Apparent-talker height is influenced by Mandarin lexical tone

Area of Science:

• Acoustic phonetics
• Speech perception
• Psychoacoustics

Background:

• Apparent talker height is commonly estimated using fundamental frequency (f0) and spectral information, specifically formant frequencies (FFs).
• Previous research indicates that vowel-specific variations in f0 or FFs can influence perceived talker height.
• Lexical tone in tonal languages like Mandarin may introduce additional variability in height perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of lexical tone on the perception of talker height in Mandarin.
• To examine how inherent f0 and formant frequencies (FFs) of vowel phonemes contribute to height variability.
• To determine if perceived talker height is consistent across different acoustic cues within a single talker.

Main Methods:

• Native Mandarin speakers listened to syllables produced by talkers of varying apparent heights.
• Acoustic analysis focused on fundamental frequency (f0) and formant frequencies (FFs) of the presented speech stimuli.
• Participants' height estimations were recorded and analyzed in relation to stimulus characteristics.

Main Results:

• Substantial variability was observed in the estimated height of a single talker.
• Lexical tone significantly influenced height perception, demonstrating its role beyond lexical meaning.
• Inherent f0 and FFs of vowel phonemes also contributed to the observed height variability.

Conclusions:

• Perceived talker height is not solely determined by f0 and FFs but is also modulated by linguistic factors like lexical tone.
• The study highlights the complexity of height perception and the need to consider language-specific acoustic features.
• Future research should explore cross-linguistic differences in talker height perception and the interplay of acoustic and linguistic cues.