Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

Dr. David W. Purcell

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to examine mechanisms underlying the auditory feedback system using Vietnamese and English talkers in response to feedback perturbations. F1 discrimination thresholds, vowel goodness ratings, and vowel category bounds for English /ɪ/ were determined. Vowel spaces were collected for both languages and auditory feedback of F1 was manipulated for English and Vietnamese vowels. Speech compensation during perturbed auditory feedback occurred in English and Vietnamese vowels suggesting that the underlying mechanisms are universal. However, there were differences in speech compensation for some vowel conditions, which may have occurred due to vowel location in each language group’s vowel space. Speech compensation may also be influenced by the perceptual boundaries of internal vowel categories where significant compensation may occur when feedback is non-prototypical to the target vowel category. Overall, these results suggest that the feedback system is sensitive to formant frequency changes that may have underlying phonological mediations.

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