Ch. 3 - Speech Perception

Question 1

What is a frequency (Hz)? How is it perceived?

Answer 1

of wave peaks in a given amount of time (usually in a second) and is perceived as pitched.

Question 2

High frequency = ________ pitch
Low frequency = _________ pitch.

Answer 2

high; low

Question 2

High frequency = ________ pitch
Low frequency = _________ pitch.

Answer 2

high; low

Question 3

What is amplitude (Db)? How is it perceived?

Answer 3

the amount of change a wave undergoes in one cycle and is perceived as loudness

Question 4

High amplitude = ________ noises
Low amplitude = _________ noises

Answer 4

louder; softer

Question 5

High amplitude = ________ noises
Low amplitude = _________ noises

Answer 5

louder; softer

Question 6

What is a fundamental frequency?

Answer 6

the lowest frequency produced by a vibrating object

Question 7

What are overtones? How are they perceived?

Answer 7

they are higher frequencies also produced by vibrating objects and are perceived as timbre

Question 8

What is timbre describing? What does it allow us to differentiate?

Answer 8

deep and rich versus tiny or nasally; allows us to differentiate between a piano. harmonica, and guitar playing the same note

Question 9

What is a periodic sound? How is it perceived?

Answer 9

A regularly repeating pattern produced by a vibrating object

Question 10

Vowels are ________ speech sounds.

Answer 10

periodic

Question 11

What are aperiodic speech sounds? How are they perceived?

Answer 11

they are not a regularly repeating patten produced by collisions or friction; perceived as noise

Question 12

Consonants are __________ sounds.

Answer 12

aperiodic

Question 13

What is the Pinna / Ear Flap?

Answer 13

a largely immobile, but important role in sound localization that funnels sound down into the auditory canal.

Question 14

What does the Auditory Canal do?

Answer 14

it amplifies sounds between 1,000 & 5,000 Hz and ends at the ear drum (tympanic membrane)

Question 15

The tympanic membrane (eardrum) vibrates against a set of three bones called the ___________.

Answer 15

Ossicles

Question 16

THE MIDDLE EAR (AMPLIFIES SOUND):
What are the 3 ossicles?

Answer 16

1) Malleus - hammer
2) Incus - anvil
3) Stapes - stirrup

Question 17

THE INNER EAR (TRANSDUCES SOUND):
What are the 3 parts of the middle ear?

Answer 17

1) cochlea
2) basilar membrane
3) hair cells

Question 18

What is the (1) cochlea? (3 parts of inner ear)

Answer 18

the organ of auditory sensation

Question 19

Where is the (2) basilar membrane? (3 parts of inner ear)

Answer 19

it extends inside the cochlea, undulated in vibrating fluid of cochlea

Question 20

What are (3) hair cells? (3 parts of inner ear)

Answer 20

specialized cells of basilar membrane; sensitive to different frequencies

Question 21

THE INNER EAR:
What is tonotopic organization?

Answer 21

the progressive arrangement of cells sensitive to different frequencies

Question 21

THE INNER EAR:
What is tonotopic organization?

Answer 21

the progressive arrangement of cells sensitive to different frequencies

Question 22

THE INNER EAR:
Where is the Primary auditory cortex?

Answer 22

found in the superior temporal lobe; responsible for the initial processing of input from the cochlea; arranged in tonotopic order like the basilar membrane

Question 23

What does the Primary auditory complex do? How is it arranged?

Answer 23

responsible for the initial processing of input from the cochlea; arranged in tonotopic order like the basilar membrane

Question 24

What is Phonation?

Answer 24

sound resulting from vibrations of the vocal folds as air is expelled from the lungs

Question 25

What is prosody? What does it convey?

Answer 25

Fluctuations in fundamental frequency during an utterance; conveys both linguistic and emotional information

Question 26

What is prosody? What does it convey?

Answer 26

Fluctuations in fundamental frequency during an utterance; conveys both linguistic and emotional information

Question 27

What are formants? When do they occur?

Answer 27

bands of high-amplitude sound at certain frequencies above the fundamental frequency; occur during periodic stretches of speech stream

Question 28

What are formant transitions?

Answer 28

modifications of formants due to preceding or following consonants

Question 29

What are the four major categories of speech sounds?

Answer 29

1) Vowels
2) Sonorants
3) Fricatives
4) Plosives

Question 29

What are the four major categories of speech sounds?

Answer 29

1) Vowels
2) Sonorants
3) Fricatives
4) Plosives

Question 30

How are (1) vowels characterized? (four major categories of speech sounds)

Answer 30

distinguished by first two formants
(ex. i owe you a yo-yo)

Question 31

How are (2) sonorants characterized? (four major categories of speech sounds)

Question 32

How are (2) sonorants characterized? (four major categories of speech sounds)

Answer 32

they are sometimes vowels, sometimes consonants
(ex. LittLE, RivER)