Mediterr. J. Otol 2006; 3:117-126

Speech audiometry: The development of modern Greek word lists for suprathreshold word recognition testing

Nikolaos Trimmis, Evangelos Papadeas, Theodoros Papadas, Stefanos Naxakis, Panagiotis Papathanasopoulos, Panos Goumas

Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital of Patras, Greece,  trimmis@teipat.gr

The existing suprathreshold word recognition tests in Greece are of limited value in  audiometric speech evaluation that is performed in audiology clinics. One reason for this is that none of the lists approximates phonemic balance. Another reason for the limited value of the existing tests is related to word familiarity. In this study, a valid speech test for determining the word recognition score in Modern Greek-speaking populations has been developed. The test material consists of 4 lists, each of which contains 50 open-set bisyllabic words. Monosyllabic words were not included because few exist in the Modern Greek language. The lists are phonemically balanced and are of approximately equal difficulty. Preliminary results of the test in 10 native Greek-speaking subjects whose hearing was within the normal range suggest that the lists are generally equivalent for clinical purposes. This study can be used as a guideline for the development of word recognition score testing materials in other languages.