We present a method for estimating the vocal-tract area function from specified formant frequencies. The method extends the work of Story (J.A.S.A., 119, 715-718, 1996) based on a sensitivity function representing the change in the formant frequency due to a small perturbation of the cross-sectional area of the vocal tract. Our method estimates the vocal-tract shape through an iterative procedu...

Formant tracking has been an intensively studied topic in speech research. In the work reported in this paper formants and their tracks are used for analyzing and modifying the spectral content of speech. The algorithm is based on linear prediction (LP) analysis, on finding the roots of the all-pole filter, and on a constraint-based mapping between poles, formants and formant tracks. Formant fr...

The "singer's formant" is a prominent spectrum envelope peak near 3 kHz, typically found in voiced sounds produced by classical operatic singers. According to previous research, it is mainly a resonatory phenomenon produced by a clustering of formants 3, 4, and 5. Its level relative to the first formant peak varies depending on vowel, vocal loudness, and other factors. Its dependence on vowel f...

This paper describes a new method for estimating formant frequencies. It operates in two phases. The first phase, which is similar to a technique developed by Talkin [JASA, vol. 82, S1], finds optimal formant track estimates by imposing frequency continuity constraints using Dynamic Programming (DP). DP is used to select a mapping of candidate frequencies to formant frequencies in oral sonorant...

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of ovariohysterectomy on vocalization during territorial aggression of German Shepherd dogs. Sixteen clinically healthy dogs of 5 to 10 months old were assigned randomly to one of two groups: ovariohysterectomy or control. Their behaviors and vocalizations induced by the approach of a strange with a strange dog were recorded using digital cam...

Recent research suggests that the ability of an extraneous formant to impair intelligibility depends on the variation of its frequency contour. This idea was explored using a method that ensures interference cannot occur through energetic masking. Three-formant (F1 + F2 + F3) analogues of natural sentences were synthesized using a monotonous periodic source. Target formants were presented monau...

PURPOSE To evaluate potential contributions of broadband spectral integration in the perception of static vowels. Specifically, can the auditory system infer formant frequency information from changes in the intensity weighting across harmonics when the formant itself is missing? Does this type of integration produce the same results in the lower (first formant [F1]) and higher (second formant ...

This paper investigates the first four formant frequencies of 60 normal Malaysian Indian young adults in sustained vowels using acoustical analysis. The F1, F2, F3 and F4 of Malaysian Indian males were reported at 359±87 Hz, 1457±630 Hz, 2799 ±336 Hz and 3777 ± 299 Hz respectively. The F1, F2, F3 and F4 of Malaysian Indian females were reported at 485±172 Hz, 1707±746 Hz, 3081±330 Hz and 4305±2...