• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2011

The decision directed (DD) approach is widely used to determine a priori SNR from noisy speech signals. In conventional speech enhancement systems with a DD approach, a priori SNR is estimated by using only the magnitude components and consequently follows a posteriori SNR with one frame delay. We propose a phase-dependent two-step a priori SNR estimator based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) in the log-mel spectral domain so that we can consider both magnitude and phase information, and it can overcome the performance degradation caused by one frame delay. From the experimental results, the proposed estimator is shown to improve the output SNR of enhanced speech signals by 2.3 dB compared to the conventional DD approach-based system.

• Lingua Humanitatis
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• v.5
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• pp.221-264
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• 2003

This paper takes issue with the idea of language as a 'serial-time structure' as opposed to the 'real-time event' of speech, an idea entrenched in Chomskyan model of linguistic theory. The discussion centers around the leitmotif question: Is language constructed entirely from a finite set of apriori discrete symbol types, as the 'competence vs performance' dichotomy implies\ulcorner A set of linguistic patterns examined in this study, largely with regard to phonological considerations, points to the evidence to the contrary. That is, while the patterns may be said to be linguistically distinct, they are not discretely, different, i.e. not different enough to be reliably differentiated. It is demonstrated that much of current research in phonology, including the most recent Optimality Theory, is misdirected in that it falsely presupposes a discrete universal phonetic inventory. The main thrust of the present study is that there is no sharp boundary between 'competence' defined as the formal, symbolic, discrete time domain of language and human cognition on the one hand and 'performance' as the continuous, fuzzy, real-time domain of human physiology on the other.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2013

The aerodynamic characteristics (subglottal pressure (Ps) and mean airflow rate (MFR)), fundamental frequency (Fo), intensity (I), vocal efficiency (VE), and closed quotient (CQ) were compared during a sustained vowel /o/ sound under three conditions: in a comfortable loudness and pitch level (condition 1), in a maximum loudness level with a fixed pitch (condition 2), and in a maximum loudness level without a fixed pitch (condition 3). Also, multiple regression analyses were done to measure the aerodynamic characteristics affect on the VE and the CQ in each condition. The results showed the Fo, Ps, MFR, VE, and CQ increased as I increased with and without fixed pitch. Most notably, VE in condition 3 was the highest of all the conditions, but CQ was not very high. By the results of multiple regression analysis, VE was significantly affected by I and Ps in all conditions; Fo was the other main key for affecting VE in high pitch. However, none of the aerodynamic characteristics significantly affected CQ. As I increases, Fo should be increased by increasing Ps and VE. Therefore, researchers should consider and specify an a priori to Fo, Ps, and I when measuring VE to examine the complex and delicate vocal mechanism.