Factors Influencing the Identification of English Sounds in Lipreading

Abstract

The influence of the known vowel-consonant stems of monosyllabic words on the identification by lipreading of the initial consonants of the words was studied. Each of seven consonants was united with different VC endings so that seven sets of monosyllabic stimulus words were developed. Four speakers were filmed uttering the resulting 76 stimulus words, and the silent film was shown to 80 college students divided into four groups. The stem of each word was made known to the subjects and they were asked to identify the remaining initial consonant by lipreading. It was found that knowledge of the VC stems caused differences in accuracy of identification of the same initial consonant by lipreading. The number and familiarity of the rhyming alternative words appeared to be factors influencing the identification of the consonants, but familiarity of the stimulus words themselves did not.