scholarly journals Vowel and Sibilant Production in Noise: Effects of Noise Frequency and Phonological Similarity

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1002-1017
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Reilly
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Noise Signal ◽  
Phonological Similarity ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Noise Effects ◽  
Word Position ◽  
Noise Frequency ◽  
Word Discrimination ◽  
Speech Clarity

Purpose This study investigated vowel and sibilant productions in noise to determine whether responses to noise (a) are sensitive to the spectral characteristics of the noise signal and (b) are modulated by the contribution of vowel or sibilant contrasts to word discrimination. Method Vowel and sibilant productions were elicited during serial recall of three-word sequences that were produced in quiet or during exposure to speaker-specific noise signals. These signals either masked a speaker's productions of the sibilants /s/ and /ʃ/ or their productions of the vowels /a/ and /æ/. The contribution of the vowel and sibilant contrasts to word discrimination in a sequence was manipulated by varying the number of times that the target sibilant and vowel pairs occurred in the same word position in each sequence. Results Spectral noise effects were observed for both sibilants and vowels: Responses to noise were larger and/or involved to more acoustic features when the noise signal masked the acoustic characteristics of that phoneme class. Word discrimination effects were limited and consisted of only small increases in vowel duration. Interaction effects between noise and similarity indicated that the phonological similarity of sequences containing both sibilants and/or both vowels influenced articulation in ways not related to speech clarity. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that sensorimotor control of speech exhibits some sensitivity to noise spectral characteristics. However, productions of sibilants and vowels were not sensitive to their importance in discriminating the words in a sequence. In addition, phonological similarity effects were observed that likely reflected processing demands related to the recall and sequencing of high-similarity words.

scholarly journals Lexical ambiguity and acoustic distance in discrimination

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 431
Author(s):  
Chelsea Sanker
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Lexical Ambiguity ◽  
Phonological Similarity ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Lexical Information ◽  
Ambiguous Words ◽  
English Speaking

This work presents a perceptual study on how acoustic details and knowledge of the lexicon influence discrimination decisions. English-speaking listeners were less likely to identify phonologically matching items as the same when they differed in vowel duration, but differences in mean F0 did not have an effect. Although both are components of English contrasts, the results only provide evidence for attention to vowel duration as a potentially contrastive cue. Lexical ambiguity was a predictor of response time. Pairs with matching duration were identified more quickly than pairs with distinct duration, but only among lexically ambiguous items, indicating that lexical ambiguity mediates attention to acoustic detail. Lexical ambiguity also interacted with neighborhood density: Among lexically unambiguous words, the proportion of 'same' responses decreased with neighborhood density, but there was no effect among lexically ambiguous words. This interaction suggests that evaluating phonological similarity depends more on lexical information when the items are lexically unambiguous.

scholarly journals Vowel Acoustics in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison of Clear, Loud, and Slow Speaking Conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1485-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris Tjaden ◽  
Jennifer Lam ◽  
Greg Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Clear Condition

Purpose The impact of clear speech, increased vocal intensity, and rate reduction on acoustic characteristics of vowels was compared in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with multiple sclerosis (MS), and healthy controls. Method Speakers read sentences in habitual, clear, loud, and slow conditions. Variations in clarity, intensity, and rate were stimulated using magnitude production. Formant frequency values for peripheral and nonperipheral vowels were obtained at 20%, 50%, and 80% of vowel duration to derive static and dynamic acoustic measures. Intensity and duration measures were obtained. Results Rate was maximally reduced in the slow condition, and vocal intensity was maximized in the loud condition. The clear condition also yielded a reduced articulatory rate and increased intensity, although less than for the slow or loud conditions. Overall, the clear condition had the most consistent impact on vowel spectral characteristics. Spectral and temporal distinctiveness for peripheral–nonperipheral vowel pairs was largely similar across conditions. Conclusions Clear speech maximized peripheral and nonperipheral vowel space areas for speakers with PD and MS while also reducing rate and increasing vocal intensity. These results suggest that a speech style focused on increasing articulatory amplitude yields the most robust changes in vowel segmental articulation.

scholarly journals Spectral characteristics of high latitude raw 40 MHz cosmic noise signals

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 969-987
Author(s):  
C. M. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Brownian Motion ◽  
Fractional Brownian Motion ◽  
Hurst Exponent ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Noise Signal ◽  
Density Profiles ◽  
Generalized Hurst Exponent ◽  
Electron Density Profiles ◽  
Cosmic Noise ◽  
Non Gaussian

Abstract. Cosmic noise at 40 MHz is measured at Ny-Ålesund (79° N, 12° E) using a relative ionospheric opacity meter ("riometer"). A riometer is normally used to determine the degree to which cosmic noise is absorbed by the intervening ionosphere, giving an indication of ionization of the atmosphere at altitudes lower than generally monitored by other instruments. The usual course is to determine a "quiet-day" variation, this representing the galactic noise signal itself in the absence of absorption; the current signal is then subtracted from this to arrive at absorption expressed in dB. By a variety of means and assumptions, it is thereafter possible to estimate electron density profiles in the very lowest reaches of the ionosphere. Here however, the entire signal, i.e. including the cosmic noise itself will be examined and spectral characteristics identified. It will be seen that distinct spectral subranges are evident which can, in turn be identified with non-Gaussian processes characterized by generalized Hurst exponents, α. Considering all periods greater than 1 h, α ≈ 1.24 – an indication of fractional Brownian motion, whereas for periods greater than 1 day α ≈ 0.9 – approximately pink noise and just in the domain of fractional Gaussian noise. The results are compared with other physical processes suggesting that absorption of cosmic noise is characterized by a generalized Hurst exponent ≈ 1.24 and thus non-persistent fractional Brownian motion, whereas generation of cosmic noise is characterized by a generalized Hurst exponent ≈ 1.

scholarly journals Duration as a Phonetic Cue in Native and Non‑Native American English

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-28
Author(s):  
Biljana Čubrović
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
American English ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
The Us ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Phonetic Duration

This vowel study looks at the intricate relationship between spectral  characteristics and vowel duration in the context of American English vowels, both from a native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) perspective. The non-native speaker cohort is  homogeneous in the sense that all speakers have Serbian as their mother tongue, but have been long-time residents of the US. The phonetic context investigated in this study is /bVt/, where V is one of the American English monophthongs /i ɪ u ʊ ε æ ʌ ɔ ɑ/. The results of the acoustic analysis show that the NNS vowels are generally longer than the NS vowels. Furthermore, NNSs neutralise the vowel quality of two tense and lax pairs of vowels, /i ɪ/ and /u ʊ/, and rely more heavily on the phonetic duration when prononuncing them.

Acquisition Method of Typical Time Course for Stationary Signal Basing on Frequency Weighting

2015 ◽  
Vol 734 ◽  
pp. 577-580
Author(s):  
Dan Lu ◽  
Yi Qi Zhou ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Yue Biao Chen
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Noise Signal ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Measured Signal ◽  
Statistical Parameters ◽  
Typical Time ◽  
Actual Signal ◽  
Frequency Weighting ◽  
Acquisition Method

The cab acoustic response, which could be considered to be random and stationary, determines the riding comfort of the excavator. In order to get the most useful information from the actual cab noise signal, an acquisition method of typical time course for a stationary signal was proposed in this paper. Firstly, a series of de-noising preprocessing was applied on the test signal. Then, the stationarity and ergodicity of that were examined via runs test method. Finally, combining with FFT, IFFT and the frequency weighting, the typical time course was obtained. The results show that the statistical parameters and spectral characteristics of the obtained typical time course are consistent with those of the measured signal, which means that the obtained one could be regarded as a representation of the actual signal for further analyzing more effectively.

scholarly journals Syllable weight and duration: A rhyme/intervals comparison

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anya Lunden
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Interval Data ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Syllable Weight ◽  
Word Position ◽  
Proportional Increase ◽  
Interval Weight

Steriade (2012) proposed intervals as a more appropriate syllable weight domain than rhymes. This study explores how interval weight cashes out as duration across word positions and compares this to a rhyme-based account. The data reported on in Lunden (2013), from native speakers of Norwegian (a language in which (C)VC syllables are heavy only non-finally) is reanalyzed with intervals. Lunden found that syllable rhymes in all three positions, if taken as a percentage of the average V rhyme in that word position, fell into a coherent pattern for weight. It is shown that interval durations allow for a similar, albeit less robust, pattern. The data from Lunden’s (2013) perception experiment that tested the correlation between increased vowel duration and listeners’ classification of syllable weight is also recast with interval durations, and the importance of the proportional increase over the raw increase, originally found for the rhyme data, is found to hold for the interval data. Thus, taking intervals as the weight domain is shown to result in reasonable durational relations between interval weights, although interval durations show less separation between some light and heavy units than the rhyme durations do. 

scholarly journals Status of vibrants in modern phonology and phonetics

2019 ◽  
pp. 219-226
Author(s):  
O. M. Keba
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Oral Speech ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Functional Units ◽  
Comprehensive Study ◽  
Experimental Phonetics

The article is devoted to the study of vibrant sounds / vibrants. Modern linguistics is characterized by the desire to study the sound functional units of oral speech, which ensure the adequacy of perception of content and the effectiveness of communication. Figuring out the nature of vibrant sounds (vibrants) belongs to the most debatable issues of general phonetics. They have always attracted the attention of phonetists and have become the subject of numerous studies. The main characteristic of the vibrants is the presence of one or more instant interruptions during the release of air. For the formation of vibrant sounds are crucial movementsof the language muscle. The system of vibrants of each language is characterized by a set of specific articulatory and acoustic features. Language tradition defines one or another phonetic characteristic of the phoneme, which is part of the language. The question of the nature of vibrant sounds can be solved only with a detailed comprehensive study of their physiological, acoustic and spectral characteristics using modern possibilities of experimental phonetics. The study of the physiological and acoustic properties of such sounds is necessary to obtain their correct phonological interpretation.

scholarly journals Spectral characteristics of high-latitude raw 40 MHz cosmic noise signals

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-222
Author(s):  
Chris M. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Brownian Motion ◽  
Fractional Brownian Motion ◽  
Hurst Exponent ◽  
Spectral Characteristics ◽  
Noise Signal ◽  
Density Profiles ◽  
Electron Density Profiles ◽  
Cosmic Noise ◽  
Non Gaussian ◽  
Quiet Day

Abstract. Cosmic noise at 40 MHz is measured at Ny-Ålesund (79° N, 12° E) using a relative ionospheric opacity meter ("riometer"). A riometer is normally used to determine the degree to which cosmic noise is absorbed by the intervening ionosphere, giving an indication of ionisation of the atmosphere at altitudes lower than generally monitored by other instruments. The usual course is to determine a "quiet-day" variation, this representing the galactic noise signal itself in the absence of absorption; the current signal is then subtracted from this to arrive at absorption expressed in decibels (dB). By a variety of means and assumptions, it is thereafter possible to estimate electron density profiles in the very lowest reaches of the ionosphere. Here however, the entire signal, i.e. including the cosmic noise itself, will be examined and spectral characteristics identified. It will be seen that distinct spectral subranges are evident which can, in turn, be identified with non-Gaussian processes characterised by generalised Hurst exponents, α. Considering all periods greater than 1 h, α ≈ 24, an indication of fractional Brownian motion, whereas for periods greater than 1 day α ≈ 0.9 – approximately pink noise and just in the domain of fractional Gaussian noise. The results are compared with other physical processes, suggesting that absorption of cosmic noise is characterised by a generalised Hurst exponent  ≈ 1.24 and thus non-persistent fractional Brownian motion, whereas generation of cosmic noise is characterised by a generalised Hurst exponent  ≈ 1. The technique unfortunately did not result in clear physical understanding of the ionospheric phenomena, and thus, in this respect, the application was not successful; the analysis could, however, be used as a tool for instrument validation.

Acoustic-Phonetic Contrasts and Intelligibility in the Dysarthria Associated With Mixed Cerebral Palsy

1992 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 296-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth M. Ansel ◽  
Raymond D. Kent
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Acoustic Features ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Measures ◽  
Temporal Features ◽  
Word Task ◽  
Phonetic Contrasts ◽  
Perceptual Assessment

This study evaluated the relationship between specific acoustic features of speech and perceptual judgments of word intelligibility of adults with cerebral palsy-dysarthria. Use of a contrasting word task allowed for intelligibility analysis and correlated acoustic analysis according to specified spectral and temporal features. Selected phonemic contrasts included syllable-initial voicing; syllable-final voicing; stop-nasal; fricative-affricate; front-back, high-low, and tense-lax vowels. Speech materials included a set of CVC stimulus words. Acoustic data are reported on vowel duration, formant frequency locations, voice onset times, amplitude rise times, and frication durations. Listeners’ perceptual assessment of intelligibility of the 16 dysarthric adults by transcription and rating tasks is also presented. All but one acoustic contrast was successfully made as evidenced by measured acoustic differences between contrast pairs. However, the generally successful acoustic contrasts stood in marked contrast to the poorly rated intelligibility scores and high error percentages that were ascribed to the opposite pair members. A second analysis examined the contribution of these acoustic features towards estimates and prediction of intelligibility deficits in speakers with dysarthria. The scaled intelligibility was predicted by multiple regression analysis with 62.6% accuracy by acoustic measures related to one consonant contrast (fricative-affricate) and three vowel contrasts (front-back, high-low, and tense-lax). Other measured contrasts, such as those related to contrast voicing effects and stop-nasal distinctions, did not seem to contribute in a significant way to variability in the intelligibility estimates. These findings are discussed in relation to specific areas of production deficiency that are consistent across different types of dysarthria with cerebral palsy as the etiology.

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