Prosody Modelling of Speech Aphasia: Case Study of Algerian Patients

Abstract

In order to illustrate the aphasia disprosody, we have used the Arab dialect of eastern Algeria. We carry out an analysis of the pathological speech of Broca's aphasic speakers. The analyzed prosodic features are intonation and rhythm. The pitch variations as well as the intensity and/or duration cues are investigated in order to 'track' the aphasia signature. The analysis focuses on the steady-state zones of vowels, extracted by an automatic segmentation procedure. The speech produced by aphasic speakers is not easily comprehensible. Therefore, we propose this acoustic-prosodic characterization as a tool that could be included with other methods of rehabilitation therapies