Intelligibility of synthetic speech for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners.
This study examined the perceived intelligibility of synthetic speech. Participants were adults aged 49-69, one group with normal hearing and one group with acquired sensorineural hearing impairment. Word lists were presented in two speech types: DECtalk (a high-quality speech synthesizer) and a natural male speaker. Results revealed differences between groups, with normal-hearing listeners scoring higher than hearing-impaired listeners, and between speech types, with higher scores for natural speech than for synthesized speech. There was no significant interaction of hearing level and speech type.
Kangas
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KA
Audiology and Speech Sciences, Purdue University.
Allen
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GD
D000368:Aged; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013065:Speech Intelligibility