Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

• Describe the characteristics of sound.
• Identify and analyse methods used in speech-language therapy to assess respiration, phonation, resonance, articulation and hearing
• Understand the results of these assessments
• Describe the characteristics of speech
• Analyse and evaluate speech through acoustic analysis

The course aims to develop the following general skills:

• Apply knowledge in practice
• Search for, analyse, and synthesise data and information using the necessary technologies
• Adapt to new situations
• Work independently
• Promote free, creative, and inductive thinking

This course provides fundamental knowledge about the physiology of human communication. It examines the nature of sound waves, the properties of sound and its relationship to speech. It analyses respiration, phonation, resonance, articulation and prosody. It also covers spectral and acoustic analysis of speech, psychoacoustics, and methods for assessing hearing and hearing loss. The course integrates theoretical knowledge with clinical applications and assessment methods, preparing students to understand and manage communication disorders.

The course covers the following topics:
1.    Introduction
• Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences: scope and content
• Clinical significance of the hearing, speech and language sciences
2.    Sound Waves
• Basic concepts: sound, vibration, pressure, waves
• Properties of sound waves (frequency, intensity, wavelength, speed)
3.    Sound and Speech
• Perception of frequency and intensity
• Decibel scale and sound pressure levels
• Speech waveforms
• Natural frequency, resonance and formants
4.    Respiration
• Upper and lower respiratory systems
• Physiology of the respiratory system
• Mechanisms of breathing and speech
• Lung volumes and capacities
• Assessment of respiratory function
5.    Phonation
• Theories of voice production
• Methods for assessing phonation
• Aerodynamic measurements
• Imaging methods
6.    Resonance
• Source–filter theory and clinical applications
• Assessment of resonance disorders: rhinometry, aerodynamic measurements
• Hypernasality, hyponasality, velopharyngeal dysfunction
7.    Articulation and Phoneme Production
• Role of the articulators in shaping phonemes
• Assessment methods
8.    Speech Signal Processing and Analysis Tools
• Spectrograms
• Software for voice and speech analysis (e.g., Praat, Audacity)
• Clinical practice and research applications
9.    Acoustic Analysis
• Fundamental frequency (F0)
• Formants (F1, F2, F3, etc.)
• Jitter, shimmer, Harmonics-to-Noise Ratio (HNR), etc.
10.    Sound Perception and Psychoacoustics
• How the ear processes speech sounds
• Frequency perception, masking phenomenon and speech in noise
• Factors influencing speech understanding
11.    Hearing Assessment and Hearing Loss
• Types of hearing loss
• Impact of hearing loss on speech and language development
• Clinical evaluations: pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry
• Otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry and auditory evoked potentials
12.    Assessment Methods and Interpretation of Results
• Practical examples and case studies
13.    Final Review

Final exam at the end of the semester (100% of the final grade). The exam will include short-answers and/or closed-ended (e.g., multiple-choice) questions.

Books

1. Behrman, A. (2018). Η επιστήμη της ομιλίας και της φωνής. Αθήνα: Κωνσταντάρας.

2. Johnson, E. (2011). Νευροανατομία. Αθήνα: Κωνσταντάρας.

3. Seikel, J. A., Drumright, D. G., & King, D. W. (2019). Ανατομία και φυσιολογία ομιλίας, λόγου και ακοής. Αθήνα: Κωνσταντάρας.

E-books and articles

1. Ferrand, C. T. (2019). Speech science: An integrated approach to theory and clinical practice. Boston: PearsonAllyn & Bacon.

2. Kent, R. D., & Read, C. (2002). Acoustic analysis of speech. New York: Delmar.

3. Mullin, W. J., Gerace, W. J., Mestre, J. P., &Velleman, S. L. (2016). Fundamentals of sound with applications to speech and hearing. New York: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

4. Themistocleous, C. (2017). Modern Greek vowels and the nature of acoustic gradience. Phonetica, 74(3), 157-172.

5. Sfakianaki, A., Nicolaidis, K., & Kafentzis, G. P. (2024). Temporal, spectral and amplitude characteristics of the Greek fricative/s/in hearing-impaired and normal-hearing speech. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 38(8), 720-746.

6. Nirgianaki, E. (2014). Acoustic characteristics of Greek fricatives. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 135(5), 2964-2976.

7. Papakyritsis, I., & Müller, N. (2014). Perceptual and acoustic analysis of lexical stress in Greek speakers with dysarthria. Clinical linguistics & phonetics, 28(7-8), 555-572.

Related scientific journals

• Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research: http://pubs.asha.org/journal/jslhr

• Journal of Voice: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-voice

• Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/iclp20

https://eclass.uop.gr/courses/2072/