Intelligibility in Postlaryngectomy Speech

Sleeth, Lindsay; Doyle, Philip C.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04702-3_14

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Ultimately, we believe that the ability to evaluate the widest array of consonants will potentially provide a more beneficial means of assessment for clinical use. Yet it should be mentioned that, despite many years of information on postlaryngectomy speech accuracy, no standard method has yet emerged [45,54]. We would, however, also like to note that potential learning effects relative to the stimuli presented cannot be ruled out in relation to listener responses.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…), semantic or contextual factors [39], and/or aspects of word familiarity, even in simple listening paradigms [40], or the naturalness of sound sequences within target words [41]. This limitation in whole-word scoring has led some investigators to explore accuracy assessment options through use of nonsense stimuli across a variety of communication disorders [10,[42][43][44][45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Influence of Stimulus Composition and Scoring Method on Objective Listener Assessments of Tracheoesophageal Speech Accuracy

Doyle,

Goncharenko,

Searl

2023

Applied Sciences

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Introduction: This study investigated the influence of stimulus composition for three speech intelligibility word lists and two scoring methods on the speech accuracy judgments of five tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers. This was achieved through phonemic comparisons across TE speakers’ productions of stimuli from the three intelligibility word lists, including the (1) Consonant Rhyme Test, (2) Northwestern Intelligibility Test, and (3) the Weiss and Basili list. Methodology: Fifteen normal-hearing young adults served as listeners; all listeners were trained in phonetic transcription (IPA), but none had previous exposure to any mode of postlaryngectomy alaryngeal speech. Speaker stimuli were presented to all listeners through headphones, and all stimuli were transcribed phonetically using an open-set response paradigm. Data were analyzed for individual speakers by stimulus list. Phonemic scoring was compared to a whole-word scoring method, and the types of errors observed were quantified by word list. Results: Individual speaker variability was noted, and its effect on the assessment of speech accuracy was identified. The phonemic scoring method was found to be a more sensitive measure of TE speech accuracy. The W&B list yielded the lowest accuracy scores of the three lists. This finding may indicate its increased sensitivity and potential clinical value. Conclusions: Overall, this study supports the use of open-set, phonemic scoring methods when evaluating TE speaker intelligibility. Future research should aim to assess the specificity of assessment tools on a larger sample of TE speakers who vary in their speech proficiency.

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Section: Limitations Of the Present Studymentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Stimulus Composition and Scoring Method on Objective Listener Assessments of Tracheoesophageal Speech Accuracy

Doyle,

Goncharenko,

Searl

2023

Applied Sciences

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Synthesis of a Vocal Sound from the 3,000 year old Mummy, Nesyamun ‘True of Voice’

Howard

Schofield

Fletcher

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The sound of a 3,000 year old mummified individual has been accurately reproduced as a vowel-like sound based on measurements of the precise dimensions of his extant vocal tract following Computed Tomography (CT) scanning, enabling the creation of a 3-D printed vocal tract. By using the Vocal Tract Organ, which provides a user-controllable artificial larynx sound source, a vowel sound is synthesised which compares favourably with vowels of modern individuals. The sound of a vocal tract from the past has been synthesised to be heard again in the present, allowing people to engage with the past in completely new and innovative ways. The precise dimensions of an individual's vocal tract produce a sound unique to them 1. If the tract dimensions can be scientifically established, vocal sounds can be synthesised by using an electronic larynx sound source 2 and a 3-D printed vocal tract 3. Since the restoration of an exact vocal sound requires the perfect preservation of the soft tissues, this is impossible for individuals whose remains are only skeletal. Even where soft tissue does survive, for example in mummified remains 4 , the vocal tract can either be missing or distorted 5. The process is only feasible when the relevant soft tissue is reasonably intact, as in the case of the 3,000 year-old mummified body of the Egyptian priest Nesyamun 6 , whose 'in death' vocal tract acoustic output has been scientifically synthesised. This acoustic output is for the single sound for the extant vocal tract shape; it does not provide a basis for synthesising running speech. To do so would require knowledge of the relevant vocal tract articulations, phonetics and timing patterns of his language. The synthesised vowel sound based on the precise dimensions of his unique vocal tract is here compared to modern vowels as proof of method and to demonstrate future research potential. Having established the scientific recreation of a 3-D printed vocal tract unique to a living individual, the 'Voices from the Past' Project was set up to investigate this possibility for those long dead in cases where their remains are sufficiently well preserved. With the need for optimum preservation of the vocal tract an essential requirement, combined with the practical necessity for precise CT-imaging in close proximity to the individual selected, the mummified body of Nesyamun was a highly appropriate choice. This was also true for archaeological reasons. The Egyptian Nesyamun (Fig. 1) lived during the politically volatile reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099-1069 BC) over 3000 years ago, working as a scribe and priest at the state temple of Karnak in Thebes (modern Luxor). His voice was an essential part of his ritual duties which involved spoken as well as sung elements 7. With his mummified remains now displayed in Leeds City Museum, the current project is only the most recent to examine Nesyamun, whose remains have been at the forefront of mummy studies for almost two centuries. Following the unwrapping of his body in 1824, it was examined by members...

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Intelligibility in Postlaryngectomy Speech

Cited by 2 publications

References 73 publications

The Influence of Stimulus Composition and Scoring Method on Objective Listener Assessments of Tracheoesophageal Speech Accuracy

The Influence of Stimulus Composition and Scoring Method on Objective Listener Assessments of Tracheoesophageal Speech Accuracy

Synthesis of a Vocal Sound from the 3,000 year old Mummy, Nesyamun ‘True of Voice’

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