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Speaking fundamental frequency in (pre)pubertal female choristers: A longitudinal study
Christian T Herbst1,2,3, David P Meyer2,3,4, Bruno Gingras5,6
1Department of Vocal Studies, Mozarteum University, Salzburg, Austria.
Female speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) declines non-linearly during puberty, stabilizing around age 17. Earlier vocal training may slightly elevate SFF, highlighting complex voice development in females.
Area of Science:
- Laryngology
- Speech Science
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Vocal sexual dimorphism arises from pubertal laryngeal changes.
- Longitudinal data on female speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) development is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally analyze female SFF development during puberty.
- To investigate the influence of age and vocal training on SFF trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a longitudinal corpus of 75 female choristers (aged 8-18).
- Collected 609 SFF recordings at six-month intervals using Praat.
- Modeled SFF changes with a linear mixed-effects framework.
Main Results:
- SFF showed a significant non-linear decline with age, plateauing around 17 years.
- Later age of choir entry correlated with higher SFF.
- Age and starting age significantly impacted SFF (p ≤ 0.019).
Conclusions:
- Female SFF development is multifactorial and highly variable.
- Sparse data sampling may not fully capture pubertal voice maturation.
- Vocal training duration may modestly influence SFF.
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