High-frequency energy in speech and voice

描述（由申请人提供）：多年来，语音声学的主要焦点一直在低于约5 kHz的频率范围内。人的语音和人声产生高达20 kHz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，定位和可懂度。拟议的研究旨在成为表征语音中高频能量的长期目标的第一步，特别考虑其感知作用，其在语音产生过程中的修改潜力及其生成机制。 在这项研究中，高保真录音的谈话者的数据库将被用于广泛的声学分析和高频能量的一般表征，以及特定的表征音素类别，语音强度水平，并通过其高频能量含量的生产模式。还将检查口腔高频能量辐射的方向性。录音将用于感知实验，其中听众将被要求区分语音和声音样本，仅在高频能量含量不同。听众还将接受噪声中的可理解性任务，这些任务的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修改的能力，以及（2）语音中高频能量的语音价值。 公共卫生相关性：该项目与公共卫生的相关性在于其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），电子声音增强或录音和回放等因素引起的。先前的研究已经表明，高频能量影响语音清晰度，听力正常和听力受损儿童的单词学习，语音定位以及语音和声音的定性感知（例如“自然度”）。因此，该项目将提供特别有价值的洞察力，关于需要在增强听力设备，包括助听器，人工耳蜗植入物和听觉脑干植入物的高频范围的代表性;该项目的结果也可能影响言语，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.