Course: Voice, Speech and Hearing Sciences

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Course title Voice, Speech and Hearing Sciences
Course code KEF/PGSHR
Organizational form of instruction Lecture
Level of course Doctoral
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 20
Language of instruction Czech, English
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Švec Jan, doc. RNDr. Ph.D.
Course content
- Anatomy and physiology of voice and speech apparatus, respiratory airways and the larynx, cartillaginous skeleton of the larynx, muscles and nerves controlling the vocal folds, vocal fold structure. (Titze [1]). - Anatomy and physiology of breathing (Zemlin [2]). - Acoustics of voice and speech - voice as an acoustic signal, fundamentals of acoustics, vibration and waves, voice production in human vocal apparatus, source-filter theory (Titze [1]). - Production of vowels in human vocal tract, cavities' resonances, acoustic differences in vowels - formants (Titze , Peterson & Barney [1,3]). - Objective and subjective characteristics of sound, hearing field (hearing range profile), basics of psychoacoustics (frequency vs. pitch, sound pressure, sound pressure level, equal loudness curves, loudness level [Phon]) [4-7]. - Hearing: ear anatomy (outer, middle and inner ear), theories of hearing, inner and outer hair cells, air and bone conduction in hearing ([4-10], [11] - chap.6, [12], [13] & Internet). - Methods of ear examination, basics of audiology: hearing tests with pitchforks, audiogram, tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, Auditory Brainstem Responses (Myers et al. [10] & Internet). - Hearing disorders and their correction, hearing aids. - Acoustic recordings of voice and speech - equipment, types of microphones and their characteristics, requirements on microphone characteristics (frequency response, directionality, proximity effect, dynamic range - noise and clipping), preamplifier and its adjustment for voice recording, analog-to-digital conversion (sampling frequency, bit resolution), types of sounds files (wav, mp3 and orhers), cables and connectors [14-26]. - Basic acoustic characteristics of voice and speech- frequency, volume and spectrum (regularity - perturbation, jitter, shimmer, three types of voice signals from the regularity point of view and their visual recognition, voice energy, voice intensity, intensity level, sound pressure level SPL, influence of mouth-to-microphone distance, influence of room acoustics, SPL calibration for recording) [1,22,27-29]. - Vocal fold vibration. - Voice registers: terminology, self-perception and perception of registers, production of voice registers - 4+1 factors (vocal folds and their vibration, vocal tract, subglottal tract and their feedback on the vocal fold vibration), register transitions, register jumps, theory of nonlinear dynamics, voice bifurcations, chest-falsetto breaks and subharmonic phonation, characteristic chest-falsetto leap interval, normal vibration modes of the vocal folds. [1,22,30-59]. - Human voice range, measurement of the voice range profile (Titze, 2000; Baken & Orlikoff, 2000; Schutte & Seidner, 1983 [1,22,60]). - Acoustic and physiologic methods for voice investigation: registration using a microphone, spectral analysis, electroglottography, pneumography, pneumotachography, laryngoscopy, videokymography, photoglottography, direct and indirect measurement of subglottal pressure (Baken & Orlikoff [22]). - Voice disorders and principles of their treatment, voice hygiene (Titze [1]). - Speech: vowels versus consonants, articulation, acoustic analysis of speech, spectroscopy, ([61]; [62] - chap.1-8). Automatic speech recognition (Makhoul & Schwartz [63]).

Learning activities and teaching methods
Lecture
  • Homework for Teaching - 20 hours per semester
  • Preparation for the Exam - 48 hours per semester
  • Attendace - 36 hours per semester
Learning outcomes
Overview of the current knowledge in the voice, speech and hearing sciences.
Subject oriented towards deepening of the knowledge on voice, speech and hearing sciences. Define the main ideas and conceptions of the subject, describe the main approaches of the studied topics, recall the theoretical knowledge for solution of model problems.
Prerequisites
Completed Master's studies

Assessment methods and criteria
Mark

Knowledge within the scope of the course topics (examination).
Recommended literature
  • English: literature will be supplied by Dr. Švec.
  • Pdf přednášek.
  • Vybrané časopisecké publikace.
  • Dršata, J. a kol. Foniatrie - hlas, Havlíčkův Brod: Tobiáš, 2011.
  • Mrázková, E., Mrázek, J., Lindovská, M. (2006). Základy audiologie a objektivní audiometrie. Medicínské a sociální aspekty sluchových vad, Ostrava: Ostravská univerzita, Zdravotně sociální fak.
  • Palková, Z. (1994). Fonetika a fonologie češtiny. Praha: Karolinum.
  • Sedláček, K. (1956). Základy audiologie. Státní zdravotnické nakladatelství, Praha.
  • Švec, J. (1996). Studium mechanicko-akustických vlastností lidského hlasu. PřF UP Olomouc.
  • Titze, I. R. (2000). Principles of voice production (second printing). Iowa City, IA: National Center for Voice and Speech.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester