Development and Validation of Tulu Sentence Lists to Test Speech Recognition Threshold in Noise

Abstract

Introduction: We aimed to develop sentence lists in Tulu language to measure speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) in noise and verify the equivalence of the developed lists in noise among individuals with normal hearing. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three phases; first, the developmental phase, collection, and development of the sentence material in the Tulu language were carried out. Sentences rated highly familiar/familiar and highly natural/natural by 80% of the raters were considered for the next phase. In the second phase, 22 sentence lists were prepared, with each list containing ten sentences of equal difficulty level in noise. The difficulty level was matched mainly based on the similarity (±1 standard deviation [SD]) of signal-to-noise ratio 50 (SNR-50), the slope of the sentences, the number of content words, and phonemes. The third phase evaluated the equivalency of developed sentence lists. Sixty-two native Tulu speakers with normal hearing sensitivity, aged between 18 and 39 years, participated. Of these 62 participants, twelve were recruited for the first phase, 20 individuals participated in the second phase, and 30 participated in the third phase. Results: Thirteen sentence lists were equivalent and were a reliable measure of SNR-50 in native speakers of Tulu who have hearing sensitivity within normal limits. Using the sentence scoring method, the average SNR-50 of these sentence lists was − 4.19 dB with a SD of 0.21 dB. The developed sentences also had less within-subject variability than between-subject variability. Conclusions: These 13 equivalent sentence lists provide a valid and reliable tool to measure the SRT in noise in native Tulu speakers with hearing sensitivity within normal limits.