Psychophysical Boundary for Categorization of Voiced–Voiceless Stop Consonants in Native Japanese Speakers

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychophysical boundary used for categorization of voiced–voiceless stop consonants in native Japanese speakers.

Method

Twelve native Japanese speakers participated in the experiment. The stimuli were synthetic stop consonant–vowel stimuli varying in voice onset time (VOT) with manipulation of the amplitude of the initial noise portion and the first formant (F1) frequency of the periodic portion. There were 3 tasks, namely, speech identification to either /d/ or /t/, detection of the noise portion, and simultaneity judgment of onsets of the noise and periodic portions.

Results

The VOT boundaries of /d/–/t/ were close to the shortest VOT values that allowed for detection of the noise portion but not to those for perceived nonsimultaneity of the noise and periodic portions. The slopes of noise detection functions along VOT were as sharp as those of voiced–voiceless identification functions. In addition, the effects of manipulating the amplitude of the noise portion and the F1 frequency of the periodic portion on the detection of the noise portion were similar to those on voiced–voiceless identification.

Conclusion

The psychophysical boundary of perception of the initial noise portion masked by the following periodic portion may be used for voiced–voiceless categorization by Japanese speakers.

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Psychophysical Boundary for Categorization of Voiced–Voiceless Stop Consonants in Native Japanese Speakers

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychophysical boundary used for categorization of voiced–voiceless stop consonants in native Japanese speakers.

Method

Twelve native Japanese speakers participated in the experiment. The stimuli were synthetic stop consonant–vowel stimuli varying in voice onset time (VOT) with manipulation of the amplitude of the initial noise portion and the first formant (F1) frequency of the periodic portion. There were 3 tasks, namely, speech identification to either /d/ or /t/, detection of the noise portion, and simultaneity judgment of onsets of the noise and periodic portions.

Results

The VOT boundaries of /d/–/t/ were close to the shortest VOT values that allowed for detection of the noise portion but not to those for perceived nonsimultaneity of the noise and periodic portions. The slopes of noise detection functions along VOT were as sharp as those of voiced–voiceless identification functions. In addition, the effects of manipulating the amplitude of the noise portion and the F1 frequency of the periodic portion on the detection of the noise portion were similar to those on voiced–voiceless identification.

Conclusion

The psychophysical boundary of perception of the initial noise portion masked by the following periodic portion may be used for voiced–voiceless categorization by Japanese speakers.

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Psychophysical Boundary for Categorization of Voiced–Voiceless Stop Consonants in Native Japanese Speakers

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychophysical boundary used for categorization of voiced–voiceless stop consonants in native Japanese speakers.

Method

Twelve native Japanese speakers participated in the experiment. The stimuli were synthetic stop consonant–vowel stimuli varying in voice onset time (VOT) with manipulation of the amplitude of the initial noise portion and the first formant (F1) frequency of the periodic portion. There were 3 tasks, namely, speech identification to either /d/ or /t/, detection of the noise portion, and simultaneity judgment of onsets of the noise and periodic portions.

Results

The VOT boundaries of /d/–/t/ were close to the shortest VOT values that allowed for detection of the noise portion but not to those for perceived nonsimultaneity of the noise and periodic portions. The slopes of noise detection functions along VOT were as sharp as those of voiced–voiceless identification functions. In addition, the effects of manipulating the amplitude of the noise portion and the F1 frequency of the periodic portion on the detection of the noise portion were similar to those on voiced–voiceless identification.

Conclusion

The psychophysical boundary of perception of the initial noise portion masked by the following periodic portion may be used for voiced–voiceless categorization by Japanese speakers.

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The Impact of Vocal and Laryngeal Pathologies Among Professional Singers: A Meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Michelle Kwok, Guy D. Eslick
ObjectiveProfessional singers are more likely to develop laryngeal pathologies and symptoms associated with misuse and overuse of the voice. However, different studies have shown conflicting evidence. We aim to perform a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis to determine the prevalence and risk of laryngeal pathologies and symptoms among professional singers.MethodsFour electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL) were searched, with no language restrictions. From 3368 potential studies, a total of 21 studies met our inclusion criteria. A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies that reported the risk of laryngeal pathologies in singers were included. Data were pooled by a random effects model and the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.ResultsThere was a positive relationship between singing and laryngeal pathologies. There was an increased risk of hoarseness (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.61–2.49), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.19–1.77), Reinke edema (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.08–4.30), and polyps (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.06–4.14) in professional singers.ConclusionProfessional singers are at an increased risk of laryngeal pathologies and symptoms associated with vocal misuse and overuse, particularly hoarseness, GERD, edema, and polyps.



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Vowel and tone recognition in quiet and in noise among Mandarin-speaking amusics

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Wei Tang, Xi-jian Wang, Jia-qi Li, Chang Liu, Qi Dong, Yun Nan
Music and language are two intricately linked communication modalities in humans. A deficit in music pitch processing as manifested in the condition of congenital amusia has been related to difficulties in lexical tone processing for both tone and non-tonal languages. However, it is still unclear whether amusia also affects the perception of vowel phonemes in quiet and in noise. In this study, we examined vowel-plus-tone identification in quiet and noise conditions among Mandarin-speaking amusics with and without speech tone difficulties (tone agnosics and pure amusics, respectively), and IQ- and age-matched controls. Overall, pure amusics showed vowel and tone identification comparable to the controls in both quiet and noise conditions. Compared to amusics and controls, tone agnosics showed deficits in tone perception in both quiet and noise conditions. More importantly, their vowel perception was lower than pure amusics and controls in noise conditions, e.g., at a signal-to-noise ratio of −4 dB, although they showed normal-like performance in quiet and at a signal-to-noise ratio of −8 dB. These results suggest that when amusia affected speech tone processing (e.g., tone agnosics), it could also compromise vowel processing in noise. However, amusia alone does not affect tone or vowel perceptions in Mandarin Chinese either in quiet or in noise. Overall, the current study highlights the necessity of taking heterogeneity within the amusic group into account when considering the related speech deficits in this group.



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Fetal auditory evoked responses to onset of amplitude modulated sounds. A fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) study

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): R. Draganova, A. Schollbach, F. Schleger, J. Braendle, S. Brucker, H. Abele, K.O. Kagan, D. Wallwiener, A. Fritsche, H. Eswaran, H. Preissl
The human fetal auditory system is functional around the 25th week of gestational age when the thalamocortical connections are established. Fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) provides evidence for fetal auditory brain responses to pure tones and syllables. Fifty-five pregnant women between 31 and 40 weeks of gestation were included in the study. Fetal MEG was recorded during the presentation of an amplitude modulated tone (AM) with a carrier frequency of 500 Hz to the maternal abdomen modulated by low modulation rates (MRs) - 2/s and 4/s, middle MR - 8/s and high MRs - 27/s, 42/s, 78/s and 91/s. The aim was to determine whether the fetal brain responds differently to envelope slopes and intensity change at the onset of the AM sounds.A significant decrease of the response latencies of transient event-related responses (ERR) to high and middle MRs in comparison to the low MRs was observed. The highest fetal response rate was achieved by modulation rates of 2/s, 4/s and 27/s (70%, 57%, and 86%, respectively). Additionally, a maturation effect of the ERR (response latency vs. gestational age) was observed only for 4/s MR.The significant difference between the response latencies to low, middle, and high MRs suggests that still before birth the fetal brain processes the sound slopes at the onset in different integration time-windows, depending on the time for the intensity increase or stimulus power density at the onset, which is a prerequisite for language acquisition.



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Vowel and tone recognition in quiet and in noise among Mandarin-speaking amusics

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Wei Tang, Xi-jian Wang, Jia-qi Li, Chang Liu, Qi Dong, Yun Nan
Music and language are two intricately linked communication modalities in humans. A deficit in music pitch processing as manifested in the condition of congenital amusia has been related to difficulties in lexical tone processing for both tone and non-tonal languages. However, it is still unclear whether amusia also affects the perception of vowel phonemes in quiet and in noise. In this study, we examined vowel-plus-tone identification in quiet and noise conditions among Mandarin-speaking amusics with and without speech tone difficulties (tone agnosics and pure amusics, respectively), and IQ- and age-matched controls. Overall, pure amusics showed vowel and tone identification comparable to the controls in both quiet and noise conditions. Compared to amusics and controls, tone agnosics showed deficits in tone perception in both quiet and noise conditions. More importantly, their vowel perception was lower than pure amusics and controls in noise conditions, e.g., at a signal-to-noise ratio of −4 dB, although they showed normal-like performance in quiet and at a signal-to-noise ratio of −8 dB. These results suggest that when amusia affected speech tone processing (e.g., tone agnosics), it could also compromise vowel processing in noise. However, amusia alone does not affect tone or vowel perceptions in Mandarin Chinese either in quiet or in noise. Overall, the current study highlights the necessity of taking heterogeneity within the amusic group into account when considering the related speech deficits in this group.



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