Speech Banana
A banana-shaped region on the audiogram that maps the frequency and intensity range occupied by the phonemes of conversational speech, used as a visual reference in aural rehabilitation counselling.
Full Definition
The speech banana is an informal but widely used term in audiology education and rehabilitation counselling to describe the region of the audiogram—roughly spanning 250 Hz to 8,000 Hz and 20 dB to 60 dB HL—within which the sounds of normal conversational speech fall. Its characteristic shape on the audiogram resembles a banana. Clinicians use it to visually demonstrate to patients and caregivers which speech sounds are inaudible given an individual's hearing thresholds. In editorial contexts, 'speech banana' is written as two words without quotation marks in second and subsequent references (quotation marks on first use are acceptable for general audience texts). It should not be cited as an audiometric standard; it is a teaching and counselling aid.
Usage
Usage note: This is an informal, colloquial term with no single standardized audiometric definition. Use with care in formal clinical reports; consider 'conversational speech frequency range' in more formal registers. Do not capitalise.
In Context
- "The audiologist used the speech banana to explain to the parents which consonant sounds their child was missing with and without amplification." — Pediatric audiology counselling session note
- "Patient education materials should introduce the 'speech banana' in quotation marks on first use, thereafter omitting them." — Healthcare communications editorial guideline