Acoustic analysis of vowel production in Kannada-speaking children with cochlear implants
Prawin Kumar, Fathima Mehjabin, Mahima Kumari, Lulu Sherbi, Hanan MariyamAbstract
Purpose:
The present study aimed to assess the acoustic characteristics of corner vowel production in Kannada-speaking children using unilateral cochlear implant (CI) and to compare their performance with typically developing children (TDC). The focus was on the analysis of F1, F2 formants, and vowel space area (VSA) for the vowels/a/,/i/, and/u/.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 22 native Kannada-speaking children (13 males and 9 females) aged 4–7 years participated in this study. Of these, 10 were TDC and 12 were children using unilateral CI. Acoustic measurements of F1, F2, and VSA were obtained for the corner vowels/a/,/i/, and/u/ and compared between the two groups.
Results:
The unilateral CI users exhibited higher (poorer) mean scores for F1, F2, and VSA across all three vowels when compared to TDC. The differences were more notable for the vowels /i/ and /u/.
Conclusions:
The findings highlight that Kannada-speaking children with unilateral CI demonstrate deviations in corner vowel production compared to their typically developing peers. The study underscores the importance of early implantation and timely auditory–verbal intervention to support more accurate vowel production and improved speech outcomes among unilateral CI users.