Dysprosody in aphasia: An acoustic analysis in Iranian patients with Broca’s aphasia using praat software

Abstract

Background: Broca’s aphasia is a type of aphasia mostly caused by stroke. One of the most common deficits in this kind of aphasia is dysprosody which can cause disruption in patients’ communications. In this study, we examined dysprosody in patients with Broca’s aphasia. Methods: 10 patients with Broca’s aphasia and 10 normal subjects were selected from speech therapy clinics and rehabilitation centers in Isfahan city, Iran. After recording patients’ voices, the data were analyzed using Praat software in laboratory of the University of Isfahan. The spectrum of each word was analyzed accurately; so that the vowel duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency (f0) of each word were extracted. Findings: Duration of /a/ was significantly longer in patients than normal people. Vowels preceding voiced stop consonants were found to be longer compared to those preceding voiceless stop sounds. The patients demonstrated a lower degree of performance in f0, and a higher maximum peak intensity compared to the control group. The effects of age in f0, intensity, and /a/ duration were significant but nonlinear. Conclusion: In this study, we checked the dysprosody in Iranian patients Brocas’a aphasia using Praat software. The result of our study can cause changes in knowledge about speech pathology and improving speech deficits in these patients. © 2017, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.