A comparison of listener and speaker perception of nasality

Abstract

The relationship between speaker and listener perception of nasality was investigated by having speakers judge their own productions as they vocalized. The productions were taped and played to listeners who judged the speaker's nasality. In part one, speakers used a magnitude production procedure and both speakers and listeners rated nasality, using a ratio scale. Output from an accelerometer placed on the speaker's nose provided a measure of nasalization. Self-perception grew approximately as the 4.4 power of nasalization. Listener perception grew as the 2.2 power of nasalization. Thus, self-perception of nasality grew twice as rapidly as listener perception for a given increase in nasalization. In part two, both listeners and speakers used a magnitude-estimation procedure. The exponents for the power functions for self and listener perception were 3.6 and 1.7, respectively. The 2 to 1 relationship between self and listener perception of nasality held when different procedures were used. The 2 to 1 ratio closely paralleled data on vocal loudness. [H. L. Lane, A. C. Catania, and S.S. Stevens, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 33, 160–167 (1961)].