The construction of reading passage and the measurement of fundamental frequency and intensity for children

• Main Authors: I-Ju Hsieh, 謝依如
• Other Authors: Sheng Hwa Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2005
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67332820457146391918

碩士 === 國立台北護理學院 === 聽語障礙科學研究所 === 93 === The aim of this study is to establish and characterize the voice database of children from 8 to 10 years in Taiwan by using the speech material of reading passage and sustained vowel /a/. A reading passage “The tortoise and the hare” composed of the children’s familiar words and sentences was constructed. In this passage, all vowels, consonants, and tones in Mandarin Chinese were included. The research subjects were seventy normal children which included 35 boys and 35 girls, with an age range of 8 to 10 years. The CSL “Main program” and “MDVP” analysis were performed for all subjects. The acoustic variables were obtained in two ways: first in reading passage, which included mean speaking fundamental frequency, maximum speaking fundamental frequency range, mean speaking intensity, and maximum speaking intensity range; and the second in sustained vowel /a/, which included mean fundamental frequency, mean intensity, Absolute jitter, Jitter percent, Relative average perturbation, Pitch perturbation quotient, Shimmer in dB, Shimmer percent, Amplitude perturbation quotient, and Noise to harmonic ratio. Unpaired t-test was used to identify statistical significance of the acoustic variables between different genders. The results indicated that no significance was found in all acoustic variables between boys and girls. The database established in the study can be used in clinical voice evaluation and treatment, singing training, and voice research on children.