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A Study of the Intelligibility of Narrow Band Filtered Speech

Appalacharyulu, N. C.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297702067901

Abstract Details

1975, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Communication Disorders.
This study investigated the intelligibility, redundancy (frequency domain), and phoneme confusions of speech filtered through narrow bands. The speech stimuli consisted of fifty-one consonant-vowel (CV) syllables, fifty consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, and fifty sentences in which the CVC words served as key words. The syllables and words were constructed by pairing seventeen English consonants with three vowels, /i, u, a/. The speech was filtered through five conventional one-third octave bands centered at 0.5, 1, 2, 3.15 and 4 KHz, and one critical band filter (500 Hz wide) centered at 3.15 KHz. Twelve paid, normally hearing college freshmen listened monaurally at a comfortable listening level and provided written responses to the stimuli. The experimental task was open-response recognition for the syllables and words, and multiple-choice identification for the words in sentence context. Statistical analysis showed that (1) words were significantly more intelligible in sentence context than in isolation, and (2) there were no differences between syllable and word intelligibility data. A maximum intelligibility score of 50% was obtained for syllables and/or words in the one-third octave band centered at 2 KHz. Scores for one-third octave bands centered beyond 2 KHz were better than 20%. Those situated below this frequency yielded scores of 7-14%. The word intelligibility in sentence context was above 80% for all bandwidths. A significant reduction in speech intelligibility was noticed for the “critical” band centered at 3.15 KHz compared to the one-third octave band centered at the same frequency. About half of the syllables or words were perceived correctly in more than one band, thus reflecting the redundant distribution of perceptual cues along the frequency domain. Consonantal confusion data revealed manner and voicing features were least affected and the place feature was most affected by filtering. The consonants /b, k, g/ were found to be highly resistant to the frequency distortion.
George Herman (Advisor)
Audiology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Appalacharyulu, N. C. (1975). A Study of the Intelligibility of Narrow Band Filtered Speech [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297702067901

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Appalacharyulu, N.. A Study of the Intelligibility of Narrow Band Filtered Speech. 1975. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297702067901.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Appalacharyulu, N.. "A Study of the Intelligibility of Narrow Band Filtered Speech." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 1975. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1566297702067901

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1566297702067901
416
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