speech banana
An informal term for the banana-shaped region on an audiogram that represents the frequency and intensity range of typical conversational speech sounds.
Full Definition
The speech banana is a colloquial but widely used audiological term for the cluster of speech phonemes plotted on an audiogram according to their typical frequency (250–8000 Hz) and intensity (20–60 dB HL) characteristics. The region visually resembles a banana shape when all speech sounds are mapped. It is used clinically to illustrate which speech sounds fall within or outside a patient's hearing range. Editors should recognise that 'speech banana' is acceptable in patient education and semi-formal clinical communication but would generally be replaced by 'speech frequency range' or 'conversational speech spectrum' in formal research writing. The term should not be confused with the speech intelligibility index.
Usage
Usage note: Acceptable in patient-facing and semi-formal clinical documents; replace with 'conversational speech spectrum' or similar in formal research copy. Always lowercase.
In Context
- "The audiologist used a diagram of the speech banana to show the child's parents which sounds their daughter was missing." — Patient education handout
- "Thresholds falling outside the speech banana indicate significant impact on unaided speech perception." — Paediatric audiology report