Analysis of ten vowel sounds across gender and regional/cultural accent

This paper compares ten vowels sounds across gender and accent. Each formant for each vowel was analysed individually across data sets, but no comparison was drawn directly between the formant relationship within each vowel. The objective here was to examine the formants individually across gender and accent to establish a method for transforming vowel quality in a rule-based synthesis system and thus increase its range of voices. Further, it was hoped that it would make the comparison of English formant data across differing accents more simple. Three sets of American English data were utilised in the analysis, and compared against two British English accents Received Pronunciation (RP) and a General Northern accent (GN). Initial findings suggest that the relative positions of certain vowel formants are particularly static across gender, least variation being found with the second formant frequency. When accent was considered, a greater degree of variation occurred, this being predominantly found with mid-open and mid-closed vowel classes.