Abstract
This study tested the importance of F0 variation for tone language comprehension. The intelligibility of Mandarin sentences with natural F0 contours was compared to the intelligibility of monotone (flat-F0) sentences created via speech resynthesis. In a quiet background, flat-F0 speech was just as intelligible as natural speech (about 94% intelligible), highlighting the robustness of the language comprehension system. However, when babble noise was added (0 db SNR) flat-F0 speech was substantially less intelligible than natural speech (60% vs. 80% intelligible), indicating that F0 variation is very important for Mandarin sentence intelligibility in noise.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 5th International Conference on Speech Prosody: Every Language, Every Style, SP 2010 - Chicago, United States Duration: 10 May 2010 → 14 May 2010 |