title: Reference-free automatic quality assessment of tracheoesophageal speech.
abstract: Evaluation of the quality of tracheoesophageal (TE) speech using machines instead of human experts can enhance the voice rehabilitation process for patients who have undergone total laryngectomy and voice restoration. Towards the goal of devising a reference-free TE speech quality estimation algorithm, we investigate the efficacy of speech signal features that are used in standard telephone-speech quality assessment algorithms, in conjunction with a recently introduced speech modulation spectrum measure. Tests performed on two TE speech databases demonstrate that the modulation spectral measure and a subset of features in the standard ITU-T P.563 algorithm estimate TE speech quality with better correlation (up to 0.9) than previously proposed features.
authors: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Andy
authors: A
authors: Huang
authors: Tiago H
authors: TH
authors: Falk
authors: Wai-Yip
authors: WY
authors: Chan
authors: Vijay
authors: V
authors: Parsa
authors: Philip
authors: P
authors: Doyle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000379:methods*; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal