A visual display for the teaching of intonation to deaf persons: Some preliminary findings
✍ Scribed by G.W.G. Spaai; A. Storm; D.J. Hermes
- Book ID
- 102598540
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1993
- Weight
- 400 KB
- Volume
- 16
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0745-7138
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✦ Synopsis
Incorrect production of intonation contours is a common phonatory problem in prelingually deaf speakers. For this reason several attempts have been made to improve intonation with the help of visual aids that display the pitch of speech. This article deals with the development of a system for displaying intonation visually. In this system, visual feedback of intonation is given as a continuous representation of the pitch contour containing only the perceptually relevant aspects of the intonation pattern. The course of the pitch contour is approximated by a small number of straight lines resulting in a socalled stylized pitch contour. This representation of a pitch contour is supposed to facilitate the interpretation of the visual feedback of the pitch contour. Furthermore, in many languages, correct positioning of the pitch movement with respect to the vowel onsets is crucial for proper intonation. Vowel onsets are therefore measured and displayed.
First, a description of the visual-intonation display system is given and its reliability for speech used in training situations of deaf persons is discussed. Second, some preliminary findings of a field test, in which the potentialities of the system were explored, are described and discussed in terms of the development of an instructional program for the teaching of intonation to deaf persons.