LAB 4
Speech Analysis in Typical Adults
1. Assessment of Voice
Definition
Voice is “the audible result of vocal fold vibration, modified by the vocal tract, and perceived
in terms of pitch, loudness, quality, and resonance” (Shipley & McAfee, 2021).
Perceptual Assessment of Voice
Parameter Standard Definition Task / Sample
Perceptual correlate of fundamental frequency; Sustain /a/ at a
Pitch judged relative to age/sex norms as low, appropriate, comfortable pitch; read
or high. passage.
Perceptual correlate of vocal intensity; judged as soft, Count 1–10 in
Loudness
normal, or loud. conversational loudness.
Overall perceptual impression (clear, breathy, hoarse, Sustain /a/ and read the
Quality
harsh). passage aloud.
Objective/Acoustic Assessment of Voice
Parameter Definition Task / Sample Norms
Average rate of Sustain /a/ at Adult male: 100–150 Hz;
Habitual
vocal fold vibration comfortable pitch Adult female: 180–250 Hz
Frequency (F0)
(Hz). (5s). (Boone, 2014).
Lowest–highest
Frequency Glide from low to
frequencies ~2–3 octaves typical.
Range high pitch.
produced.
Count 1–10 at
Acoustic power in Conversational speech: 65–70
Intensity conversational
dB SPL. dB SPL.
loudness.
Softest to loudest Sustain /a/ softly,
Intensity Range ~40–50 dB range typical.
phonation. then loudly.
Maximum Longest sustained
Adults: Male ≈ 20 sec,
Phonation Time vowel on one Sustain /a/ (3 trials).
Female ≈ 15 sec.
(MPT) breath.
Ratio of /s/ to /z/ Sustain /s/ and /z/ ≈ 1.0; >1.4 suggests
s/z Ratio
durations. separately. inefficiency.
Activity 1 – Voice
1. Record:
o Sustained /a/ at comfortable pitch and loudness as long as possible.
o Pitch glide (low → high → low).
o Counting 1–10 with increasing loudness
o Sustained /a/ softly and loudly.
o MPT on /a/ (3 trials).
o Sustained /s/ and /z/.
2. Fill perceptual and acoustic judgement tables.
Perceptual Analysis of Voice
Pitch Low / Appropriate / High
Loudness Soft / Normal / Loud
Quality Clear / Breathy / Hoarse / Harsh
Acoustic Analysis of Voice
Parameter Value
Habitual Frequency (Hz)
Frequency Range (Hz)
Intensity (dB SPL)
Intensity Range (dB SPL)
Maximum Phonation Time (sec)
s/z Ratio
2. Assessment of Articulation
Definition
Articulation is “the movement of speech structures to produce phonemes accurately,
measured perceptually for precision and objectively by error analysis” (Shipley & McAfee,
2021).
Perceptual Assessment of Articulation
Parameter Definition Task / Sample
Precision of consonant and vowel
Accuracy Word list, passage reading.
productions.
Substitution, omission, distortion, and
Error Type Single-word elicitation.
addition.
Objective/Acoustic Assessment of Articulation
Parameter Definition Task / Sample Norms
% Consonants Percentage of correctly Typical adults ≈
Word list transcription.
Correct (PCC) produced consonants. >95% PCC.
AMR (/pa/, /ta/, Alternate motion rates in Repeat syllable as fast Adults: ~5–7
/ka/) syll/sec. as possible. syll/sec.
Sequential motion rates in Adults: ~4–6
SMR (/pa-ta-ka/) Repeat /pa-ta-ka/.
syll/sec. syll/sec.
Activity 2 – Articulation
1. Record: word list and passage reading.
2. AMR tasks (/pa/, /ta/, /ka/).
3. SMR task (/pa-ta-ka/).
Perceptual Analysis of Artculation
Accuracy Precise / Imprecise
Error Type Substitution / Omission / Distortion / Addition
Objective Assessment
Parameter Value
% Consonants Correct %
AMR (/pa/, /ta/, /ka/) syll/sec
SMR (/pa-ta-ka/) syll/sec
3. Assessment of Fluency
Definition
Fluency is “the forward flow of speech, characterized by continuity, rate, rhythm, and effort”
(Shipley & McAfee, 2021).
Perceptual Assessment of Fluency
Parameter Definition Task / Sample
Reading passage, spontaneous
Continuity Smoothness of connected speech.
speech.
Normal Interjections, revisions, pauses typical in
Spontaneous monologue.
Disfluencies fluent speech.
Passage reading,
Rate (perceptual) Perceived speed (slow, normal, fast).
conversation.
Objective/Acoustic Assessment of Fluency
Parameter Definition Task / Sample Norms
Speech Rate Words or syllables per 1-min passage
Adults: ~150–200 WPM.
(SPM/WPM) minute. reading.
Frequency of % of disfluent Conversation Typical adults: <5%
Disfluencies words/syllables. sample. syllables disfluent.
AMRs/SMRs Speech timing indices. Repetition tasks. See articulation norms.
Activity 3 – Fluency
1. Record: passage reading, 2-min spontaneous monologue.
2. Count disfluencies.
3. Measure WPM/SPM.
Perceptual Analysis of Fluency
Parameter Judgement
Continuity Smooth / Interrupted
Normal Disfluencies Present / Absent (Type: ____)
Rate Slow / Normal / Fast
Acoustic
Parameter Value
Speech Rate (WPM/SPM) ____
% Disfluencies ____ %
Parameter Value
AMR/SMR Support ____
4. Assessment of Resonance
Definition
Resonance is “the modification of voice as it passes through the vocal tract, especially oral
and nasal cavities, contributing to voice quality” (Shipley & McAfee, 2021).
Perceptual Assessment of Resonance
Parameter Definition Task / Sample
Oral–Nasal Relative oral vs. nasal
Reading oral vs. nasal sentences.
Balance energy.
Hypernasality Excessive nasal resonance. Oral sentences (e.g., “Buy baby a bib”).
Nasal sentences (e.g., “Mama made lemon
Hyponasality Reduced nasal resonance.
jam”).
Objective/Acoustic Assessment of Resonance
Parameter Definition Task / Sample Norms
Formant F1, F2, F3 formant Sustained Adult norms: F1/F2 vary by
Analysis frequencies. vowels. vowel & gender.
Activity 4 – Resonance
1. Record: oral and nasal sentence sets.
2. Collect vowel samples for formant analysis.
3. Judge perceptually and measure nasalance.
Judgement Tables – Resonance
Perceptual
Parameter Judgement
Oral–Nasal Balance Balanced / Imbalanced
Hypernasality Present / Absent
Hyponasality Present / Absent
Acoustic
Parameter Value
Nasalance (%) ____ %
Formant values (F1/F2/F3) ____
5. Assessment of Suprasegmentals
Definition
Suprasegmentals are “features of speech such as stress, rhythm, and intonation that extend
across segments and contribute to prosody” (Shipley & McAfee, 2021).
Perceptual Assessment of Suprasegmentals
Parameter Definition Task / Sample
Contrastive stress sentences (“I didn’t say
Stress Emphasis on syllables or words.
she stole the money”).
Rhythm Timing and pattern of speech. Passage reading.
Parameter Definition Task / Sample
Yes/no questions, WH-questions,
Intonation Melody of speech, pitch contour.
statements.
Overall impression of prosody
Naturalness Conversation sample.
appropriateness.
Objective/Acoustic Assessment of Suprasegmentals
Parameter Definition Task / Sample Norms
Acoustic Intensity, duration, F0 Contrastive stress Stress syllables ↑ 2–4
Stress changes on stressed syllables. sentences. dB, longer duration.
Intonation F0 rise/fall pattern across Questions vs. WH-questions: falling;
Contour utterances. statements. Yes/No: rising.
Timing Typical adult rhythm:
Duration of syllables, pauses. Passage reading.
Patterns ~200–250 ms/syll.
Activity 5 – Suprasegmentals
1. Record: stress sentences, passage, questions/statements, conversation.
2. Judge stress, rhythm, intonation perceptually.
3. Analyze acoustic stress, F0 contours, timing.
Judgement Tables – Suprasegmentals
Perceptual
Parameter Judgement
Stress Appropriate / Misplaced
Parameter Judgement
Rhythm Natural / Unnatural
Intonation Rising / Falling / Flat
Naturalness Natural / Reduced
Acoustic
Parameter Value
Acoustic Stress (dB/duration/F0) ____
Intonation Contour (F0 Hz) ____
Timing Patterns (ms/syll) ____
