Effects of Co-articulation on Speech Discrimination Scores

Abstract

Effects of co-articulation on the speech discrimination scores of the Japanese consonants were studied in 8 normally hearing subjects and 12 patients with sensorineural hearing loss. Speech discrimination scores using nonsense bi-syllable lists with and without co-articulation were analyzed from the view points of articulation manner. Results and conclusions were as follows. 1) Speech discrimination scores of the first mono-syllables are higher than those of the second mono-syllables in fricative consonants and plossive consonants, for the word lists with co-articulation. 2) For the word lists without co-articulation, speech discrimination scores of the second cono-syllables decreased markedly, in the patients with sensorineural hearing loss. Masking by the vowels of the first mono-syllables reduced the speech discrimination scores of the second mono-syllables. 3) Acoustic information caused by co-articulation contributes to improve the speech discrimination scores of the second mono-syllables in the patients with sensorineural hearing loss.