Voice

About: Voice is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2393 publications have been published within this topic receiving 56637 citations.

Coding of voice source information in the Nucleus cochlear implant system.

Abstract: Two studies are reported in which the effectiveness of explicitly coding voicing and fundamental frequency information for the Nucleus cochlear implant was investigated. In the first study, the voicing perception of a group of three experienced Multipeak users was evaluated when they were using Multipeak and a modified Multipeak in which the explicit fundamental frequency and voicing cues were eliminated and replaced with a 250-Hz constant rate of stimulation. The results of consonant and monosyllabic word tests showed that there was no significant difference in the subjects' ability to discriminate voicing. In the second study, the ability of a group of five experienced users of the constant rate spectral maxima sound processor (SMSP) strategy to discriminate suprasegmental contrasts was evaluated when they were using the SMSP strategy and a modified SMSP strategy that included a rate-encoded representation of the fundamental frequency on the most apical stimulation channel. The results of intonation, roving stress, and question-statement tests showed that there was no significant difference between the scores recorded with these strategies. Since the temporal voicing cue is not a primary cue to voicing discrimination for Multipeak users, and the provision of an additional rate cue to the SMSP strategy does not improve SMSP users' ability to discriminate suprasegmental contrasts, the results of these studies indicate that in the cases investigated, the coding of voice source information by rate of stimulation does not significantly augment the cues present in the spatially distributed constant rate stimulation pattern.

Deep allophones in the Old English laryngeal system

Abstract: The laryngeal features of Old English fricatives, while fully predictable, nonetheless behave contrastively in the phonology. According to traditional notions of contrastiveness, this would appear to be a paradox. The paradox is resolved using the contrastive hierarchy (Dresher 1998): in the OE hierarchy, the voicing feature takes scope over all obstruents. Segments traditionally assumed as surface variants will be analyzed as "deep allophones," a characterization that explains their behaviour in OE and their subsequent historical development.

Enhanced neural and behavioural processing of a nonnative phonemic contrast in professional musicians.

Abstract: Based on growing evidence suggesting that professional music training facilitates foreign language perception and learning, we examined the impact of musical expertise on the categorisation of syllables including phonemes that did (/p/, /b/) or did not (/ph /) belong to the French repertoire by analysing both behaviour (error rates and reaction times) and Event-Related brain Potentials (N200 and P300 components). Professional musicians and nonmusicians categorised syllables either as /ba/ or /pa/ (voicing task), or as /pa/ or /ph a/ with /ph / being a nonnative phoneme for French speakers (aspiration task). In line with our hypotheses, results showed that musicians outperformed nonmusicians in the aspiration task but not in the voicing task. Moreover, the difference between the native (/p/) and the nonnative phoneme (/ph /), as reflected in N200 and P300 amplitudes, was larger in musicians than in nonmusicians in the aspiration task but not in the voicing task. These results show that behaviour and brain activity associated to nonnative phoneme perception are influenced by musical expertise and that these effects are task-dependent. The implications of these findings for current models of phoneme perception and for understanding the qualitative and quantitative differences found on the N200 and P300 components are discussed.