The Validity of Real-Time Spectrum Analysis of Finnish Vowel Formants in Profoundly Hearing-Impaired Children

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Abstract
A 2-dimensional vowel chart was used in the presentation of the articulatory positions of 8 Finnish vowels produced by deaf subjects. The method and its evaluation is presented, showing individual analyses of a 13 yr old deaf boy. The values of the 2 lowest formants were determined from the real-time spectral analyses of each Finnish vowel and their positions on the vowel diagram, and these are compared with the identifications by listeners with normal hearing. Although the distortion and fuzziness of vowel spectra caused some difficulties in the exact determination of formant values, the comparison showed a fairly high validity for the method. This kind of vowel chart can be used for the estimation of individual articulatory capacity of deaf subjects.