Mandarin Tone Production in Prelingually Deaf Adults With Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants

This study investigates Mandarin tone production in prelingually deaf adults using hearing aids (HAs) or cochlear implants (CIs). It evaluates how acoustic parameters, including duration and parabola parameters (mean fundamental frequency [Mean F0], Slope, and Curve), characterize tonal production and examines the effects of rhyme complexity and hearing device type.

Seventy-four participants (18 CI users, 26 HA users, and 30 normal-hearing [NH] controls) completed tone production tasks involving 48 monosyllabic words categorized by rhyme complexity (simple, open, nasal). Acoustic analyses were conducted using linear mixed models to examine the influences of device type, rhyme complexity, and tone type on duration and parabola parameters.

No significant differences were found between CI and HA users for parabola parameters; both CI participants and HA users produced Mandarin tones with pitch patterns comparable to those of NH individuals but relied on significantly longer durations. Nasal rhymes posed the greatest challenges for deaf individuals, often resulting in longer production durations and larger duration differences from other rhyme types.

Prelingually deaf adults could effectively differentiate tones using parabola parameters, while also tending to extend durations in their production. Rhyme complexity and hearing device significantly impact tone production. These findings provide critical insights into speech rehabilitation for hearing-impaired populations. Further research on diverse contexts is recommended to enhance intervention strategies.