2. SPPA 403 Speech Science1 Unit 3 outline The Vocal Tract (VT) Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production Capturing Speech Dynamics The Vowels The Diphthongs The Glides The Liquids

3. SPPA 403 Speech Science2 Source-Filter Theory: Modeling Vowels Vowels are Voiced (shapes the glottal source spectrum) oral (velopharyngeal port closed) produced with “open” vocal tract (VT) –P oral ~ P atmos Classified according to tongue position in VT –front/central/back –high/mid/low

4. SPPA 403 Speech Science3 Vowel Quadrilateral

5. SPPA 403 Speech Science4 Source-Filter Theory: Modeling Vowels Mobile articulators serve to change the VT area function so that it is not constant non-constant area function  complexity for determining VT transfer function However, VT transfer function still based on tube acoustics

6. SPPA 403 Speech Science5 Artic. Config.  Area Function  Transfer Function glottis lips frequency gain

7. SPPA 403 Speech Science6 Source-Filter Theory: Modeling Vowels VT has an infinite number of resonances/formants Identification of vowel quality seems most dependent upon the location of F1, F2 & F3 These observations are based on –Studies of vowel perception –Modeling efforts which suggest F4-F6 are relatively static –the observation that glottal source spectrum rolls off with increasing frequency

8. SPPA 403 Speech Science7 Mid Central vowel F1: 500 Hz F2: 1500 Hz F3: 2500 Hz /i/ /u/ //// //// frequency Amplitude/gain

9. SPPA 403 Speech Science8 Tongue “Rules” for vowel formant values /i/ & /u/ have a low F1 /  / & /  / have high F1 Tongue height ~ F1 Tongue height  F1  Tongue height  F1  /u/ & /  / have low F2 /i/ & /  / have high F2 Tongue A-P ~ F2 Tongue front F2  Tongue back F2 

10. SPPA 403 Speech Science9 Mid Central vowel F1: 500 Hz F2: 1500 Hz F3: 2500 Hz /i/ /u/ //// //// frequency gain

11. SPPA 403 Speech Science10 Lip “Rules” for vowel formant values Lip rounding (for /u/)  ~ F2  Note* lip protrusion will increase the overall length of the vocal tract which will decrease all formant values

12. SPPA 403 Speech Science11 Mid Central vowel F1: 500 Hz F2: 1500 Hz /i/ /u/ //// //// frequency Amplitude/gain

13. SPPA 403 Speech Science12 IMPORTANT Tongue and lip rules are based on how these articulations change the VT area function (shape) VT area function ultimately determines the VT filter properties

14. SPPA 403 Speech Science13 Tf32 example

15. SPPA 403 Speech Science14

16. SPPA 403 Speech Science15 F 1 -F 2 values for English Vowels

17. SPPA 403 Speech Science16 Vowels: Stylized Spectrograms

18. SPPA 403 Speech Science17 Vowels: Stylized Spectrograms

19. SPPA 403 Speech Science18 /a/ - low back (  F 1  F 2 )

20. SPPA 403 Speech Science19 /i/- high front (  F 1  F 2 )

21. SPPA 403 Speech Science20 /u/ - high back (  F 1  F 2 )

22. SPPA 403 Speech Science21 /ae/ - low front (  F 1  F 2 )

23. SPPA 403 Speech Science22 How important are F 1 -F 3 in speech production & perception?

24. SPPA 403 Speech Science23 Sinewave Speech Demonstration Sinewave speech examples (from HINT sentence intelligibility test):

25. SPPA 403 Speech Science24 Problem Recall - F 1 = c/4l VT length influences exact frequency location of formants Speakers vary in their vocal tract length men > women > children

26. SPPA 403 Speech Science25 Problem /i/ /u/

27. SPPA 403 Speech Science26 How do we know that a child, a man and a women all say /i/, when the acoustic values of formants are quite different?

28. SPPA 403 Speech Science27 A possible answer?? F2F2 F1F1 children women men

29. SPPA 403 Speech Science28 A possible answer?? Relative locations of formants is similar across speakers even though absolute values differ Perhaps we ‘rescale’ our expectations depending upon factors such as gender and age

30. SPPA 403 Speech Science29

31. SPPA 403 Speech Science30 Vowel articulation and vowel acoustics Vowel quadrilateral: articulatory plane is similar to F 1 -F 2 plot: acoustic plane

32. SPPA 403 Speech Science31

33. SPPA 403 Speech Science32 back front low high

34. SPPA 403 Speech Science33 Vowel articulation and vowel acoustics Vowel quadrilateral: articulatory plane is similar to F 1 -F 2 plot: acoustic plane

35. SPPA 403 Speech Science34 Unit 3 outline The Vocal Tract (VT) Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production Capturing Speech Dynamics The Vowels The Diphthongs The Glides The Liquids

36. SPPA 403 Speech Science35 Diphthongs Slow gliding movement between two vowel qualities characterized by an articulatory transition articulatory transition = formant transitions

37. SPPA 403 Speech Science36 Diphthongs /ai/ - “bye” /au/ - “bough” /oi/ - “boy” /ei/ - “bay”

38. SPPA 403 Speech Science37 Diphthongs: /ai/ a i

39. SPPA 403 Speech Science38 Diphthongs: /au/ au

40. SPPA 403 Speech Science39 Unit 3 outline The Vocal Tract (VT) Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production Capturing Speech Dynamics The Vowels The Diphthongs The Glides The Liquids

41. SPPA 403 Speech Science40 Glides (/w/, /j/) & Liquids (/l/, /r/) often termed sonorants Associated with –a high degree of vocal tract constriction –articulatory transition = formant transition

42. SPPA 403 Speech Science41 Glides (/w/, /j/) & Liquids (/l/, /r/) Degree of Constriction Greater than vowels –P oral slightly greater than P atmos Less than fricatives –P oral for glides/liquids < P oral for fricatives Constriction lasts ~ 100 msec Constriction results in a loss in energy –weaker formants

43. SPPA 403 Speech Science42 Glides (/w/, /j/) & Liquids (/l/, /r/) Transition rate faster than the diphthongs slower than the stops lasts ~ 75 msec

44. SPPA 403 Speech Science43 /w/ Place: labial Acoustics –/u/-like formant frequencies –Constriction  formant values –F1 ~ 330 Hz –F2 ~ 730 Hz –weak F3 (~ 2300 Hz)

45. SPPA 403 Speech Science44 /w/ uh wae F1 F2 F3 1000 2000 3000

46. SPPA 403 Speech Science45 /j/ Place: palatal Acoustics –/i/-like formant frequencies –F1 ~ 300 Hz –F2 ~ 2200 Hz –F3 ~ 3000 Hz

47. SPPA 403 Speech Science46 /j/ uhjae F1 F2 F3 1000 2000 3000

48. SPPA 403 Speech Science47 /j/ uhjae

49. SPPA 403 Speech Science48 Liquids (/l/, /r/) lateral /l/ Retroflex /r/ Pickett (1999) considers these consonants glides as well

50. SPPA 403 Speech Science49 /l/ Place: alveolar Articulatory phonetics: –tongue tip contacts alveolar ridge –Constriction is on each side of this obstruction – hence the term lateral –Vocal tract is split – not modeled with a single tube

51. SPPA 403 Speech Science50 /l/ Acoustics –F1 ~ 360 Hz –F2 ~ 1300 Hz –F3 ~ 2700 Hz –F2 is variable and affected by vowel environment –Position in word will affect acoustic features of /l/ –Final /l/ will have a higher F1 & lower F2

52. SPPA 403 Speech Science51 /l/ uhlae F1 F2 F3 1000 2000 3000

53. SPPA 403 Speech Science52 /l/ uhlae

54. SPPA 403 Speech Science53 /r/ Place: palatal Articulatory phonetics –/r/ can take on a wide variety of articulator positions –Tongue can be “bunched” together –Tongue can be “retroflexed”, tipping back toward the palate –Clearly illustrates that many articulatory configurations can result in the same acoustic product

55. SPPA 403 Speech Science54 /r/ Acoustics –Hallmark of /r/ is a low F3 –F1 ~ 350 Hz –F2 ~ 1050 Hz –F3 ~ 1550 Hz –Vowels have F3 above 2200 Hz –Vowels around /r/ are colored by it and exhibit lowered F3 values

56. SPPA 403 Speech Science55 /r/ uhrae F1 F2 F3 1000 2000 3000

57. SPPA 403 Speech Science56 “Bunched” /r/ uhrae

58. SPPA 403 Speech Science57 “Retroflexed” /r/ uhrae

59. SPPA 403 Speech Science58 A digression… /r/ demonstrates that there isn’t a single way to make a speech sound /r/ serves to remind us that our source- filter theory allows educated guesses that may not always be right. For example, how would you know from acoustics (i.e. formants) if the person is bunching or retroflexing?

60. SPPA 403 Speech Science59 A digression… /r/ is a problematic sound for many youngsters to learn Why might that be?