Basic auditory processes involved in the analysis of speech sounds

摘要

This paper reviews the basic aspects of auditory processing that play a role in the perception ofrnspeech. The frequency selectivity of the auditory system, as measured using masking experiments, isrndescribed and used to derive the internal representation of the spectrum (the excitation pattern) ofrnspeech sounds. The perception of timbre and distinctions in quality between vowels are related tornboth static and dynamic aspects of the spectra of sounds. The perception of pitch and its role inrnspeech perception are described. Measures of the temporal resolution of the auditory system arerndescribed and a model of temporal resolution based on a sliding temporal integrator is outlined. Therncombined effects of frequency and temporal resolution can be modelled by calculation of the spectrotemporalrnexcitation pattern, which gives good insight into the internal representation of speechrnsounds. For speech presented in quiet, the resolution of the auditory system in frequency and timernusually markedly exceeds the resolution necessary for the identification or discrimination of speechrnsounds, which partly accounts for the robust nature of speech perception. However, for people withrnimpaired hearing, speech perception is often much less robust.