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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Impact of Emotional Prosodies on Voice Recognition and Perception
Published on: August 9, 2024
Strategic Use of Breathy Voice in Intonation Phrase-Final Neutral Tones: A Distinctive Feature of Professional
1School of Information Science, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China.
Objective:
This study aimed to compare the voice quality of professional Mandarin announcers and untrained speakers on neutral-tone syllables at different prosodic boundaries, to identify profession-specific vocal control strategies.
Methods:
We analyzed recordings from 12 professional announcers and 10 untrained speakers reading a passage rich in neutral tones. Acoustic parameters H1*-H2*,H1*-An*(harmonic amplitude difference), and CPP (cepstral peak prominence) were extracted using VoiceSauce. Linear mixed-effects models were employed to examine the effects of speaker group, sex, and prosodic position.
Results:
For non-neutral tones, no significant differences in H1*-H2* or CPP were found between groups. For neutral tones, announcers exhibited significantly higher H1*-H2* and lower CPP specifically on intonation phrase-final boundaries (E1), indicating the use of breathy voice. This pattern was consistent across sexes at the E1 position.
Conclusion:
Professional announcers' use of breathy voice is strategic, selectively manifested at intonation phrase-final positions (E1) and specifically on neutral tones. This acoustic pattern validates the traditional broadcasting technique of xūshēng (/virtual voice), providing empirical evidence for voice training and highlighting the connection between linguistic function and professional artistry.
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