Tones for Profoundly Deaf Tone-Language Speakers.

A study assessed the practical use of the simplified speech pattern approach to teaching lipreading in a tone language by comparing performance using an acoustic hearing-aid and a Sivo-aid in a tone labelling task. After initial assessment, subjects were given training to enhance perception of lexically contrastive tones, then post-tested. The test used was audio-video recorded test material in Cantonese used to assess speech receptive ability, which includes a tonal component. For each subject, visual stimuli were presented, some accompanied by an auditory signal (either speech tone or larynx tone) through either acoustic hearing aids car a Sivo-aid. One treatment used iipreading alone. Subjects in the experimental group were foul profoundly deaf children; all of their deaf classmates served as a control group. Results indicated that the auditory signal contributes to tonal reception more effectively using the Sivo-aid, but some variation still occurred. It is concluded that the simplification approach allows a better match to the user's hearing capabilities, making better use ol residual hearing, and allows gradual development of perceptual skills relating to suprasegmentals as well as segmentals. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** CORK PAPERS IN LuarIanco No.2 (Aug 1990) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Mice ol Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIOWL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Jechts document has been reproduCed as received from the person or organization onginahng it Cl Minor changes have been made to impr0136 reprOduChOn quality Points ol wow or opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TH/S MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENT7R (ERIC)." TONES FOR PROFOUNDLY DEAF TONE-LANGUAGE SPEAKERS*