Acoustic correlates of phonetic perception

超出所提供的空间。如果我们对语音识别的听觉和感知机制有更深入的了解，许多实际和理论问题都可以得到解决。这些知识的实际应用包括人工耳蜗信号处理器的改进、语音合成设备的改进、鲁棒语音识别算法的开发以及听力受损说话者训练设备的开发。拟议的实验分为三大类。一个广泛的系列实验的目的是测试一个新的模型的有效性元音感知，是在以前的补助金期间开发。该模型假设元音身份识别的模板匹配过程中，涉及窄带输入频谱与一组平滑的频谱形状模板，通过普通的曝光语音学习的比较。在上一个资助期间进行的评估表明，该模型能够从一个大型的多人数据库中识别元音，其准确性接近人类听众。我们希望将这方面的工作扩展到解决以下问题：（1）对时间和频谱线索到元音身份的整合进行建模，（2）测试该理论对诸如语音环境、信号周期性和诸如共振峰幅度关系的频谱形状特征等因素的变化的鲁棒性，以及（3）结合心理上合理的标准化方案，该方案可以解释收听者从具有不同声道特征的说话者识别语音的能力。将进行第二组实验，其测量有多少语音信息通过由专门设计的语音合成算法生成的语音信号传输给收听者，所述语音合成算法仅保留原始语音信号的一些特征，同时故意去除或扭曲其他线索。结果将允许推断得出的基本频谱表示，调解语音识别的性质。第三条工作线的目的是评估一个新的理论的听觉频率分析，是在以前的赠款期间开发的。该理论假设听觉频谱不是在外周而是在中枢神经系统中通过分析听觉神经放电模式来计算的。将开发一个软件模拟，用于测试理论的有效性。性能现场=

EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. Numerous practical and theoretical problems could be addressed if we had a deeper understanding of the auditory and perceptual mechanisms underlying phonetic recognition. Practical applications of this knowledge include improvements to cochlear implant signal processors, the improvement of speech synthesis devices, the development of robust speech recognition algorithms, and the development of training devices for hearing-impaired speakers. The proposed experiments fall into three major categories. An extensive series of experiments is designed to test the validity of a new model of vowel perception that was developed during the previous grant period. The model assumes that vowel identity is recognized by a template-matching process involving the comparison of narrow band input spectra with a set of smoothed spectral-shape templates that are learned through ordinary exposure to speech. An evaluation conducted during the previous grant period showed that the model is capable of recognizing vowels from a large, multitalker database with accuracy approaching that of human listeners. We would like to extend this line of work to address issues such as: (1) modeling the integration of temporal and spectral cues to vowel identity, (2) testing the robustness of the theory to variation in factors such as phonetic environment, signal periodicity, and spectral shape feaures such as formant amplitude relations, and (3) incorporation of a psychologically plausible normalization scheme that might account for the ability of listeners to recognize speech from talkers with diverse vocal-tract characteristics. A second set of experiments will be run which measure how much phonetic information is transmitted to listeners by speech signals that have been generated by specially designed speech synthesis algorithms that preserve only some characteristics of the original speech signal, while purposely removing or distorting other cues. The results will allow inferences to be drawn about the nature of the underlying spectral representations that mediate phonetic recognition. A third line of work is designed to evaluate a new theory of auditory frequency analysis that was developed during the previous grant period. The theory assumes that the auditory spectrum is calculated not at the periphery but in the central nervous system through an analysis of auditory nerve firing patterns. A software simulation will be developed for use in testing the validity of the theory. PERFORMANCE SITE ========================================Section End===========================================