| There we were sitting on the sofa, my wife and I | | | | the original language, the language of the voice chords |
| watching TV. She is enjoying the program while I am | | | | provides nearly all the audible sound, while the second |
| able to hear the TV, but can't understand what is being | | | | language provides typically spiky little characteristic |
| spoken. I stand up and begin step by step walking | | | | noises, but with little volume level. Try for example |
| toward the TV. Suddenly I reach a point where I begin | | | | saying the sounds of the consonants, B,C and D |
| to understand the TV's audio. What has happened. | | | | without using associated vowels. The output volume is |
| Has the audio signal changed that greatly in those few | | | | quite low. |
| steps as to bring about the change. | | | | This is where the hearing aid should be doing most of |
| This is the problem confronted by multi-millions of | | | | its amplifying, but instead the HA is amplifying both |
| individuals who have diminished hearing capability. | | | | languages, leaving it up to the HOH person to pick out |
| Great fortunes have been invested in building | | | | the meaningful sounds from the interfering loud volume |
| hearing-aid (HA) devices. Purchasers by the million | | | | sounds. This problem can be solved because the two |
| have spent billions of dollars using these aids but with a | | | | speech languages while seemingly occurring at the |
| dissatisfaction always present in not meeting the user's | | | | same time are not simultaneous but are related in |
| expectation. Laws are on state legislation which permit | | | | serial fashion, one following the other. Refer to this |
| the return of the device after trying them for typically | | | | serial effect as serial modulation. |
| a month. Why this dissatisfaction, why this imperfect | | | | There are many electronic schemes to separate the |
| understandability? The answer is that the HA is solving | | | | two languages, some being quite complex with names |
| the wrong problem. | | | | like fast Fourier Transforms which can be used to |
| The speech understandability comes from the | | | | separate tones from noises. Other much simpler |
| manipulation of the two speech languages back and | | | | electronic methods can resolve this dilemma. Why not |
| forth to form words and meanings. As we become | | | | electronically switch the volume levels of the two |
| hard of hearing, one of the two speech languages | | | | languages. Why not give it a try, it's a good starting |
| becomes dis-proportionally diminished. That is because | | | | point. |