A Tutorial Review on Clinical Acoustic Markers in Speech Science

Abstract

Purpose: The human voice changes with the progression of neurological disease and the onset of diseases that affect articulators, often decreasing the effectiveness of communication. These changes can be objectively measured using signal processing techniques that extract acoustic features. When measuring acoustic features, there are often several steps and assumptions that might be known to experts in acoustics and phonetics, but are less transparent for other disciplines (e.g., clinical medicine, speech pathology, engineering, and data science). This tutorial describes these signal processing techniques, explicitly outlines the underlying steps for accurate measurement, and discusses the implications of clinical acoustic markers. Conclusions: We establish a vocabulary using straightforward terms, provide visualizations to achieve common ground, and guide understanding for those outside the domains of acoustics and auditory signal processing. Where possible, we highlight the best practices for measuring clinical acoustic markers and suggest resources for obtaining and further understanding these measures.