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Amplitude variations in coarticulated vowels.
Ewa Jacewicz1, Robert Allen Fox
1Department of Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1002, USA. jacewicz.1@osu.edu
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|June 6, 2008
Summary
Vowel amplitude variation in speech is complex. While overall amplitude doesn't change with context, individual formant amplitudes are systematically affected, influencing auditory processing.
Area of Science:
- Acoustic phonetics
- Speech perception
- Auditory processing
Background:
- Vowel amplitude variation is crucial for speech intelligibility.
- Previous research indicated significant amplitude changes based on surrounding consonants.
- Understanding these variations is key to explaining vowel perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate acoustic amplitude variations in coarticulated vowels.
- To determine the role of these variations in vowel perception.
- To extend previous findings on context-dependent amplitude changes.
Main Methods:
- Recorded eight American English vowels from male and female speakers.
- Used symmetrical Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) contexts.
- Measured overall rms amplitude, peak amplitude, and individual formant amplitudes (F1-F4).
Main Results:
- Overall rms amplitude and peak amplitude did not vary significantly with consonantal context.
- Individual formant amplitudes at the vowel nucleus were significantly affected by consonantal context.
- These contextual effects on spectral amplitude were preserved in the auditory representation.
Conclusions:
- Consonantal context significantly impacts individual formant amplitudes, not overall amplitude.
- These spectral amplitude variations are represented in early auditory processing.
- The findings refine our understanding of acoustic cues in vowel perception.
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