High-frequency energy in speech and voice

描述(由申请人提供)：多年来，语音声学的主要关注点一直放在大约5 kHz以下的频率范围上。人类的语音和声音会产生高达20千赫的声能。越来越多的证据表明，语音和声音中的高频能量(5 kHz以上的能量)有助于感知质量、本地化和可理解性。这项拟议的研究旨在为描述语音中高频能量的长期目标迈出第一步，特别是考虑到它的感知作用，它在语音产生过程中被修改的可能性，以及它的产生机制。在这项研究中，将使用说话者的高保真录音数据库进行广泛的声学分析和高频能量的一般表征，以及根据其高频能量含量具体表征音素类别、语音强度水平和生产方式。还将检查来自口腔的高频能量辐射的方向性。这些录音将被用于感知实验，在这些实验中，听者将被要求区分仅在高频能量含量上不同的语音和声音样本。听众还将接受噪声中可理解性测试，其样本仅在高频内容中进行了修改。这些实验的结合将揭示(1)人类听者检测高频能量变化的能力，以及(2)语音中高频能量的语音价值。 公共卫生相关性：该项目与公共健康的相关性在于它努力阐明当语音中的高频能量丢失或改变时对人类交流行为的影响，这可能是由于听力损失、嘈杂的环境条件、电话、音频数据压缩(如MP3压缩)、电子扩声或录音和回放等因素引起的。先前的研究已经表明，高频能量会影响语言的可理解性、听力正常儿童和听力障碍儿童的单词学习、语言定位以及对语言和声音的定性感知(如自然度)。因此，这个项目将提供特别有价值的见解，说明在助听器、人工耳蜗和听觉脑干植入物等增强听力设备中高频范围的需求；该项目的结果还可能影响言语、声音和语言障碍的评估和管理，以及提高言语和声音的训练技术的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For years the major focus in speech acoustics has been on the frequency range below approximately 5 kHz. Human speech and the human voice generate acoustical energy up to 20 kHz. Evidence is accruing that high-frequency energy (energy above 5 kHz) in speech and voice contributes to percepts of quality, localization, and intelligibility. The proposed research is intended to be an initial step in the long-range goal of characterizing high-frequency energy in speech, with particular regard for its perceptual role, its potential for modification during speech production, and its generation mechanism. In this study, a database of high-fidelity recordings of talkers will be used for broad acoustical analysis and general characterization of high-frequency energy, as well as specific characterization of phoneme category, speech intensity level, and mode of production by their high-frequency energy content. Directionality of radiation of high-frequency energy from the mouth will also be examined. The recordings will be used for perceptual experiments wherein listeners will be asked to discriminate between speech and voice samples that differ only in high-frequency energy content. Listeners will also be subjected to intelligibility-in- noise tasks with samples that have been modified only in high-frequency content. The combination of these experiments will reveal (1) the ability of human listeners to detect high-frequency energy modification, and (2) the phonetic value of high-frequency energy in speech. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The relevance of this project to public health lies in its efforts to elucidate the effect on human communicative behavior when high-frequency energy in speech is lost or altered, which may be incurred by factors such as hearing loss, noisy environmental conditions, telephony, audio data compression (such as mp3 compression), electronic sound reinforcement, or sound recording and playback. Previous research has already shown that high-frequency energy affects speech intelligibility, word-learning in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children, speech localization, and qualitative percepts of speech and voice (e.g. 'naturalness'). Thus, this project will provide particularly valuable insight regarding the need for representation of the high-frequency range in augmentative hearing devices, including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and auditory brainstem implants; the results of this project may also impact the evaluation and management of speech, voice, and language disorders, as well as the development of training techniques for the enhancement of speech and voice.