The document describes various aspects of speech acoustics including average speech intensity and frequency ranges, phonemic cues for different speech sounds, and constraints on speech production. It discusses how hearing loss affects speech perception by eliminating access to certain speech characteristics first for more severe losses and preserving more for mild losses. The effects of different audiogram configurations like rising vs sloping losses on speech intelligibility are also covered.

1. Speech acousticsObjectives: Describe relative frequency and intensity of phonemes by voice, manner, and formant frequency.Describe various phonemic cues.Describe speech constraints.

2. Average speech intensity~65 dB SPL (~45 dB HL)30 dB rangeAny vowel has more power than any consonant

3. Average speech frequency~50 – 10,000 HzMost energy below 1000 HzFundamental frequencyMen: 100 HzWomen: 200 HzChildren: 300 HzCrying babies: 500 HzCues for talker identity

4. Average speech durationVowels: 130 – 360 msecConsonants: 20 – 150 msecRate: ~5 syllables/second; ~12 phonemes/second

5. Vowel formantsLow F1Low F2Low F1High F2High F1Low F2High F1High F2

6. Vowel formants

7. Consonants: place, manner, voicingw

8. Consonants: energy bands

9. Phonemic cues - StopsClosureVoiceless stops – silent periodVoiced stops – low level energyBurstWide-band energy ~40 msecGreater intensity for voiceless stopsFrequency depends on placeFormant transitionFirst formant always risingSecond formant transition depends on place

10. Phonemic cues - StopsVoice easier to detect than placeFor voiced stopsVoice-onset time is earlierEnergy present at fundamental frequencyBurst energy is lower in amplitude Vowels are longer in duration before voiced final stops (“eyes” v. “ice”)

11. Phonemic cues - NasalsAlways voicedContinuantNasal resonancehighest for /m/lowest for /n/Second formant (frequency and transition) gives place information

12. Phonemic cues - FricativesHissing qualityVoiced fricativesPeriodicLower frequencyLower amplitudeGreater overall energy (from fundamental)Sibilants (s, z, sh, zh)Higher amplitude than other fricatives

13. -f- -θ- -s- -S-

14. Suprasegmental cuesStresschanges in fundamental frequency, intensity, durationIntonationchanges in fundamental frequency, pitch patternexpresses attitudes, feeling, meaning (command, request, statement)Durationvariations in speech sounds due to context of other sounds

15. Speech constraintsSyntacticS = NP (Aux) VPNP = (Det) (AP) N (PP) “the naughty boy in the daycare…”VP = V (NP) (PP) (Adv) “…took the toy away brusquely”

16. Speech constraintsSyntacticS = NP (Aux) VPNP = (Det) (AP) N (PP)“the naughty boy in the daycare…”VP = V (NP) (PP) (Adv)“…took the toy away brusquely”

17. Speech constraintsSyntacticThe question “What should you eat”Answer is a noun phraseThe question “How should you eat”Answer is an adverbial phrase

18. Speech constraintsSemanticWords in a sentence are related meaningfully“Plug the mouse into the computer”SituationalConversation usually refers to the context of the environment“I like that oat!”Mall vs. Farm

19. Overlapping cues help protect the signal from noiseSpeech predictability helps protect the signal from noiseNoise can come fromthe speaker (poor intelligibility, etc)the environment (distractions, etc)the listener (ESL, etc)

20. Effects of hearing loss on speech perceptionObjectives: Describe speech characteristics that are lost and that are preserved for hearing losses of various degree, type and configuration.

21. Auditory Response Area

22. Auditory Response Area

23. Auditory Response Area

24. Speech audiogram

25. Speech audiogramX X X X X X

26. Speech audiogram

27. Consonants: energy bands

28. Consonants: energy bands

29. Consonants: energy bands

30. Speech audiogram

31. Speech audiogram

35. 34 dots

36. Correlating SII to speechAdult values (children would be worse)Digits easyWords hard

37. X X X X X X

38. Correlating SII to speech

42. DeafnessNo access to average speech

43. SevereAccess to only loudest components of speechSpeech productionHigh airflow rateSpeech initiation at low lung volumesPoor velar control (nasality)High fundamental frequencySlow speech rate

44. ModerateAccess to louder half of speech, or to loud speechSpeech productionSubstitutions and distortionsErrors in affricate, fricatives and blends

45. Slight to MildAccess to all but the quietest components of speechSpeech productionFewer distortions/substitutionsGood intelligibility

46. Rising v. Sloping loss

47. Rising v. Sloping lossSII = 64SII = 45