View in EDS PDF Full Text

Effect of Type of Speech Equalization and Averaging Method on the Long-Term Average Speech Spectra of Five Indian Languages and British English.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Effect of Type of Speech Equalization and Averaging Method on the Long-Term Average Speech Spectra of Five Indian Languages and British English.
Authors: Narne, Vijaya Kumar1,2 vnarne@kku.edu.sa, Jain, Saransh3,4, Chundu, Srikanth5, Badaria, Mohammed6, Nitya Sridhar3, Sunil Kumar Ravi1,2, Moore, Brian C. J.7
Source: Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Jul2026, Vol. 69 Issue 7, p3385-3398. 14p.
Subject Terms: *Language & languages, *Data analysis, *Intelligibility of speech, *Comparative studies, T-test (Statistics), Research funding, Hearing aids, Two-way analysis of variance, Physiological aspects of speech, Statistics, English language, Data analysis software
Geographic Terms: India
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare two methods for determining the long-term average speech spectrum (LTASS) across languages— root-mean-square equalization and averaging (RMSe) and loudness equalization and averaging (Le)—and to assess their implications for hearing aid fitting methods. Method: Speech samples from multiple talkers of British English (BE), Indian English (IE), and four Indian languages were analyzed. For RMSe, the samples were equalized in overall root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude, and the RMS amplitude in each one-third-octave band was averaged across samples. For Le, the loudness of each talker’s speech was equated using a loudness model, and estimated loudness va'lues in each one-third-octave band were averaged. A preliminary experiment confirmed that equalizing the peak long-term loudness predicted by the model accurately equated speech loudness across languages. Results: With RMSe, LTASS differences across languages were observed primarily at high frequencies, whereas with Le, there were differences between BE and the Indian languages over a wide frequency range for both male and female speakers. Values of the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) for an LTASS input at 60 dB SPL were calculated for several hypothetical patterns of hearing loss after application of frequency-dependent gains intended to give good audibility for speech at moderate levels. For the Indian languages, the SII was consistently higher when Le was used to determine the LTASS than when RMSe was used to determine the LTASS. Conclusions: The LTASS determined using Le provides a more perceptually relevant characterization of cross-language spectral differences than LTASS determined using RMSe. Hearing-aid fitting methods may be improved using language-specific LTASS values derived using Le. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research is the property of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare two methods for determining the long-term average speech spectrum (LTASS) across languages— root-mean-square equalization and averaging (RMSe) and loudness equalization and averaging (Le)—and to assess their implications for hearing aid fitting methods. Method: Speech samples from multiple talkers of British English (BE), Indian English (IE), and four Indian languages were analyzed. For RMSe, the samples were equalized in overall root-mean-square (RMS) amplitude, and the RMS amplitude in each one-third-octave band was averaged across samples. For Le, the loudness of each talker’s speech was equated using a loudness model, and estimated loudness va'lues in each one-third-octave band were averaged. A preliminary experiment confirmed that equalizing the peak long-term loudness predicted by the model accurately equated speech loudness across languages. Results: With RMSe, LTASS differences across languages were observed primarily at high frequencies, whereas with Le, there were differences between BE and the Indian languages over a wide frequency range for both male and female speakers. Values of the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) for an LTASS input at 60 dB SPL were calculated for several hypothetical patterns of hearing loss after application of frequency-dependent gains intended to give good audibility for speech at moderate levels. For the Indian languages, the SII was consistently higher when Le was used to determine the LTASS than when RMSe was used to determine the LTASS. Conclusions: The LTASS determined using Le provides a more perceptually relevant characterization of cross-language spectral differences than LTASS determined using RMSe. Hearing-aid fitting methods may be improved using language-specific LTASS values derived using Le. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:10924388
DOI:10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00909