scholarly journals Acoustic-Perceptual Factors Both Maintain and Account for the Rarity of the Czech Trill-Fricative

2022 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phil J. Howson ◽  
Philip J. Monahan

Czech has a sibilant inventory that contrasts at three places of articulation: Alveolar, a pre-post-alveolar, and palato-alveolar. The specific aim of this study is to examine the perception of the typologically rare Czech sibilant inventory and to determine whether acoustic-perceptual characteristics play a role in the maintenance of the Czech trill-fricative. These results are compared to a more common three-way sibilant inventory, Polish. Native Czech listeners performed an auditory AX discrimination task in two blocks: A Czech block and a Polish block. Stimuli were embedded in varying levels of noise to increase task difficulty. Signal-to-noise ratio differences affected the perception of the Czech sibilants more than Polish sibilants. Moreover, a multidimensional scaling analysis revealed less perceptual dispersion for the Czech inventory than the Polish inventory. These results suggest that there is greater difficulty maintaining the Czech inventory considering the signal-to-noise comparisons and that this a factor that contributes to its rarity; however, similarities in perceptual dispersion indicate that maintenance across several acoustic-perceptual cues is possible, and Czech shows few signs of losing this typologically rare contrast.

1976 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 538-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. J. Bancroft ◽  
A. M. Skrimshire ◽  
S. Simkin

SummaryThis study investigates the reasons people give for taking overdoses of drugs. A representative sample of 128 subjects were interviewed immediately after their recovery from an overdose. During the interview they were given alternative reasons for taking overdoses and asked to choose any that applied to them. Spontaneous comments about suicidal intent were also recorded. Of the subjects, 44 per cent indicated that they had wanted to die. On the basis of their choices 33 per cent were ‘seeking help’, 42 per cent ‘escaping from the situation’, 52 per cent ‘obtaining relief from a terrible state of mind’ and 19 per cent ‘trying to influence someone’. The association between these various reasons and other expected effects or feelings associated with the act were examined by means of multidimensional scaling analysis. In addition, the characteristics of those expressing suicidal intent and other reasons were studied, together with such consequences as toxic effects and psychiatric after-care. The possibility is discussed that a large proportion of those indicating suicidal intent do so either to gain social acceptability for their act or to influence helping agencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 233121652097034
Author(s):  
Florian Langner ◽  
Andreas Büchner ◽  
Waldo Nogueira

Cochlear implant (CI) sound processing typically uses a front-end automatic gain control (AGC), reducing the acoustic dynamic range (DR) to control the output level and protect the signal processing against large amplitude changes. It can also introduce distortions into the signal and does not allow a direct mapping between acoustic input and electric output. For speech in noise, a reduction in DR can result in lower speech intelligibility due to compressed modulations of speech. This study proposes to implement a CI signal processing scheme consisting of a full acoustic DR with adaptive properties to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and overall speech intelligibility. Measurements based on the Short-Time Objective Intelligibility measure and an electrodogram analysis, as well as behavioral tests in up to 10 CI users, were used to compare performance with a single-channel, dual-loop, front-end AGC and with an adaptive back-end multiband dynamic compensation system (Voice Guard [VG]). Speech intelligibility in quiet and at a +10 dB signal-to-noise ratio was assessed with the Hochmair–Schulz–Moser sentence test. A logatome discrimination task with different consonants was performed in quiet. Speech intelligibility was significantly higher in quiet for VG than for AGC, but intelligibility was similar in noise. Participants obtained significantly better scores with VG than AGC in the logatome discrimination task. The objective measurements predicted significantly better performance estimates for VG. Overall, a dynamic compensation system can outperform a single-stage compression (AGC + linear compression) for speech perception in quiet.


Jurnal Zona ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Ahmad Kurnain ◽  
Yusni Ikhwan Siregar ◽  
Sri Indarti ◽  
Suwondo Suwondo

This study aims to determine the sustainability status of the Re-Opening Oil Wells of Bojonegoro Regency, East Java, Indonesia. The method used in this research is Multidimensional Scaling analysis which is implemented using Rap-Re-Opening Oil Wells software. Existing status of Wells Bojonegoro Re-Opening Oil Sustainability Less Sustainable with the weighting value of each dimension is 34.56%, 39.73%, 45.25%, 37.90%, 57.00%. The strategy to increase the addition of status values from the 5 dimensions of the Sustainability Index, evaluated only one dimension that is sustainable with a fairly good status. The results obtained from the improvement scenario obtained by the respective percentage figures as follows; Ecology 41.44%, Economics 61.62%, Social and Culture 45.25%, Technology 42.02%, Institutional 61, 29%. Thus the strategy to increase sustainable status can be improved by the Oil Wells Rap-Re-Opening Method.


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