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Evaluating Levenshtein distance: Assessing perception of accented speech through low- and high-pass filtering

Arzbecker, Lian June
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2024-3902
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689794713096981

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Speech and Hearing Science.
This dissertation explores the relationship between quantitative phonetic measurements and listener identification of accents of English, focusing on phonetic distance and its perceptual correlates across various English accent varieties. The Levenshtein distance (LD) measure, which quantifies string similarity by calculating the minimum cost of transforming one string into another, is used to compare phonetic differences across accents. This study begins by investigating the diverse applications of LD across disciplines, emphasizing its significance in dialectology. Evaluation of different LD approaches and algorithms reveals that simpler methods often yield analogous or superior results compared to more complex ones. Insights from analyzing LD trends inform the selection of the algorithm chosen for the current experiment. Subsequently, carefully selected low- and high-pass filter cutoffs enable investigation of target phonetic features. Four English accent varieties are included in this research: Midland American (control), British/Australian, Hindi-influenced, and Mandarin-influenced. Hypotheses and predictions are formulated based on the documented correlations between LD and listeners’ perception ratings of native-likeness and intelligibility. For monolingual American English-speaking listeners, frequent confusion is predicted between Midland American and British/Australian accents due to their similarly low LDs, amplified by filtering conditions altering vowel and consonant cues. Conversely, higher LDs are hypothesized for Hindi- and Mandarin-influenced English due to the influence of various first languages (L1s). It is expected that these two varieties will be more frequently confused with each other in unmodified identification tasks due to their relatively high LDs. The impact of filtering conditions on confusion is predicted to differ for each variety, with high-pass filtering affecting Hindi-influenced English due to consonant substitutions and low-pass filtering affecting both varieties due to vowel substitutions. However, fewer confusions are expected for Mandarin-influenced English due to the potential presence of tonal information. The research methodology involves analyzing listener identification of accents using confusion matrices and employing generalized linear mixed modeling. The findings contribute to understanding the relationship between phonetic distance and perceptual identification in English accents. This comprehensive exploration of phonetic distance and perceptual accent identification provides valuable insights into the factors influencing accent perception. The study’s implications extend to the broader field of acoustic phonetics, shedding light on the role of phonetic variation in accent perception.
Ewa Jacewicz (Advisor)
154 p.
Acoustics; Cognitive Psychology; Linguistics
Levenshtein distance; phonetics; phonetic transcription; accent perception; accent identification; dialectology; Midland American English; British English; Australian English; Hindi-influenced English; Mandarin-influenced English; high-pass filter; low-pass filter; speech filter

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Arzbecker, L. J. (2023). Evaluating Levenshtein distance: Assessing perception of accented speech through low- and high-pass filtering [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689794713096981

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Arzbecker, Lian. Evaluating Levenshtein distance: Assessing perception of accented speech through low- and high-pass filtering. 2023. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689794713096981.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Arzbecker, Lian. "Evaluating Levenshtein distance: Assessing perception of accented speech through low- and high-pass filtering." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1689794713096981

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1689794713096981
140
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.