SH 316- Speech Science

Syllabus• Office hours: T, TH: 11-12:30pm (by

appointment) W119 Thompson

• TA (Donna Eduardo): W112 Thompson

• Text: The Speech Sciences (1998), Raymond Kent.

Readings

• Reading for Feb 5:

– From: Respiratory Function in Speech & Song

• Available in Reed library(reserve) and 3 copies on my door

(W119)

• Reading for Feb 12:

– From: Journal of Voice

• 3 copies will be provided for photocopying

Course Description• Topics:

– Basic concepts in physics & mathematics

– Review of subsystems of speech

– Neurology: Anatomy & physiology

– Physiologic & acoustic phonetics

– Speech perception

– Applied speech science

Lectures

• Outline of material

• Lectures available on the web

Exams

• 4 exams: Multiple choice and true/false

• 60% of the final grade (20% each)

• Final cumulative exam- 20%

• Exam critiques– Half sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper– Critiques in writing

Presentation

• Topics: speech instrumentation• Groups: 3 people 2 groups will have 4

members• about 30 minutes per group member• April 18-May 9 (sign-up)• 15% for oral presentation• 5% for presentation quizzes

– 2 questions per presentation

Sources in Speech: Informational

• Information of sound signal–age

–gender

–emotion

Phonetic quality

• Linguistic content

• Derive meaning from language

• Phonetic imprint (native language)

Affective quality• Paralinguistic (accompanies linguistics)

– Emotion

– Contribute to message

– Animals & humans produce affect in

communication

– Vocalizations may carry information with no

linguistic information

Personal quality

• Extralinguistic (outside normal linguistics of speech)

• Information about the talker– gender, age, state of health

– Identify through specific characteristics of voice

Transmittal quality

• Information of speakers location– distance– orientation in space– background noise– environmental acoustic influence

(reverberation)

• Listener makes adjustments

Theories: Speech Production & Perception

• Models:

– Neural: nervous system processes that control speech.

– Articulatory: Describes movements in speech production

– Vocal tract: Describes the shape of the vocal tract in speech production.

Applied Speech Science

• Question? How is speech produced & how is it perceived?

– Assessment & treatment of speech disorders

– Forensic purposes : tape recordings

Theories: Speech Production & Perception

• Models (cont.)

– Functional: General functions of events in the formulation & execution of speech events.

– Motor control: Accounts for patterns of muscle activity in the speech production system.

Basic Concepts: Physics

Principals of Physics: Speech• Airflow & Speech production

– Physics of fluids

• Sound generation, acoustic resonance &

analysis

– Physics of sound

Fluids• Gases & liquids = Fluids

• Air = Gas– Provides basic energy for speech

• Fluid mechanics: Study of fluids in motion (fluid dynamics) or at rest (fluid statics)

• Hydrodynamics: flow of low velocity gases

Hydrodynamics

• Fluid = tiny particles (small volume)

• Particles in motion

• Eulerian Method: Flow characteristic as a

group of particles

Pressure

• Pressure= Force per unit area– P=F/A (F= Force; A= Area)

• F= Ma (M= mass; a= acceleration)

• Force unit used in speech?– Pa (Pascal) = force of 1 newton (N) on 1 square meter

• 1N= 1 kg m/s2

• 1 Pa is large compared to pressure measures made in speech: Use (Pa)

Volume

• Volume= quantity of air in a vessel or

space

– Measured in liters (l) of milliliters (ml)

• Speech may use cubic centimeters (cc)

• Speech example= Vital capacity

– Normal= 3.5-6.1 liters

Flow• Flow= quantity of gas that moves through a

given area in a unit of time

• Speech- Measure flow in liters/second– Example: Sustained phonation of a vowel

– 100 ml per second (Women)– 110 ml per second (Men)

• If an adult female phonates a vowel for 10 seconds, what would be the total volume of air used?

• About 1 liter

Pressure vs. Flow• Pressure travels from regions of high

pressure to low pressure– Respiration

• air inspired into the lungs- expansion of chest wall and increases volume (Patm is high; Palv is low)

• air expired out of lungs- deflate lungs increasing pressure

• High pressure generates high flow (in resp. system).

Flow

•Incompressible & ideal flow–No frication & streamlined

•Streamlines are parallel to direction of flow

Bernoulli Principle

• The total mechanical energy of the fluid is

constant along a streamline.

• Balance between kinetic & potential energy

• As velocity of flow increases, pressure

decreases

– Nozzels, flow devices

Bernoulli PrincipleRegion 1 to Region 2 to Region 3: Total energy decreases; Lost to friction

Region 2 : Constriction; fluid velocity & kinetic energy increases; decrease in potential energy; pressuredecreases

Region 3 : Tube widens; fluid velocity decreases; kinetic energy to pressure energy

Ex. Air travel through resp.system; loss of energy throughviscous frication.

Types of Flow•Laminar: Particles of fluid follow streamline

–Low velocity; pressure & flow is linear

•Turbulent: Fluid particles complex motion–High flow; pressure & flow nonlinear–Eddies produced

Flows: Speech Sounds

• Vowels: Laminar flow (sonorants:

nasals, vowels & liquids)

• Fricatives: turbulent flow