Speech Data for Improved Audiological Evaluation in the Romani Language

This paper describes the development of speech materials in the Romani language intended for audiological and comprehension assessment of Romani-speaking children and adults living in Slovakia. The work responds to the documented lack of linguistic resources and test stimuli in Romani, which limits the accuracy of speech perception and comprehension testing.

The existing state of communication-assessment tests used in Slovakia was reviewed, and new Romani-language materials for audiology and comprehension testing were created. The work focused on developing word lists, matrix-based sentence tests, and comprehension sentences that were linguistically verified by native Romani speakers.

A set of Romani speech stimuli was developed, including a ten-word screening list, a 50-word illustrated set for pediatric audiometry, an adaptive matrix sentence test for advanced assessment, and a collection of comprehension sentences targeting various linguistic structures.

The newly created Romani-language test materials address the absence of suitable diagnostic tools in Slovakia and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate resources for more accurate audiological and comprehension assessment.