Quality perception of vowels with simulated /CVC/ formant trajectories

This study investigates the perceived vowel quality change caused by formant undershoot, where vowels in /CVC/ environments are compared with steady-state vowels. In the perceptual experiment of this study, listeners match constant /CVC/ stimuli of /bVb/ or /dVd/ to variable /#V#/ stimuli, using a schematic grid on a PC screen. The grid represents an acoustic vowel diagram, and the subjects change the F 1/F 2 frequencies of /#V#/ by moving a mouse. The results of the study show that, in vowel quality perception, the performance of subjects was a€ected by the formant trajectory range of the /CVC/ stimuli. When the formant trajectory range was small, they selected a value between the edge and peak frequencies, while they selected a value outside the trajectory range when it was large. This demonstrated phenomenon is compatible with the results of existing vowel perception studies, although the models proposed by these studies do not account for this phenomenon. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.