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A preliminary study of the effects of cochlear implants on the production of sibilants

Melanie L. Matthies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mario A. Svirsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Harlan L. Lane, Northeastern University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Joseph S. Perkell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Article comments

The following article appeared in J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 96, Issue 3, pp. 1367-1373 (September 1994) and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.410281

Abstract

The potential influence of auditory information in the production of /s/ and /ʃ/ was explored for postlingually deafened adults with four-channel Ineraid cochlear implants. Analyses of the spectra of the sibilant sounds were compared for speech obtained prior to implant activation, after early implant use and after 6 months of use. In addition, the output of the Ineraid device (measured at each of the four electrodes) was analyzed with pre- and postactivation speech samples to explore whether the speech production changes were potentially audible to the cochlear-implant user. Results indicated that subjects who showed abnormally low or incorrect contrast between /s/ and /ʃ/ preactivation, and who received significant auditory benefit from their implants were able to increase the distinctiveness of their productions of the two speech sounds.

Suggested Citation

Melanie L. Matthies, Mario A. Svirsky, Harlan L. Lane, and Joseph S. Perkell. "A preliminary study of the effects of cochlear implants on the production of sibilants" Psychology Faculty Publications (1994).
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/hlane/10