title: Automatic method of pause measurement for normal and dysarthric speech.
abstract: This study proposes an automatic method for the detection of pauses and identification of pause types in conversational speech for the purpose of measuring the effects of Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) on speech. Speech samples of approximately 3 minutes were recorded from 13 speakers with FRDA and 18 healthy controls. Pauses were measured from the intensity contour and fit with bimodal lognormal distributions using the Expectation-Maximization algorithm in Matlab. In the speakers with FRDA, both modes in the pause distributions had significantly larger means, with disproportionately fewer pauses associated with the first mode. From this preliminary study, it is concluded that distributional analysis of pause duration holds promise as a useful method of measuring the effects of FRDA on functional speech.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Folker
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cahill
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delatycki
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corben
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001331:Automation; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012984:Software; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013060:Speech; D013068:Speech Production Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors