Speech Production

Question 1

What is the definition of speech?

Answer 1

Organised set of symbols with shared meaning

Question 2

What is the definition of language?

Answer 2

System of communication used in a particular country / community

Question 3

What is speech?

Answer 3

Process of uttering articulated sounds

Complex feedback process in which hearing, perception, and information processing in the nervous system and the brain are also involved

Question 4

What is a harmonic?

Answer 4

A harmonic is a sound wave that has a frequency that is an integer (whole number) multiple of a fundamental tone.

Question 5

What is a fundamental tone?

Answer 5

The lowest frequency sound that can be produced is the fundamental tone frequency

So

Frequency twice that of fundamental tone = second harmonic (f2)

Frequency three times that of fundamental tone = third harmonic (f3) etc

Question 6

The presence of what within a sound wave helps produce the sounds unique qualities?

Answer 6

Harmonics

Question 7

What do the peaks in the harmonics of speech represent?

Answer 7

Formants

Question 8

What is a signal to noise ratio?

Answer 8

Balance of signal strength vrs noise strength

Question 9

What is signal to noise ratio measured in?

Answer 9

dB
+dB signal better than noise
-dB noise louder than signal

Question 10

What SNR can normal hearing deal with?

Answer 10

0dB

Question 11

What SNR can a conductive loss deal with?

Answer 11

0dB if above threshold

Question 12

What SNR can a sensorineural loss deal with?

Answer 12

Need +dB (typically +10dB)

Question 13

What is the Lombard effect?

Answer 13

Voice naturally raises in intensity in noise unless you consciously control the volume.

Question 14

What are the stages of the speech chain?

Answer 14

Question 15

What are the labels for the speech production diagram? (14)

Answer 15

Question 16

What are the 4 stages of speech production?

Answer 16

Respiration - provides energy for sound

Phonation - vibrating mechanism, rapid opening and closing of vocal chords

Resonance - the speech mechanism is a resonator (throat / nose / mouth)

Articulation - Production of the different configurations which make up the different speech sounds

Question 17

What are the vocal chords?

Answer 17

Muscle and cartilage in the throat that are key in creating sounds through vocalisation

Question 18

What length are the vocal chords?

Answer 18

At birth 6-8mm
Adult 8-16mm

Question 19

What are the resonators in speech production?

Answer 19

• pharynx
• mouth
• nose

Question 20

What is the vocal tract?

Answer 20

Starts at vocal chords and goes to lips

17cm for male
14cm for females

Acts as a resonator and filter

Question 21

What do the vocal chords on their own sound like?

Answer 21

A bee or unintelligible sound

Question 22

What are the articulators? (4)

Answer 22

Lips
Tongue
Teeth / jaw
Soft palate

Question 23

Speech sound can be divided into 2 types what are they?

Answer 23

Voiced and unvoiced

Question 24

What are voiced sounds?

Answer 24

Vibration of vocal chords
(Vowels)

Question 25

What are voiceless sounds?

Answer 25

Sound generated without vocal chords

Question 26

What type of consonant formation is S&F?

Answer 26

Fricative - voiceless

Question 27

What type of consonant formation is m, n & ng?

Answer 27

Nasal

Question 28

What type of consonant formation is p, k, t?

Answer 28

Plosive voiceless

Question 29

What are the acoustic properties of phonemes?

Answer 29

Voiceless fricatives
Voiceless plosives
Voiced fricatives and plosives
Nasal
Vowels (high intensity)
Average speech intensity approx 65dbspl @ 1m

Question 30

What are the speech development stages?

Answer 30

4-6 months babbling
7-11 months first words
18-24 months 2 words
2yrs old building links
3yrs old building sentences
3yrs develops plurals, can identify speech problems