Associate Professor Speech Sciences, Department of Speech-Language Sciences, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
Junior Research Fellow, Department of Speech-Language Sciences, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
J Voice. 2024 Nov;38(6):1528.e1-1528.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2022.05.006. Epub 2022 Jun 8.
Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) is an acoustic model which equates to the auditory-perceptual (A-P) measure of breathiness. Globally, ABI has been validated in multiple languages. To date, empirical studies validating ABI in the South Indian population have not been carried out. Moreover, there is only minimal evidence on the impact of language and gender on ABI.
This study attempted to validate ABI in languages of Malayalam and Kannada with "B" and "G" of GRBAS. The authors also examined the influence of language and gender on ABI.
The authors retrospectively analyzed a dataset consisting of 160 voice samples (91 normophonic and 69 dysphonic). Five speech-language pathologists perceptually evaluated these samples on the GRBAS scale. PRAAT software was used to calculate ABI for each voice sample. The authors also determined the effects of language and gender on ABI. Following this, ABI's concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy were examined relating to "B" and "G" of the GRBAS scale.
The judges reached a moderate agreement on the perceptual evaluation of voice quality. The authors observed neither language nor gender differences in ABI. The concurrent validity of ABI was strong (r = 0.761) when correlated against "B". Further, evaluations revealed that an ABI value of >3.66 could distinguish between breathy and non-breathy voice samples with an area under the curve of 0.816 (Sensitivity = 61.73%; Specificity = 94.93%). On the other hand, the concurrent validity of ABI in correlation with "G" did not yield the optimal result.
ABI is a valid acoustic tool for identifying breathiness in the languages of Malayalam and Kannada. ABI correlates better with "B" than "G" on the GRBAS scale. ABI is independent of language and gender.
声学呼吸度指数（ABI）是一种声学模型，与呼吸度的听觉感知（A-P）测量值相当。全球范围内，ABI 已在多种语言中得到验证。迄今为止，尚未在印度南部人群中进行验证 ABI 的实证研究。此外，关于语言和性别对 ABI 的影响的证据也很少。
本研究试图用 GRBAS 的“B”和“G”验证马拉雅拉姆语和卡纳达语中的 ABI。作者还研究了语言和性别对 ABI 的影响。
作者回顾性分析了一个由 160 个语音样本（91 个正常音和 69 个嗓音障碍音）组成的数据集。五位言语语言病理学家对这些样本进行了 GRBAS 量表的感知评估。使用 PRAAT 软件计算每个语音样本的 ABI。作者还确定了语言和性别对 ABI 的影响。在此基础上，研究了 ABI 与 GRBAS 量表的“B”和“G”之间的同时效度和诊断准确性。
评委们在语音质量的感知评估上达成了中等程度的一致。作者没有观察到 ABI 在语言或性别上存在差异。ABI 与“B”的相关性很强（r = 0.761），具有良好的同时效度。此外，评估结果表明，ABI 值>3.66 可以区分呼吸音和非呼吸音语音样本，曲线下面积为 0.816（灵敏度=61.73%；特异性=94.93%）。另一方面，ABI 与“G”的相关性并不理想。
ABI 是一种用于识别马拉雅拉姆语和卡纳达语中呼吸度的有效声学工具。ABI 与 GRBAS 量表上的“B”相关性优于“G”。ABI 与语言和性别无关。
