Acoustic parameters in speaker height and weight identification: sex-specific behaviour

This study examines the ability of listeners to judge speaker height and weight from speech samples. Although previous investigations indicate that listeners are consistent in estimating body characteristics, it is not known which speech signal parameters are being used by the listeners for such estimates. Therefore, a series of listening tests was carried out in which male and female listeners judged the height and weight from male and female speakers reading isolated words and two text paragraphs. Both speaker sex and listener sex turned out to be important factors: Significant correlations between estimated height/weight and actual height/weight were found only for male speakers. The majority of these estimates came from the male listeners. Neither male nor female listeners, however, were able to estimate female speaker height or weight. Regression analysis involving F0, formant frequencies, energy below 1 kHz, and speech rate showed no significant correlations between these parameters and actually measured speaker height and weight, the only exception being a significant correlation between male speaker weight and speech rate. Furthermore, regression data suggested that the listeners (correctly) used speech rate information in judging male speaker weight, whereas low F0 and formant frequency values (wrongly) were taken to indicate large speaker body dimensions.