Effects of Face Masks on the Acoustic Properties of Speech

Abstract

Social interactions have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year. Face masks can affect speech signals, impacting speech perception (M. Magee et al., “Effects of face masks on acoustic analysis and speech perception: Implications for peri-pandemic protocols,” Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2020, doi .org/10.1121/10.0002873; L. L. Mendel et al., “Speech understanding using surgical masks: A problem in health care?,” Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 2008, doi.org/10.3766/jaaa.19.9.4). While previous research has focused on subjective measures of face masks on speech perception, little research has assessed the degree to which wearing a mask distorts acoustic properties of physical speech itself.