural style, developed in the final period of the Serbian medieval state, when also the chanting art thrived, proving the importance of the aural environment in Serbian churches. The church plan is a combination of a traditional inscribed cross and a triconch. After the in situ measurement of acoustic impulse response using EASERA software, we built a computer model in the acoustic simulation software EASE and calibrated it accordingly. Following the parameters (reverberation time (T30), early decay time (EDT) and speech transmission index (STI)), we examined the acoustic effect of the space occupancy, central dome and the iconostasis. In all the cases, no significant deviation between T30 and EDT parameter was observed, which indicates uniform sound energy decay. Closing the dome with a flat ceiling did not show any significant impact on T30, but it lowered speech intelligibility. The height of iconostasis showed no significant influence on the acoustics of Lazarica church.

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Effects of oral and oropharyngeal cancer on speech intelligibility using acoustic analysis: Systematic review

Head & Neck ◽

10.1002/hed.25949 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 111-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mathieu Balaguer ◽

Timothy Pommée ◽

Jérôme Farinas ◽

Julien Pinquier ◽

Virginie Woisard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Oropharyngeal Cancer ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Oral And Oropharyngeal Cancer

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The Pronunciation of English Low Vowels by Iraqi EFL Learners: An Intralingual Analysis

GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies ◽

10.17576/gema-2021-2103-09 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 154-171

Author(s):

Ammar Abdul-Wahab Al Abdely

Keyword(s):

Language Proficiency ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

English Language ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Production Test ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Error Patterns ◽

Proficiency Level ◽

Vowel Space ◽

Analysis Error

Iraqi EFL learners of English are reported to show accented pronunciation on the segmental level, which might affect their speech intelligibility. This study aimed to identify problems encountered by Iraqi EFL learners in the production of English low vowels and account for them from an intralingual perspective. The study also aimed to identify the effect of Iraqis' English language proficiency level on their pronunciation of English low vowels. Thus, learners were divided into beginners and advanced groups to determine differences between them based on their proficiency level in English. A production test was conducted to identify error patterns of twenty Iraqi EFL learners in producing low vowels. Learners’ recordings were acoustically analysed to validate the difficulties identified via the production test. Independent-samples t-tests were conducted to identify any significant differences in performance for the two groups. The results showed that learners encountered problems in the production of low vowels, especially /ɒ/, /æ/ and /ʌ/. The study concluded that these problems are probably ascribed to the complexities of the L2 vowel space, where vowels are close to each other and thus difficult to produce. Significant differences were identified between the two groups in terms of error means. Nonetheless, the comparison between the vowel chart obtained in this study and the charts offered in previous studies revealed that Iraqi EFL learners are still far from attaining approximant pronunciation. This requires reconsidering current texts, methodologies, and techniques used in teaching English pronunciation to allocate more attention to spectral differences among vowels. Keywords Low vowels production; Iraqi EFL learners; intralingual analysis; error patterns; acoustic analysis

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A study on changes in phonetics in completely edentulous patients before and after rehabilitation with conventional and customized complete dentures

International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20212902 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (8) ◽

pp. 1330

Author(s):

Soumadip Niyogi ◽

Jayanta Bhattacharyya ◽

Samiran Das ◽

Soumitra Ghosh ◽

Preeti Goel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Statistical Analysis ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Complete Denture ◽

Complete Dentures ◽

Before And After ◽

Important Landmark ◽

Edentulous Patients ◽

Age Range

Background: A realistic approach to the phonetic aspect in complete denture construction is most often subdued by various factors. The palatal rugae, an important landmark in speech orderliness, are frequently affected due to lack of proper texture on a complete denture. Establishing a correlation between customized palatal surfaces of complete dentures and speech improvement will help to ameliorate post insertion appointments of articulation deficiencies.Methods: Ten completely edentulous subjects of either sex with a mean age range of 50-70 years, fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in this study. All the participants received three sets of dentures, followed by assessment of speech using photo articulation test, speech intelligibility and acoustic analysis in edentulous state and subsequently after insertion of conventional denture, denture with customized rugae, and denture with customized metallic base.Results: The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 24.0 version and GraphPad Prism version 5. The statistical analysis was carried using ANOVA and student t-test. On evaluating the error patterns, distortion was maximum followed by substitutions. These errors were maximum in edentulous state and decreased subsequently, with the least errors in customized rugae dentures. A statistically significant positive correlation (p<0.0001) was found.Conclusions: Apart from retention, stability and support, equal amount of emphasis has to be laid down on phonetical aspects to improve the overall psychological well-being and social upliftment for patients. The improvement in verbal proficiency for completely edentulous patients can be minimized considerably by customizing the palatal portions.

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A First Step toward the Clinical Application of Landmark-Based Acoustic Analysis in Child Mandarin

Children ◽

10.3390/children8020159 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 159

Author(s):

Chin-Ting Liu

Keyword(s):

Clinical Application ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

First Language ◽

Age Groups ◽

Initial Step ◽

Speech Development ◽

Younger Age ◽

Child Mandarin

As an initial step for the clinical application of landmark-based acoustic analysis in child Mandarin, the study quantified the developmental trajectories of consonants produced by four-to-seven-year-old children who acquired Taiwanese Mandarin as their first language. The results from a total of 80 children (20 in each age group, with gender balanced) indicated that younger age groups produced more +b landmark features than seven-year-olds did, showing that the development of obstruents was not completed by the age of six. A multiple regression showed that the participants’ speech intelligibility scores could be predicted by landmark features. Additionally, the +b landmark feature demonstrated the strongest net effect on speech intelligibility scores. The findings indicated that: (a) the landmark feature +b was an essential indicator of speech development in child Mandarin and; (b) the consonantal development in child Mandarin could be predicted by the physiological complexity of the articulatory gestures. Future studies focusing on a wider range of population (e.g., typically developing adults, aging and other clinical groups) with different language backgrounds are encouraged to apply landmark-based acoustic analysis to trace the linguistic development of a particular group.

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Supra-Segmental Changes in Speech Production as a Result of Spectral Feedback Degradation: Comparison with Lombard Speech

Language and Speech ◽

10.1177/0023830917713775 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 227-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth D. Casserly ◽

Yeling Wang ◽

Nicholas Celestin ◽

Lily Talesnick ◽

David B. Pisoni

Keyword(s):

Speech Production ◽

Speech Signal ◽

Background Noise ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Response Assessment ◽

Speaking Rate ◽

Lombard Effect ◽

Speech Feedback ◽

Spectral Feedback

Perturbations to acoustic speech feedback have been typically localized to specific phonetic characteristics, for example, fundamental frequency (F0) or the first two formants (F1/F2), or affect all aspects of the speech signal equally, for example, via the addition of background noise. This paper examines the consequences of a more selective global perturbation: real-time cochlear implant (CI) simulation of acoustic speech feedback. Specifically, we examine the potential similarity between speakers’ response to noise vocoding and the characteristics of Lombard speech. An acoustic analysis of supra-segmental characteristics in speaking rate, F0 production, and voice amplitude revealed changes that paralleled the Lombard effect in some domains but not others. Two studies of speech intelligibility complemented the acoustic analysis, finding that intelligibility significantly decreased as a result of CI simulation of speaker feedback. Together, the results point to differences in speakers’ responses to these two superficially similar feedback manipulations. In both cases we see a complex, multi-faceted behavior on the part of talkers. We argue that more instances of global perturbation and broader response assessment are needed to determine whether such complexity is present in other feedback manipulations or if it represents a relatively rare exception to the typical compensatory feedback response.

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The Relationship Between Speech Production and Speech Perception Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2016_jslhr-s-15-0197 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 59 (5) ◽

pp. 915-931 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Kim De Keyser ◽

Patrick Santens ◽

Annelies Bockstael ◽

Dick Botteldooren ◽

Durk Talsma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Speech Production ◽

Auditory Perception ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Estimation Task ◽

Intensity Measurements ◽

Intensity Perception

PurposeThis study investigated the possible relationship between hypokinetic speech production and speech intensity perception in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).MethodParticipants included 14 patients with idiopathic PD and 14 matched healthy controls (HCs) with normal hearing and cognition. First, speech production was objectified through a standardized speech intelligibility assessment, acoustic analysis, and speech intensity measurements. Second, an overall estimation task and an intensity estimation task were addressed to evaluate overall speech perception and speech intensity perception, respectively. Finally, correlation analysis was performed between the speech characteristics of the overall estimation task and the corresponding acoustic analysis. The interaction between speech production and speech intensity perception was investigated by an intensity imitation task.ResultsAcoustic analysis and speech intensity measurements demonstrated significant differences in speech production between patients with PD and the HCs. A different pattern in the auditory perception of speech and speech intensity was found in the PD group.ConclusionsAuditory perceptual deficits may influence speech production in patients with PD. The present results suggest a disturbed auditory perception related to an automatic monitoring deficit in PD.

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Perceptual and acoustic analysis of speech intelligibility in Mandarin-speaking young adults with cerebral palsy

Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics ◽

10.1080/026992000415877 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 447-464 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Huei-Mei Liu, Chin-Hsing Tseng, Fen

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis

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Speech outcome in tongue cancer surgery: objective evaluation by acoustic analysis software

Romanian Journal of Rhinology ◽

10.2478/rjr-2021-0025 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (44) ◽

pp. 143-152

Author(s):

Nicola Lombardo ◽

Giovanna Piazzetta ◽

Nadia Lobello ◽

Corrado Pelaia ◽

Francesco Longo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Resection ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Acoustic Analysis ◽

Tongue Cancer ◽

Tumor Staging ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Objective Evaluation ◽

Tumor Stage ◽

The Other ◽

Carcinoma Of The Tongue

Abstract BACKGROUND. Cancer of the oral cavity is one of the most common malignancies of which 60% affect the tongue. Carcinoma of the tongue causes significant alterations of the articulatory and swallowing functions. The gold standard of care remains primary surgical resection with or without postoperative adjuvant therapy. Whereas T1 and T2 tongue tumors can be treated with more conservative surgeries, as partial glossectomies, the larger tumors require total and aggressive glossectomies which increase survival, but, on the other hand, they might often make speech, chewing and swallowing impossible. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Our study was performed on a total of 21 patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tongue who underwent either partial resection or hemiglossectomy. Each subject (either surgical patients or controls) was asked to pronounce the vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /u/, and all signals were evaluated separately by two operators. Acoustic (F0, jitter, shimmer, NHR) and vowel metric (the ratio F2i/F2u, tVSA, qVSA, FCR) features have been extracted. In order to define the speech intelligibility, all patients were evaluated by two doctors and one speech therapist and all patients received the Speech Handicap Index (SHI) translated into Italian language before recording. RESULTS. No statistically significant variations were observed, regardless of the gender, between controls and surgically resected patients when tumor staging was T1-T2. On the contrary, when patients had to undergo more extensive surgical resection due to the presence of a T3-T4 tumor, a dramatic increase of F2u could be observed. This change, together with a decrease of F2i, led to a highly significant reduction in the F2i/F2u parameter in surgically resected patients as compared to controls. The other parameters which were reduced in a statistically significant manner in T3-T4 surgically resected patients were tVSA and qVSA. Instead, two parameters increased in a statistically significant manner in T3-T4 surgically resected patients: FCR and SHI. Again, none of the above-mentioned parameters was altered in a statistically significant manner in early tumor stage resected patients, regardless of the gender. CONCLUSION. For the first time, we used a series of newly developed formant parameters, introduced by various authors for the study of the articulatory undershoot of the tongue in various neurodegenerative diseases. The statistical analysis of our results highlighted in an incontrovertible way a strong correlation and significance of each of our parameters F2 / i / / F2 / u /, FCR, tVSA, qVSA, with the entity of the TNM, and therefore of the surgical extension of the resection, and in parallel with the loss of the intelligibility of the speech that proportionally reaches higher values in the advanced stages of the disease as can be deduced from the SHI trend.

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