[The combined effect of noise and vibration on intelligibility of Chinese syllables]

Objective. The changes of auditory effect on Chinese single syllables uttered by talker under combined condition of noise and vibration were investigated. Method. The intelligibility tests were made under three conditions (quiet, 0 dB and -6 dB S/N ratios). The utterances were recorded under combined factors of noise and vibration, single factor of noise or vibration, and the control condition. Result. As compared with control group, the decrease of speech intelligibilities in combined factors groups was significant. It also occurred in most cases as compared with the single factors groups. It showed that combined effects played greater roles as S/N decreased in listening environment. As S/N was -6 dB, the intelligibilities were less than 70 percent. Conclusion. The speech production will be changed under noise and vibration, and the changes will deteriorate communication, especially in adverse listening environment. The results have important implications for communication in aerospace and military environments.