Cochlear implant in Hong Kong Cantonese

Am J Otol. 1990 Nov;11(6):421-6.

Abstract

Cochlear implant surgery was performed in four Cantonese-speaking postlingually deaf Chinese adults, using the House/3M single channel device. This article outlines the methodology, including preoperative assessment and postoperative rehabilitation; and explains the necessary modifications in speech and audiologic work-up in Cantonese-speaking patients. Salient features of Cantonese phonetics, especially its tonal characteristics, are described. The findings of the study are presented. The results of the cochlear implant would suggest a performance superior to that of the hearing aid. Furthermore, the cochlear implant is able to detect tonal cues. This quality of the cochlear implant may prove to be a valuable asset to a tonal language-speaking cochlear implantee.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Audiometry
  • China / ethnology
  • Cochlear Implants*
  • Hong Kong
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Speech Discrimination Tests
  • Speech Intelligibility*