Correlational Analysis of Speech Intelligibility Tests and Metrics for Speech Transmission

Speech communication can be assessed in many ways. The objective of this review and analysis is to compare the common methods of evaluating the quality and intelligibility of speech, and detail the merits and limitations of each. The standard speech intelligibility rating scales, perceptual speech intelligibility tests (based on human performance), and technical speech intelligibility predictors (based on the input signal transmitted through a communication system or medium) measurement methods are described and compared. To establish a basis for comparison between the results of these measures, a common intelligibility scale is described. Its use in the comparison of scores obtained for different measures of speech intelligibility is discussed, as well as its use to determine which test is optimal for a given environment. This analysis is intended to serve as a resource for users of standard speech intelligibility measurement methods.