Narne Vijaya Kumar, Mohan Dhanya, Badariya M, Avileri Sruthi Das, Jain Saransh, Ravi Sunil Kumar, Krishna Yerraguntla, Hussain Reesha Oovattil, Almudhi Abdulaziz
Department of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi Arabia.
Speech-Language Pathology Unit, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi Arabia.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2024 Nov 30;14(23):2707. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics14232707.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The present study investigates the reasons for better recognition of disyllabic words in Malayalam among individuals with hearing loss. This research was conducted in three experiments. Experiment 1 measured the psychometric properties (slope, intercept, and maximum scores) of disyllabic wordlists. Experiment 2 examined PB scores across varying degrees of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and compared these findings with studies in other Indian and global languages. Experiment 3 analyzed the recognition performance of different vowel combinations across varying degrees of hearing loss.
Experiment 1: Psychometric functions for disyllabic word recognition were derived from 45 individuals with normal hearing. Word recognition was tested in quiet at nine hearing levels ranging from -10 to +40 dB HL. Experiment 2: 1000 participants with SNHL were categorized by hearing loss severity (mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe, and profound). Word recognition scores, including PB, were analyzed and compared across severity levels. Experiment 3: Percent error scores for 17 vowel combinations were assessed in 37 participants with SNHL. Ten disyllabic words represented each combination.
Disyllabic wordlists showed significantly higher word recognition scores than monosyllabic lists across all degrees of hearing loss. Individuals with mild-to-moderately severe SNHL achieved higher PB scores, with performance declining at severe- and profound-loss levels. The higher recognition of disyllabic words was attributed to contextual cues and low-frequency vowel-based information, particularly benefiting those with residual low-frequency hearing. Error analysis highlighted the influence of specific vowel combinations on word recognition performance.
Disyllabic words are easier to recognize than monosyllabic words for individuals with SNHL due to their rich contextual and low-frequency energy cues. Disyllabic wordlists sustain higher recognition scores up to moderately severe hearing loss but show a marked decline with more severe losses. The phonemic balance of wordlists and vowel combinations significantly influences word recognition, emphasizing the importance of these factors in developing wordlists for clinical use.
背景/目的：本研究调查了听力损失患者对马拉雅拉姆语双音节词识别能力更强的原因。本研究通过三个实验进行。实验1测量了双音节词表的心理测量特性（斜率、截距和最高分）。实验2检查了不同程度感音神经性听力损失（SNHL）下的PB分数，并将这些结果与其他印度语和全球语言的研究结果进行比较。实验3分析了不同程度听力损失下不同元音组合的识别表现。
实验1：从45名听力正常的个体中得出双音节词识别的心理测量函数。在安静环境中，于-10至+40 dB HL的九个听力水平下测试单词识别。实验2：1000名SNHL患者按听力损失严重程度（轻度、中度、中重度、重度和极重度）进行分类。分析并比较了不同严重程度水平下的单词识别分数，包括PB分数。实验3：在37名SNHL患者中评估了17种元音组合的错误百分比分数。每种组合用10个双音节词表示。
在所有听力损失程度下，双音节词表的单词识别分数均显著高于单音节词表。轻度至中重度SNHL患者的PB分数更高，在重度和极重度损失水平下表现下降。双音节词的更高识别率归因于语境线索和基于低频元音的信息，尤其使那些仍有低频残余听力的人受益。错误分析突出了特定元音组合对单词识别表现的影响。
对于SNHL患者而言，双音节词因其丰富的语境和低频能量线索而比单音节词更容易识别。双音节词表在中度严重听力损失之前能保持较高的识别分数，但在更严重的听力损失时会显著下降。词表的音素平衡和元音组合对单词识别有显著影响，强调了这些因素在开发临床用词表中的重要性。
