Intelligibility (communication)

About: Intelligibility (communication) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11252 publications have been published within this topic receiving 253119 citations.

Visual contribution to speech intelligibility in noise

Abstract: Oral speech intelligibility tests were conducted with, and without, supplementary visual observation of the speaker's facial and lip movements. The difference between these two conditions was examined as a function of the speech‐to‐noise ratio and of the size of the vocabulary under test. The visual contribution to oral speech intelligibility (relative to its possible contribution) is, to a first approximation, independent of the speech‐to‐noise ratio under test. However, since there is a much greater opportunity for the visual contribution at low speech‐to‐noise ratios, its absolute contribution can be exploited most profitably under these conditions.

Speech Enhancement: Theory and Practice

Abstract: With the proliferation of mobile devices and hearing devices, including hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is a growing and pressing need to design algorithms that can improve speech intelligibility without sacrificing quality. Responding to this need, Speech Enhancement: Theory and Practice, Second Edition introduces readers to the basic problems of speech enhancement and the various algorithms proposed to solve these problems. Updated and expanded, this second edition of the bestselling textbook broadens its scope to include evaluation measures and enhancement algorithms aimed at improving speech intelligibility. Fundamentals, Algorithms, Evaluation, and Future Steps Organized into four parts, the book begins with a review of the fundamentals needed to understand and design better speech enhancement algorithms. The second part describes all the major enhancement algorithms and, because these require an estimate of the noise spectrum, also covers noise estimation algorithms. The third part of the book looks at the measures used to assess the performance, in terms of speech quality and intelligibility, of speech enhancement methods. It also evaluates and compares several of the algorithms. The fourth part presents binary mask algorithms for improving speech intelligibility under ideal conditions. In addition, it suggests steps that can be taken to realize the full potential of these algorithms under realistic conditions. Whats New in This Edition Updates in every chapter A new chapter on objective speech intelligibility measures A new chapter on algorithms for improving speech intelligibility Real-world noise recordings (on accompanying CD) MATLAB code for the implementation of intelligibility measures (on accompanying CD) MATLAB and C/C++ code for the implementation of algorithms to improve speech intelligibility (on accompanying CD) Valuable Insights from a Pioneer in Speech Enhancement Clear and concise, this book explores how human listeners compensate for acoustic noise in noisy environments. Written by a pioneer in speech enhancement and noise reduction in cochlear implants, it is an essential resource for anyone who wants to implement or incorporate the latest speech enhancement algorithms to improve the quality and intelligibility of speech degraded by noise. Includes a CD with Code and Recordings The accompanying CD provides MATLAB implementations of representative speech enhancement algorithms as well as speech and noise databases for the evaluation of enhancement algorithms.

Perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ)-a new method for speech quality assessment of telephone networks and codecs

Abstract: Previous objective speech quality assessment models, such as bark spectral distortion (BSD), the perceptual speech quality measure (PSQM), and measuring normalizing blocks (MNB), have been found to be suitable for assessing only a limited range of distortions. A new model has therefore been developed for use across a wider range of network conditions, including analogue connections, codecs, packet loss and variable delay. Known as perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ), it is the result of integration of the perceptual analysis measurement system (PAMS) and PSQM99, an enhanced version of PSQM. PESQ is expected to become a new ITU-T recommendation P.862, replacing P.861 which specified PSQM and MNB.

Development of the Hearing In Noise Test for the measurement of speech reception thresholds in quiet and in noise

Abstract: A large set of sentence materials, chosen for their uniformity in length and representation of natural speech, has been developed for the measurement of sentence speech reception thresholds (sSRTs). The mean‐squared level of each digitally recorded sentence was adjusted to equate intelligibility when presented in spectrally matched noise to normal‐hearing listeners. These materials were cast into 25 phonemically balanced lists of ten sentences for adaptive measurement of sentence sSRTs. The 95% confidence interval for these measurements is ±2.98 dB for sSRTs in quiet and ±2.41 dB for sSRTs in noise, as defined by the variability of repeated measures with different lists. Average sSRTs in quiet were 23.91 dB(A). Average sSRTs in 72 dB(A) noise were 69.08 dB(A), or −2.92 dB signal/noise ratio. Low‐pass filtering increased sSRTs slightly in quiet and noise as the 4‐ and 8‐kHz octave bands were eliminated. Much larger increases in SRT occurred when the 2‐kHz octave band was eliminated, and bandwidth dropped below 2.5 kHz. Reliability was not degraded substantially until bandwidth dropped below 2.5 kHz. The statistical reliability and efficiency of the test suit it to practical applications in which measures of speech intelligibility are required.