Patterns on a Speech Continuum
...ifferent pairings of the ba, da, and ga speech sounds were played, and the subject had to identify whether or not the two sounds in the pairing were the same sound or different sounds. In doing this experiment, researchers will be able to determine the rate of discrimination between sounds with almost identical formant transitions. Will listeners be able to discriminate one sound from another easily when similar sounds are paired? Both experiments were done twice in order to account for noise that might occur during an experiment session. These experiments together will help determine how speech sounds are discriminated: through obvious sound discrimination or through categorical perceptions. Two experiments were done to test subjects’ categorical perceptions of speech sounds along an acoustic continuum. The first experiment examines perceptions of three similar speech sounds – ba, da, and ga. These three sounds were randomized on a speech continuum, and subjects were asked to identify which sound (ba, da, or ga) they heard for the 20 examples given on the continuum. In doing so, researchers will be able to determine whether these three sounds are heard distinctly or vary in perception time to time, based on speech categories. Will listeners hear all 20 sounds as distinct sounds, or group the sounds into speech categories? The second experiment tested sound discrimination. 20 ...