Development and standardisation of the sentenceidentification test in the Kannada language

Background The present study aimed to develop and standardise the sentence identification test in the Kannada language. This study used a normative research design that included development and standardisation of sentence tests. Material and Methods A total of 700 sentences in the Kannada language, selected from various sources, were evaluated for naturalness, predictability, and equivalency by 33 participants. Sentences considered to be natural, low in predictability, and equivalent were used to construct 30 lists of 10 sentences each. Standardisation of the material and list equivalency were assessed on 100 listeners with normal hearing ability. Results Based on ratings of naturalness and predictability, 564 sentences were considered as highly natural and of low predictability. Of these, 316 were found to have equal difficulty based on a performance-SNR function and were used to construct 30 lists. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests revealed Lists 1, 3, 15, 16, and 30 to be significantly different from at least one of the other lists. After removing these lists, the mean identification score for the final 25 lists at –5 dB SNR was 54%. Conclusions The sentence identification test in Kannada for adults consists of 25 homogenous lists. The normative for the same is also given in the study. Its application is being assessed for hearing evaluation in the clinical population.