Assessing the perceptual contributions of level-dependent segments to sentence intelligibility

This study examined changes in the sentence intelligibility scores of speakers with dysarthria in association with different signal-independent factors (contextual influences). This investigation focused on the presence or absence of iconic gestures while speaking sentences with low or high semantic predictiveness. The speakers were 4 individuals with dysarthria, who varied from one another in terms of their level of speech intelligibility impairment, gestural abilities, and overall level of motor functioning. Ninety-six inexperienced listeners (24 assigned to each speaker) orthographically transcribed 16 test sentences presented in an audio + video or audio-only format. The sentences had either low or high semantic predictiveness and were spoken by each speaker with and without the corresponding gestures. The effects of signal-independent factors (presence or absence of iconic gestures, low or high semantic predictiveness, and audio + video or audio-only presentation formats) were analyzed for individual speakers. Not all signal-independent information benefited speakers similarly. Results indicated that use of gestures and high semantic predictiveness improved sentence intelligibility for 2 speakers. The other 2 speakers benefited from high predictive messages. The audio + video presentation mode enhanced listener understanding for all speakers, although there were interactions related to specific speaking situations. Overall, the contributions of relevant signal-independent information were greater for the speakers with more severely impaired intelligibility. The results are discussed in terms of understanding the contribution of signal-independent factors to the communicative process.

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Vowel Fundamental and Formant Frequency Contributions to English and Mandarin Sentence Intelligibility

10.21437/interspeech.2016-28 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Fogerty ◽

Fei Chen

Keyword(s):

Formant Frequency ◽

Sentence Intelligibility

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Sentence intelligibility during segmental interruption and masking by speech-modulated noise: Effects of age and hearing loss

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.4921603 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 137 (6) ◽

pp. 3487-3501 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Daniel Fogerty ◽

Jayne B. Ahlstrom ◽

William J. Bologna ◽

Judy R. Dubno

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Noise Effects ◽

Sentence Intelligibility

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Speech Synthesis Using Damped Sinusoids

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/1092-4388(2002/051) ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 639-650 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

James M. Hillenbrand ◽

Robert A. Houde

Keyword(s):

Spectrum Analysis ◽

Speech Signal ◽

Speech Synthesis ◽

Fourier Spectrum ◽

Fundamental Period ◽

Speech Synthesizer ◽

Perceptual Evaluation ◽

Random Intervals ◽

Sentence Intelligibility ◽

Nonsense Syllables

A speech synthesizer was developed that operates by summing exponentially damped sinusoids at frequencies and amplitudes corresponding to peaks derived from the spectrum envelope of the speech signal. The spectrum analysis begins with the calculation of a smoothed Fourier spectrum. A masking threshold is then computed for each frame as the running average of spectral amplitudes over an 800-Hz window. In a rough simulation of lateral suppression, the running average is then subtracted from the smoothed spectrum (with negative spectral values set to zero), producing a masked spectrum. The signal is resynthesized by summing exponentially damped sinusoids at frequencies corresponding to peaks in the masked spectra. If a periodicity measure indicates that a given analysis frame is voiced, the damped sinusoids are pulsed at a rate corresponding to the measured fundamental period. For unvoiced speech, the damped sinusoids are pulsed on and off at random intervals. A perceptual evaluation of speech produced by the damped sinewave synthesizer showed excellent sentence intelligibility, excellent intelligibility for vowels in /hVd/ syllables, and fair intelligibility for consonants in CV nonsense syllables.

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Measuring the Effects of Reverberation and Noise on Sentence Intelligibility for Hearing-Impaired Listeners

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/1092-4388(2010/09-0197) ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 53 (6) ◽

pp. 1429-1439 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Erwin L. J. George ◽

S. Theo Goverts ◽

Joost M. Festen ◽

Tammo Houtgast

Keyword(s):

Hearing Impaired ◽

Sentence Intelligibility

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

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2018_ajslp-17-0174 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 1051-1065 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

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.

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