Effects of Speakers' Augmented Characteristics and Listeners' Sex on Intelligibility and Acceptability of Synthesized Speech

Abstract

16 women and 16 men as listeners provided magnitude estimation scaling responses for the intelligibility and acceptability of synthesized speech transmitted by two different individuals using a voice output communication aid (VOCA). Listeners rated the samples when presented by a physically disabled nonspeaking male and when presented by a nondisabled speaking male. Analysis indicated no significant difference in listeners' judgments of the intelligibility or acceptability of the samples transmitted by the two VOCA users regardless of sex of the listener or speaking ability of the presenter.