Acoustic Methods for Speech Science

First Edition

Raymond D. Kent, Ferenc Bunta

Details: 395 pages, B&W, Softcover, 7" x 10"

ISBN13: 978-1-63550-790-4

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About

Acoustic Methods for Speech Science is the first-of-its-kind textbook to provide clear guidance on the use of acoustic analyses to identify and describe speech patterns in children and adults, including individuals with disorders or dialectal variations. For courses in speech and voice science, sociophonetics, linguistics, and related areas, it encompasses both practical advice and experience in acoustic analysis, with hands-on activities to engage students and ensure comprehension. The activities present examples of speakers of different ages and genders with advice on how analyses should be adjusted for different speaker characteristics. The book includes examples from growing populations in the United States, such as bilingual individuals, and discusses current topics such as automatic speech recognition, speech synthesis, text-to-speech, and various applications of artificial intelligence.

The material covered in the book is made understandable for students who do not have a strong background in mathematics or physical sciences. Acoustic concepts and methods are clearly explained and amply illustrated. The text uses the freely available Praat software for activities guiding students through the applications of acoustic analysis, providing readers with little or no experience in acoustics with multiple opportunities for learning by doing. With its integration of knowledge and robust learning activities, this textbook will be a go-to resource for practitioners-in-training or anyone who seeks to understand contemporary applications of speech acoustics.

Key Features

Discusses a wide range of topics including acoustic theories of speech, techniques of analysis, acoustic and perceptual features of various phonetic classes, acoustic cues for suprasegmentals, sociophonetics, speech technologies, clinical applications, and effects of age, gender, and sex
Focuses on the application of speech and voice acoustics to disorders and dialects in different age-gender populations
Includes a wide array of activities showing how Praat can be used to analyze speech samples
Utilizes bolded key words, case studies, chapter summaries, and a glossary for enhanced learning
Contains information on acoustic profiles of speech sounds, Praat-based activities, advice on optimal analysis methods, and key references to the literature
Abundant ancillary support for both instructors and students

PluralPlus Online Ancillaries

For instructors: PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, Audios
For students: eFlashcards, Audios, Activities/Exercises

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1. Theoretical Foundations
Chapter 2. Methods of Acoustic Analysis
Chapter 3. Acoustic and Perceptual Characteristics of Vowels
Chapter 4. Acoustic and Perceptual Characteristics of Obstruent Consonants
Chapter 5. Sonorant Consonants
Chapter 6. Coarticulation and Suprasegmentals
Chapter 7. Speech Technologies
Chapter 8. Applications in Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism
Chapter 9. Clinical Applications
Chapter 10. Speaker Characteristics: Sex, Gender, and Age Hands-On Speech Analysis Activities
   Activity 1: Selected Speech Analysis Programs
   Activity 2: Working with Computer Sound Files
   Activity 3: Working with Speech Analysis Programs
   Activity 4: Sound File Editing
   Activity 5: Digitizing and Aliasing
   Activity 6: Graphs Most Commonly Used in Speech Analyses
   Activity 7: Frequency and f0 Measurements
   Activity 8: Harmonics and Resonance
   Activity 9: Vowels: Introduction to Formants and Resonance
   Activity 10: Vowels: Formants and Pitch
   Activity 11: Vowel Duration, Formant Transitions, and Intensity
   Activity 12: Stop Consonant Manner Cues
   Activity 13: Stop Consonant Place Cues
   Activity 14: Stop Voicing Cues
   Activity 15: Additional Duration Measurements for Vowels, Stop Gaps, and Voice Onset Time
   Activity 16: Fricatives and Affricates
   Activity 17: Fricatives: Gender and Vocal Tract Differences
   Activity 18: Liquids and Glides
   Activity 19: Nasals
Appendix
Glossary
References
Index

Authors

Raymond D. Kent

Raymond D. Kent, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His publications include more than 250 journal articles, book chapters, and reviews on various topics in speech science and speech pathology. He has authored or edited 18 books, including: Clinical Phonetics, Intelligibility in Speech Disorders, Reference Manual for Communicative Sciences and Disorders: Speech-Language Pathology, The Speech Sciences, Handbook of Voice Quality Measurement, The MIT Encyclopedia of Communication Disorders, and Handbook on Children’s Speech: Development, Disorders, and Variations. He served as editor of the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, associate founding editor of Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, and associate editor of Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. His awards include Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; Docteur Honoris Causa from Université de Montréal; Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland, Australia; Visiting Erskine Fellow, University of Canterbury, New Zealand; and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oulu, Finland.

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Ferenc Bunta

Ferenc Bunta, PhD, is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston and Adjunct Professor at Baylor College of Medicine. His publications include more than 50 journal articles, book chapters, and other scholarly works primarily on multilingual phonology and speech in typically developing children and their peers with hearing loss who use cochlear implants. His research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Department of Education, Cochlear Americas, and the Spencer Foundation. He has served as guest editor and editorial board member of scholarly journals, including the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, and reviewed grant proposals for various agencies (including the European Research Council and National Science Foundation). He is also the founding director of the PhD program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston.

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Resources

Acoustic Methods for Speech Science comes with access to supplementary student and instructor resources on a PluralPlus companion website.

The companion website is located at: https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publication/sva

STUDENTS:

The student resources include eFlashcards, Audios, and Activities/Exercises.

To access the student resources, you must register on the companion website and log in using the access code located in the front of your textbook.

INSTRUCTORS:

The instructor resources include PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, and Audios. You will also have access to all of the student resources listed above.

To access the instructor resources, you must contact Plural Publishing, Inc. to be verified as an instructor and receive your access code.

Email: instructormaterials@pluralpublishing.com

Tel: 866-758-7251 (toll free) or 858-492-1555

*Note for students: If you have purchased this textbook used or have rented it, your access code will not work if it was already redeemed by the original buyer of the book. Plural Publishing does not offer replacement access codes for used or rented textbooks.