kõnekuuluvates

Kõnekuuluvates is a term used in Estonian-speaking audiology and linguistics to describe the extent to which spoken language is detectable and understandable by a listener under specific listening conditions. It covers both the audibility of speech signals and the comprehension of words and sentences.

Assessment of kõnekuuluvates is typically perceptual or objective. Perceptual tests measure the proportion of words or sentences identified correctly at a given signal-to-noise ratio, while objective measures use acoustical simulations or speech segregation algorithms. Factors influencing kõnekuuluvates include the listener’s hearing ability, background noise, reverberation, distance to the speaker, speech rate, articulation, and the spectral characteristics of the voice.

In practice, the concept is used in evaluating hearing aids and cochlear implants, designing public-address systems and classrooms, and assessing communication difficulties in clinical settings. Researchers compare speech intelligibility across conditions and populations, often relating it to acoustical variables such as SNR, reverberation time, and frequency response.

Although conceptually similar to speech intelligibility in other languages, kõnekuuluvates is rooted in Estonian-language literature and terminology. It is a comparative construct rather than a fixed numeric threshold, and values or judgments of it depend on context, listeners, and methods used. See also speech intelligibility, audibility, acoustics.