Articulation Testing Methods 



By H. FLETCHER and J. C. STEINBERG 



This paper is chiefly concerned with the technique of making articulation 

 tests. The construction of a syllabic testing list, the selection of a testing 

 crew, the methods of comparing articulation data for various crews, and 

 the significance of the test as a measure of the speech capabilities of a 

 system are discussed. Various types of lists for different uses are also 

 discussed. 



THE transference of thought by means of speech is a very compli- 

 cated, although common, process. So long as the process runs 

 smoothly, its complications are forgotten. When an auditor fails to 

 understand the speaker, however, inquiry into the reasons for the 

 difficulty begins. 



The production, the transmission, and the reception of speech 

 constitute the three important elements of the process. To determine 

 defects in any one of these, it is necessary to have a quantitative 

 means of measuring the recognizability of the speech sounds that the 

 auditor hears. The term "recognizability" as used here refers to 

 correctness with which an auditor identifies a sound as being one, 

 or some combination, of the fundamental speech sounds, when no 

 meaning is associated with the sounds. 



During the past few years methods of measuring the recognizability 

 of speech sounds have come into greater and greater use both in this 

 country and abroad. In order to compare the results obtained by 

 various crews in various languages, it is desirable to standardize the 

 methods of test and to set up reference circuits for purposes of cali- 

 bration. It is the aim of this paper to discuss the methods that 

 have been found the most useful, not only in determining defects in 

 transmission, but defects in the production and reception of speech 

 as well. 



One needs only to tabulate the various devices that are used for 

 transmitting speech to realize the importance of a quantitative 

 method of rating their performance. There may be mentioned, for 

 example, the various telephone and radio systems, the phonograph, 

 sound pictures, rooms and auditoriums with various types of acoustic 

 treatment, audiphone sets for the deafened, speaking tubes, etc. 



Methods of measuring the recognizability of speech sounds have 

 not been used so extensively for determining the ability of persons 

 to speak properly. Such methods should be of value in the training 



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