Combining acoustic and aerodynamic data collection: A perceptual evaluation of acoustic distortions

Amélie Elmerich (1) , Jiayin Gao (1) , Angélique Amelot (1) , Lise Crevier-Buchman (1, 2) , Shinji Maeda (1)

1 LPP - LPP - Laboratoire de Phonétique et Phonologie - UMR 7018
2 Hôpital Foch [Suresnes]

Combining acoustic and aerodynamic data acquisitions is challenging. Devices for aerodynamic measurements often create severe acoustic distortions, which make it impossible to analyse the simultaneously recorded acoustic data. An improved technique, a pneumotachograph mask made of synthetic fibers, is acoustically transparent while ensuring a high-quality aerodynamic data acquisition. A previous acoustic study confirms the minimal acoustic distortions caused by this technique. The present study evaluates the impact of different aerodynamic devices on the human perception of vowels. Results show that vowels recorded with a fiber mask are almost as accurately categorised as acoustic-only recordings, compared with rigid masks that result in perceptual confusions. Listeners are also less likely to perceive the presence of a mask. Overall, our study provides the perceptual validation of the fiber mask technique, which will be of a great value in the field of speech sciences.

Mots clés: aerodynamic; speech intelligibility; speech perception; acoustic distortion; pneumotachograph mask

Domaines: Linguistique

Amélie Elmerich, Jiayin Gao, Angélique Amelot, Lise Crevier-Buchman, Shinji Maeda. Combining acoustic and aerodynamic data collection: A perceptual evaluation of acoustic distortions. Interspeech 2023, Aug 2023, Dublin, Ireland. ⟨10.21437/Interspeech.2023-1918⟩. ⟨hal-04225019⟩