Chapter 2.1

Question 1

voice source

Answer 1

Voicing as a source of acoustic energy = the voice source
- the presence of voicing is displayed in a spectrogram as vertical lines (glottal pulses = vocal folds opening and closing)

Question 2

harmonics

Answer 2

the component frequencies of the voicing spectrum
- harmonics are whole integer multiples of H1, the first harmonic, which is equal to f₀.
H1 = f0
H2 = 2 x H1 = 2 x f0
H3 = 3 x H1 = 3 x f0
…and so forth
- higher frequency harmonics will generally be at lower amplitudes
- breathy voicing tends to have a louder H1 and a softer H2, whereas for creaky voice it’s the opposite

Question 3

characteristics of the voice source

Answer 3

1. f0 is usually the loudest frequency
2. the amplitude of higher frequencies in the voice decreases longitudinally
   (1 octave higher = 2x original frequency = ~12 dB decrease in amplitude)
3. frequencies of the voice are all evenly spaced on a frequency scale

Question 4

How does the vocal tract act as a filter?

Answer 4

The vocal tract filters the voice in such a way that it amplifies certain frequencies.
—Harmonics (frequencies of the voice) closer to resonant frequencies of the vocal tract get louder (amplified)
—Harmonics farther from resonant frequencies of the vocal tract get softer
—The vocal tract does not change anything about the vocal folds themselves or what frequencies the vocal folds produce. The vocal tract acts as a filter