A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm
This study examined whether visual speech provides speech-rhythm information that perceivers can use in speech perception. This was tested by using speech that naturally varied in the familiarity of its rhythm. Thirty Australian English L1 listeners performed a speech perception in noise task with E...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/932 |
| _version_ | 1797595689436315648 |
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| author | Saya Kawase Chris Davis Jeesun Kim |
| author_facet | Saya Kawase Chris Davis Jeesun Kim |
| author_sort | Saya Kawase |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examined whether visual speech provides speech-rhythm information that perceivers can use in speech perception. This was tested by using speech that naturally varied in the familiarity of its rhythm. Thirty Australian English L1 listeners performed a speech perception in noise task with English sentences produced by three speakers: an English L1 speaker (familiar rhythm); an experienced English L2 speaker who had a weak foreign accent (familiar rhythm), and an inexperienced English L2 speaker who had a strong foreign accent (unfamiliar speech rhythm). The spoken sentences were presented in three conditions: Audio-Only (AO), Audio-Visual with mouth covered (AVm), and Audio-Visual (AV). Speech was best recognized in the AV condition regardless of the degree of foreign accent. However, speech recognition in AVm was better than AO for the speech with no foreign accent and with a weak accent, but not for the speech with a strong accent. A follow-up experiment was conducted that only used the speech with a strong foreign accent, under more audible conditions. The results also showed no difference between the AVm and AO conditions, indicating the null effect was not due to a floor effect. We propose that speech rhythm is conveyed by the motion of the jaw opening and closing, and perceivers use this information to better perceive speech in noise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:40:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b82a18e6a474495be9b55e6c5561457 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:40:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b82a18e6a474495be9b55e6c55614572023-11-18T09:36:33ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252023-06-0113693210.3390/brainsci13060932A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech RhythmSaya Kawase0Chris Davis1Jeesun Kim2The MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, AustraliaThe MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, AustraliaThe MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, AustraliaThis study examined whether visual speech provides speech-rhythm information that perceivers can use in speech perception. This was tested by using speech that naturally varied in the familiarity of its rhythm. Thirty Australian English L1 listeners performed a speech perception in noise task with English sentences produced by three speakers: an English L1 speaker (familiar rhythm); an experienced English L2 speaker who had a weak foreign accent (familiar rhythm), and an inexperienced English L2 speaker who had a strong foreign accent (unfamiliar speech rhythm). The spoken sentences were presented in three conditions: Audio-Only (AO), Audio-Visual with mouth covered (AVm), and Audio-Visual (AV). Speech was best recognized in the AV condition regardless of the degree of foreign accent. However, speech recognition in AVm was better than AO for the speech with no foreign accent and with a weak accent, but not for the speech with a strong accent. A follow-up experiment was conducted that only used the speech with a strong foreign accent, under more audible conditions. The results also showed no difference between the AVm and AO conditions, indicating the null effect was not due to a floor effect. We propose that speech rhythm is conveyed by the motion of the jaw opening and closing, and perceivers use this information to better perceive speech in noise.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/932visual speech rhythmspeech perception in noiseforeign-accented speech |
| spellingShingle | Saya Kawase Chris Davis Jeesun Kim A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm Brain Sciences visual speech rhythm speech perception in noise foreign-accented speech |
| title | A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm |
| title_full | A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm |
| title_fullStr | A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm |
| title_short | A Visual Speech Intelligibility Benefit Based on Speech Rhythm |
| title_sort | visual speech intelligibility benefit based on speech rhythm |
| topic | visual speech rhythm speech perception in noise foreign-accented speech |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/6/932 |
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