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Encoding emotions in speech with the size code. A perceptual investigation
Suthathip Chuenwattanapranithi1, Yi Xu, Bundit Thipakorn
1Department of Computer Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
Phonetica
|February 18, 2009
Summary
Speech conveys anger and happiness through perceived body size, according to the size code hypothesis. Dynamic vocal tract changes signal anger, while static changes suggest body size. This research explores emotional speech mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Linguistics
- Acoustics
Background:
- Understanding emotional speech expression is limited due to poorly understood underlying mechanisms.
- Investigating emotional speech often focuses on direct acoustic correlates, overlooking theoretical frameworks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the size code hypothesis, which posits that anger and happiness in speech are conveyed by exaggerating or understating perceived body size.
- To explore the relationship between vocal parameters, perceived body size, and emotional expression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a three-dimensional articulatory synthesizer to create synthesized vowels.
- Manipulated vocal tract length and fundamental frequency (F0) based on the size code hypothesis.
- Thai listeners judged perceived body size and emotion from synthesized speech stimuli.
Main Results:
- Vowels synthesized with longer vocal tracts and lower F0 were perceived as originating from larger individuals under static conditions.
- Dynamic vocal tract lengthening and F0 lowering were associated with perceptions of anger.
- Conversely, static vocal tract shortening and higher F0 suggested smaller body size, while dynamic changes were linked to happiness.
Conclusions:
- Findings provide preliminary support for the size code hypothesis of emotional speech.
- Theory-driven research approaches can offer valuable insights into the mechanisms of emotion perception in speech.
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