Assessing the importance of several acoustic properties to the perception of spontaneous speech

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Podlubny, Ryan G.
  • Nearey, Terrance M.
  • Kondrak, Grzegorz
  • Tucker, Benjamin V.

• Spoken language manifests itself as change over time in various acoustic dimensions. While it
  seems clear that acoustic-phonetic information in the speech signal is key to language processing,
  little is currently known about which specific types of acoustic information are relatively more
  informative to listeners. This problem is likely compounded when considering reduced speech:
  Which specific acoustic information do listeners rely on when encountering spoken forms that are
  highly variable, and often include altered or elided segments? This work explores contributions of
  spectral shape, f0 contour, target duration, and time varying intensity in the perception of reduced
  speech. This work extends previous laboratory-speech based perception studies into the realm of
  casual speech, and also provides support for use of an algorithm that quantifies phonetic reduction.
  Data suggest the role of spectral shape is extensive, and that its removal degrades signals in a way
  that hinders recognition severely. Information reflecting f0 contour and target duration both appear
  to aid the listener somewhat, though their influence seems small compared to that of short term
  spectral shape. Finally, information about time varying intensity aids the listener more than noise
  filled gaps, and both aid the listener beyond presentation of acoustic context with duration-matched
  silence.

• Date created

  2018-03-28

• Subjects / Keywords

  • spontaneous speech
  • speech perception
  • acoustic characteristics

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-krdp-k720

• License

  Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International