Communicating pitch in clear speech: articulation, acoustics, intelligibility, neuro-processing, and computational modeling

根据不同的言语环境和交际需要，言语交际涉及多种语体。在嘈杂的环境中，或与听障或非母语感知者互动时，说话者经常使用清晰的语音风格来改变他们的语音产物，导致视觉、发音和声学上的变化。当感知者利用说话人面部和声音的清晰语音提示时，这样的修改可能会增强语音的可理解性。然而，过度夸张的清晰语音导致不同的声音类别重叠，或者注意到错误的语音提示，可能会抑制可理解性。本研究旨在探讨清晰语音在传达与音调相关的信息：词汇语调方面的作用。其目的是确定说话者如何在保持声调类别差异的同时修改其声调产生，以及在具有挑战性的听力条件下，感知者如何利用来自不同形式输入的声调增强和分类线索。这些问题将在一系列相互关联的研究中得到解决，这些研究考察了清晰语音音调的清晰度、声学、可理解性和神经处理。*将由以普通话为母语的人以清晰和对话的方式产生普通话声调，进行视听录音。将使用创新的计算机图像处理技术来检查说话者在清晰和对话音调制作中的面部发音动作的视频。将通过计算机化的声学测量来分析音调产生的声学相关性。听觉-视觉清晰度数据将在感知具有挑战性的条件下收集：自助餐厅、背景噪音和非母语环境。我们将通过电生理学研究来检验清晰语音的神经处理。最后，发音、声学、知觉和神经数据将在统计模型中关联，以确定哪些发音和声学清晰语音提示有助于提高词汇声调的可理解性和神经敏感度。*本研究对语音科学、通信、神经科学、计算机语音技术和语音工程等领域具有重要意义。知觉者如何平衡音调增强线索和范畴音调区别的研究结果，为我们深入了解感觉-运动和认知加工的相互作用是如何由较低和较高级别的大脑机制协调的。在实践方面，本研究将介绍如何将语音增强原理有效地应用于不同交际环境中的语音技术的发展，如语音学习和教学、语音治疗和人机界面。

Speech communication involves multiple styles as a function of different speaking environments and communicative needs. In noisy environments, or interacting with hearing-impaired or non-native perceivers, speakers often alter their speech productions using a clarified speech style, resulting in visual articulatory and acoustic changes. Such modifications may enhance speech intelligibility as perceivers make use of clear-speech cues from speaker face and voice. However, excessively exaggerated clear speech resulting in overlap of different sound categories, or attention to incorrect speech cues, may inhibit intelligibility.******This research intends to investigate the role of clear speech in communicating pitch-related information: lexical tone. The objectives are to identify how speakers modify their tone production while still maintaining tone category distinctions, and how perceivers utilize tonal enhancement and categorical cues from different forms of input in challenging listening conditions. These questions will be addressed in a series of inter-related studies examining articulation, acoustics, intelligibility, and neuro-processing of clear-speech tones. ******Audio-video recordings will be made with native Mandarin Chinese speakers producing Mandarin tones in clear and conversational speech. Videos of speakers' facial articulatory movements in clear and conversational tone productions will be examined using innovative computer image processing techniques. Acoustic correlates of tone productions will be analyzed through computerized acoustic measurements. Auditory-visual intelligibility data will be collected in perceptually challenging conditions: cafeteria background noise and a non-native language setting. Neural processing of clear-speech tones will be examined through electro-physiological studies. Finally, articulatory, acoustic, perceptual, and neural data will be related in statistical models to determine which articulatory and acoustic clear-speech cues contribute to enhanced intelligibility and neural sensitivity of lexical tones. ******This research has significant implications for the fields of speech science, communication, neuroscience, computer speech technology and speech engineering. Findings of how perceivers balance tonal enhancement cues and categorical tone distinctions provide insight into how the interaction of sensory-motor and cognitive processing is orchestrated by both lower- and higher-level brain mechanisms. On a practical front, this research will inform how speech enhancement principles can be effectively applied in the development of speech technologies in different communicative contexts, e.g., speech learning and teaching, speech therapy, and human-computer interface.