Effects of postlingual deafness on speech production: implications for the role of auditory feedback

Abstract

This study investigated some effects of postlingual deafness on speech by exploring selected properties of consonants, vowels, and suprasegmentals in the speech of seven totally, postlingually deafened individuals. The observed speech properties included parameters that function as phonological contrasts in English, as well as parameters that constitute primarily phonetic distinctions. The results demonstrated that postlingual deafness affects the production of all classes of speech sounds, suggesting that auditory feedback is implicated in regulating the phonetic precision of consonants, vowels, and suprasegmentals over the long term. In addition, the results are discussed in relation to factors that may influence the degree of speech impairment, such as age at onset of deafness.