Fundamentals of Speech and Hearing Science

what is speech science

the basis for understanding human communication

- helps us to find normative which helps to find disordered

- helps build knowledge of A&P

what is speech production

the way in which our thought and language are converted into speech

phonotactics definition

the planning aspect of production

what is speech perception

how the brain processes speech and language

how is speech represented in the brain

comprehension

a deficit in hearing stage is an ___________ disorder

audiological

speech is a ______ act

motor

- it can take place with no meaning

what does language do?

conveys an idea

- it stays an idea until you are able to vocalize it

what is thought

ideas shared using speech and language speech

is speech tangible

YES

what is language

complex rule governed communication system

what are the components of language

semantics, syntax, morphology, phonology, pragmatics

what is semantics

word meaning

what is syntax

sentence structure

what is morphology

prefixes, suffixes, affixes, plurals, possessives (things you add on to words)

what is phonology

system of sounds

- rule based sound system

what is pragmatics

social use of language

what is the learning theory

selective reinforcement provided to the child as she or he uses language to operate on the environment

- B.F. Skinner and Mowrer

what is the innateness theory

the ability of human s to manage certain aspects of linguistic structure is innate.

- Noam Chompsky

what theory states that language drives thought

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

- linguistic determinism

how are speech sounds generated

they are planned

speech sounds are represented as ______

a complex of abstract phonetic features

- once you say it, it becomes concrete

- they can be changed into different patterns to make new words

the _______ allows us to analyze complex behavior into its components & better understand how those components are related

the research process

acoustic analysis

how sound is studied (both normal and disordered)

perceptual testing

can they make sense of what they hear

loosely called "experiments"

test a hypothesis; collect data to test a theory

what are the three major types of studies

normal, disordered, treatment

What is descriptive research?

observing and recording events to try to find relationships between them

- also called qualitative

what is experimental research?

observes and records behavior under controlled conditions in which the experimental variables are systematically changed by the investigator

- also called quantitative

what is the independent and dependent variable

DV: outcome

IV: what is being manipulated

research on a given topic usually starts with

descriptive research; this leads to creation of theories, which are then tested using experimental research

what is the symbolic aspect of language

linguistic organization; conceptual in nature

what is the physical aspect of language

air pressure, sound, electric signals

what is a spectrogram

a visual way of representing the signal strength (intensity) or "loudness" of a signal over time at various frequencies present in a particular waveform

explain the y and x axis of a spectrogram

time runs horizontally (x axis); frequency runs vertically (y axis)

- darker areas = more intensity

explain the source filter model

the vocal folds are the source and the filter is the articulators

physics

science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force

acoustics

a BRANCH of physics that deals with the production, control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound

bioacoustics

combination of biology and acoustics in the study of sound production and perception in animals and humans

- human speech falls into this category

inertia

the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest

- AKA Newtons first law of motion

elasticity

the property of a material that returns it to its original shape after it has been changed by some external force - it allows you to change pitch

stiffness

the resistance of an elastic body to change by an applied force. The greater the stiffness of an object, the greater the force needed to displace it

intensity

the power per unit area; measured in watts/cm2 - decibels

pressure

force acting a specific surface area. can also be measured with water

sound has no ________

physical substance

- we could see a biproduct of sound

What is a longitudinal wave?

the wave motion of sound is longitudinal

- the individual molecules move parallel to the direction that the wave is traveling

- air molecules move left to right

what is a transverse wave?

the wave motion of water is transverse

- the molecules move up and down

transverse wave EX

longitudinal wave EX

brownian motion

the constant state of movement that air molecules are in

what is a wavelength

the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave

- one cycle

what is compression on a wave

as the source vibrates, it creates a chain reaction in the air molecules of adjacent areas

what is rarefaction on a sound wave

an increased distance between the groups of molecules involved

- aka expansion

what is ambient pressure

the pressure caused as air molecules "bump" into each other and whatever is in their path

- the collisions cause pressure

what are the essential constituents of sound

1. a souce of energy to start vibration- pressure must go from high to low

2. a force to keep the molecules moving

3. a medium of transmission (gas, solid, liquid)

what is simple harmonic motion

the period of compression or expansion

Sound disturbances are characterized as

waves

what is a simple wave

one frequency only, a pure tone

what is a complex wave

multiple frequencies; includes all other sounds, including speech

pure tones can only be described by 2 numbers:

frequency: rate of air pressure modulation (related to pitch)

amplitude: sound pressure level (related to loudness)

friction

resistance of one surface moving over another

what is restoring forces

elasticity

- it is strongest when inertia is weak

- inertia is strongest when RF is weak (at rest position)

what is a sine wave

the simplest wave form created by a vibrating body in the air

what are the number of cycles completed in one second called

the frequency of vibration

sound waves consist of a series of ________ that can be understood in terms of air molecules being pushed closer together (compression) or farther apart (rarefaction)

pressure disturbances

sound travels through the form of a

pressure wave

pure tones are ______

periodic

label a wave

amplitude

magnitude of displacement of an object

- is directly related to the acoustic energy or intensity of a sound

what does a decibel measure

loudness (intensity)

what is the inverse law square

sound intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the sound source

what is an impedence

obstacle "blocked"

what are the 4 things that can happen when sound hits a barrier

1. reflection: sound bounces off the barrier

2. absorption: sound is absorbed into barrier

3. transmission: sound is transmitted through the barrier

4. diffraction: sound bends around the barrier

complex sound

two or more component frequencies that are harmonically related: a fundamental frequency plus harmonics

periodic

equal points between frequency; pure tone simple waves are always periodic

aperiodic

a wave in which individual cycles do not take the same amount of time to occur

can a simple wave be periodic and aperiodic?

no; just periodic

can a complex wave be periodic and aperiodic

yes: a complex tone of two or more frequencies that are harmonically related are periodic while a two or more frequencies not harmonically related are aperiodic

continuous

a sustained output of acoustic energy

transient

a sudden and brief burst of acoustic energy

is a pure tone continuous or transient?

can be either!

is the human voice periodic or aperiodic?

quasi-periodic (partially)

what is baseline

fundamental frequency

fundamental frequency

the lowest frequency which is produced by the oscillation of the whole object

harmonic

an overtone accompanying a fundamental tone at a fixed frequency

what is Fouriers Basic Principle

all complex period waveforms can be analyzed into a "sum of harmonics"

- you can break down a wave to see the different components

psychoacoustics

study of relationship between physical properties of stimulus and our and our subjective experience of the stimulus

- physical qualities mixed with perceptual qualities

pitch

perceptual correlate of frequency; affected by intensity

- vocal folds is a physical property

loudness

perceptual correlate of intensity; affected by frequency

- the stress put on vocal folds

you cant ______ if you cant ________

perceive; hear

frequencies produced during speech correspond with _______

human auditory sensitivity

differentiate frequency/pitch from loudness/intensity

frequency: measurable characteristic of acoustic signals

pitch: a listeners perceptual response (mainly) to frequency

what is the measurement "unit" for measuring the pitch

Mel Scale

resonance

increase in vibration when a force is applied at a natural frequency of the medium

resonator

object or medium set into vibration (tuning fork, vocal tract)

natural or resonant frequency

the object vibrates most easily and with the widest amplitude

larger vocal tract and cavity--

the lower frequency to which they will resonate

smaller vocal tract and cavity--

the higher frequency to which they will resonate