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

由于说话环境和交际需求的不同，言语交际涉及多种风格。在嘈杂的环境中，或与听力受损或非母语感知者互动时，说话者经常使用一种清晰的语言风格来改变他们的语言产生，从而导致视觉发音和声学变化。当感知者从说话者的面部和声音中获得清晰的语音线索时，这种修改可能会提高语音的可理解性。然而，过度夸张的清晰语音导致不同声音类别的重叠，或注意不正确的语音线索，可能会抑制可理解性。******本研究旨在探讨清晰言语在音高相关信息：词汇语调交流中的作用。目的是确定说话者如何在保持音调类别区分的同时修改他们的音调产生，以及感知者如何在具有挑战性的听力条件下利用来自不同形式输入的音调增强和分类线索。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发音、声学、可理解性和神经处理。******将以普通话为母语的人录制清晰的普通话语调和对话。使用创新的计算机图像处理技术检查说话者在清晰和对话语气制作中的面部发音运动视频。通过计算机声学测量分析音调产生的声学相关性。听觉-视觉可理解性数据将在感知上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。清晰语音音调的神经处理将通过电生理学研究进行检验。最后，发音、声学、感知和神经数据将在统计模型中进行关联，以确定哪些发音和声学清晰语音线索有助于提高词汇音调的可理解性和神经敏感性。******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。感知者如何平衡音调增强线索和分类音调差别的发现，为了解感觉-运动和认知加工的相互作用是如何由低级和高级大脑机制精心安排的提供了见解。在实践方面，本研究将告知如何将语音增强原理有效地应用于不同交际环境下的语音技术开发，例如语音学习和教学，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.