Interactions of speaking condition and auditory feedback on vowel production in postlingually deaf adults with cochlear implants

Lucie Ménard, Marek Polak, Margaret Denny, Ellen Burton, Harlan Lane, Melanie L. Matthies, Nicole Marrone, Joseph S. Perkell, Mark Tiede, Jennell Vick

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of speaking condition and auditory feedback on vowel production by postlingually deafened adults. Thirteen cochlear implant users produced repetitions of nine American English vowels prior to implantation, and at one month and one year after implantation. There were three speaking conditions (clear, normal, and fast), and two feedback conditions after implantation (implant processor turned on and off). Ten normal-hearing controls were also recorded once. Vowel contrasts in the formant space (expressed in mels) were larger in the clear than in the fast condition, both for controls and for implant users at all three time samples. Implant users also produced differences in duration between clear and fast conditions that were in the range of those obtained from the controls. In agreement with prior work, the implant users had contrast values lower than did the controls. The implant users' contrasts were larger with hearing on than off and improved from one month to one year postimplant. Because the controls and implant users responded similarly to a change in speaking condition, it is inferred that auditory feedback, although demonstrably important for maintaining normative values of vowel contrasts, is not needed to maintain the distinctiveness of those contrasts in different speaking conditions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3790-3801
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume121
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Acoustics and Ultrasonics

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