Spectral features and perceptual judgment of place of affricate in Putonghua-speaking pre-adolescents with normal and cleft palate

PurposeThe aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the spectral features and perceptual judgments of places of affricate in Putonghua (standard Mandarin Chinese), and to explore the possible contribution of different spectral moments on correct perception of place of articulation information by typical pre-adolescent speakers and those with cleft palate.MethodA total of 139 affricates produced by 10 normal pre-adolescent speakers and 14 speakers with repaired cleft palate (distorted articulation) were presented to 12 listeners tasked with making a judgment of the accuracy of place of articulation using a visual analog scale.ResultsStatistical analysis showed a significant relationship between the third spectral moment (L3) and listeners’ perceptual judgment of typical alveolar and retroflex affricates. For productions by pre-adolescents with cleft palate, the first spectral moment (M1) was significantly correlated with listener perceptual scaling of retroflex affricates, but not for the alveolar affricates.ConclusionSpectral features were associated with the perception of place of affricate in Putonghua. Different spectral moment characteristics might be used by listeners when perceiving speech from individuals with cleft palate.