Speech Perception and Production

30 vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to speech perception and production, including definitions of essential terms.

Acoustic Signal

An ordered collection of sounds to which meaning is attached.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of speech, containing sound energy at different frequencies.

Spectrogram

A visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies in a sound as they vary with time.

Coarticulation

The influence of surrounding sounds on the pronunciation of a phoneme.

Categorical Perception

This occurs when a wide range of acoustic cues results in the perception of a limited number of sound categories.

Echolalia

The ability to repeat words or phrases without understanding; often occurs in some forms of aphasia.

Anomia

A condition characterized by loss of the ability to name objects.

Agraphia

Inability to write, despite being able to produce spoken language.

Alexia

Difficulty in reading, which may not affect spoken language abilities.

Broca's Aphasia

A language disorder characterized by difficulty in producing speech.

Wernicke's Aphasia

A language disorder characterized by the inability to comprehend or produce meaningful language.

Ventral Stream

The auditory processing pathway in the brain involved in sound identification.

Dorsal Stream

The auditory processing pathway in the brain involved in sound location.

Variability Problem

The challenge that context changes the relationship between the acoustic signal and individual phonemes.

Phonetic Boundary

The point at which sounds from different categories are distinguished by listeners.

Voice Onset Time (VOT)

The length of time between the release of a consonant and the onset of vocal cord vibrations.

McGurk Effect

Demonstrates that speech perception is influenced by both auditory and visual information.

Word Segmentation

The process of identifying individual words within continuous speech.

Brain Areas Involved in Speech

Includes Broca's area and Wernicke's area, responsible for language production and comprehension.

Multimodal Issues

Challenges in speech perception that arise from integrating information from different sensory modalities.

Frequency (Hz)

The number of cycles per second of a sound wave, measured in Hertz.

Continuous Speech

Natural speech that flows without evident pauses between words.

Pressure

The force exerted by the vocal tract during speech production, affecting sound quality.

Amplitude Changes

Variations in sound intensity that contribute to the perception of speech.

Sound Categories

Distinct groupings of sounds perceived by listeners as phonemic units.

Hindi Phoneme Distinction

Study showing that infants can distinguish phonemes in languages not present in their environment.

Perceptual Magnet Effect

Phenomenon where certain phonetic categories can distort perception of sounds.

Lips

Facial articulators crucial for producing various speech sounds.

Teeth

Articulators that help shape certain sounds, especially fricatives.

Nasal Cavity

Resonating chamber that contributes to the quality of nasal sounds.

Vocal Cords

Tissues in the larynx that vibrate to produce sound.

Pharynx

The passage that connects the nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus.

Soft Palate

The back part of the roof of the mouth that plays a role in speech production.