Enhancing Communication: Understanding the Speech Banana
Communication is the cornerstone of human interaction and community. In the rich tapestry of human communication, speech is a vibrant thread that weaves together our thoughts, emotions, and experiences. However, for individuals with hearing loss, this thread can fray or tangle, making it hard to understand spoken words. The "speech banana" is a helpful way to visualize the range of sounds crucial for understanding speech, and it sheds light on how hearing loss impacts communication. In this blog, in honour of Speech and Hearing Month, we'll explain the speech banana and how speech impacts your hearing. Understanding the Speech Banana Picture an audiogram showing a banana-shaped curve (see photo below). This represents the spectrum of sounds humans use for speech. From the deep, low tones of vowels (left side) to the crisp high-pitch sounds of consonants (right side), every sound has its place in this banana-shaped zone. https://helpmehear.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Audiogram-Chart.pdf Speech in Hearing Loss When someone has hearing loss, regions of the speech banana can be impacted. Certain sounds become unclear or even silent. For example, if someone has high-frequency hearing loss, a common experience for those who work in noise or due to aging, they will have difficulty hearing sounds like /f, s, th/. This can make understanding speech tough: Vowels vs. Consonants: Vowels, as they are in the lower frequencies, are usually easier to hear even in cases of mild to moderate hearing loss. But consonants, which are higher frequency and carry a lot of meaning, can get muffled or lost...
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