Acoustic Vowel Analysis and Speech Intelligibility in Young Adult Hebrew Speakers: Developmental Dysarthria versus Typical Development

Autor/inn/en	Carl, Micalle; Icht, Michal
Titel	Acoustic Vowel Analysis and Speech Intelligibility in Young Adult Hebrew Speakers: Developmental Dysarthria versus Typical Development
Quelle	In: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 56 (2021) 2, S.283-298 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Carl, Micalle) ORCID (Icht, Michal)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1368-2822
DOI	10.1111/1460-6984.12598
Schlagwörter	Semitic Languages; Speech Impairments; Correlation; Auditory Perception; Acoustics; Vowels; Contrastive Linguistics; North American English; Adolescents; Young Adults; Cerebral Palsy; Scores; Speech Communication; Intelligibility + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Arabisch; Hebräisch; Speech impairment; Speech handicap; Speech handicaps; Language handicps; Language impairments; Sprachbehinderung; Korrelation; Auditive Wahrnehmung; Akustische Wahrnehmung; Akustik; Linguistics; Kontrastive Linguistik; Amerikanisches Englisch; Adolescent; Adolescence; Adoleszenz; Jugend; Jugendalter; Jugendlicher; Young adult; Junger Erwachsener; Hirnlähmung
Abstract	Background: Developmental dysarthria is a motor speech impairment commonly characterized by varying levels of reduced speech intelligibility. The relationship between intelligibility deficits and acoustic vowel space among these individuals has long been noted in the literature, with evidence of vowel centralization (e.g., in English and Mandarin). However, the degree to which this centralization occurs and the intelligibility-acoustic relationship is maintained in different vowel systems has yet to be studied thoroughly. In comparison with American English, the Hebrew vowel system is significantly smaller, with a potentially smaller vowel space area, a factor that may impact upon the comparisons of the acoustic vowel space and its correlation with speech intelligibility. Data on vowel space and speech intelligibility are particularly limited for Hebrew speakers with motor speech disorders. Aims: To determine the nature and degree of vowel space centralization in Hebrew-speaking adolescents and young adults with dysarthria, in comparison with typically developing (TD) peers, and to correlate these findings with speech intelligibility scores. Methods & Procedures: Adolescents and young adults with developmental dysarthria (secondary to cerebral palsy (CP) and other motor deficits, n = 17) and their TD peers (n = 17) were recorded producing Hebrew corner vowels within single words. For intelligibility assessments, naïve listeners transcribed those words produced by speakers with CP, and intelligibility scores were calculated. Outcomes & Results: Acoustic analysis of vowel formants (F1, F2) revealed a centralization of vowel space among speakers with CP for all acoustic metrics of vowel formants, and mainly for the formant centralization ratio (FCR), in comparison with TD peers. Intelligibility scores were correlated strongly with the FCR metric for speakers with CP. Conclusions & Implications: The main results, vowel space centralization for speakers with CP in comparison with TD peers, echo previous cross-linguistic results. The correlation of acoustic results with speech intelligibility carries clinical implications. Taken together, the results contribute to better characterization of the speech production deficit in Hebrew speakers with motor speech disorders. Furthermore, they may guide clinical decision-making and intervention planning to improve speech intelligibility. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01