The Lombard effect: a reflex to better communicate with others in noise

Abstract

To study the Lombard (1911) reflex, more realistic databases representing real-world conditions need to be recorded and analyzed. In this paper we (1) summarize a procedure to record Lombard data which provides a good approximation of realistic conditions, (2) present an analysis per class of sounds for duration and energy of words recorded while subjects are listening to noise through open-ear headphones (a) when speakers are in communication with a recognition device and (b) when reading a list, and (3) report on the influence of speaking style on speaker dependent and speaker-independent experiments. This paper extends a previous study aimed at analyzing the influence of the communication factor on the Lombard reflex. We also show evidence that it is difficult to separate the speaker from the environment stressor (in this case the noise) when studying the Lombard reflex. The main conclusion of our pilot study is that the communication factor should not be neglected because it strongly influences the Lombard reflex.