"Pitch" accent in alaryngeal speech

Area of Science:

• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Linguistics
• Phonetics

Background:

• Alaryngeal speech, resulting from larynx removal, presents unique challenges for prosodic communication.
• Previous research indicates highly proficient alaryngeal speakers can convey prosody, but less proficient speakers remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if alaryngeal speakers, not pre-selected for proficiency, can convey pitch accent.
• To explore the acoustic and perceptual cues used by alaryngeal speakers for pitch accentuation.

Main Methods:

• Included 10 tracheoesophageal, 9 esophageal, and 10 laryngeal (control) speakers producing context-cued sentences.
• Listener identification tasks assessed accent perception.
• Acoustic analyses measured fundamental frequency (F0) and non-melodic cues (temporal, intensity).
• A pitch perception experiment evaluated pitch movement production.

Main Results:

• All participating speakers successfully conveyed pitch accent.
• Some alaryngeal speakers demonstrated minimal or no fundamental frequency control.
• Speakers with F0 control utilized non-melodic cues, while those without F0 control did not compensate with them.
• Alaryngeal speakers lacking F0 control still produced pitch movements, suggesting an alternative pitch system.

Conclusions:

• Alaryngeal speakers, irrespective of proficiency, can convey pitch accent.
• Limited fundamental frequency control does not preclude effective pitch accentuation in alaryngeal speech.
• Alternative pitch systems may be employed by alaryngeal speakers with impaired F0 control to convey prosody.