Chapter 6: Acoustic Characteristics of Vowels and Consonants Flashcards
Three major physical parameter used to describe acoustic characteristics of any sound
-time
-frequency
-intensity
Time
-duration of a sound
-measure in msec or sec
-1 sec = 1000ms
Frequency
-number of cycles of vibration
-measure in hertz (cycles per second)
-pitch: perception of frequency
Intensity
-magnitude of energy associated with a sound
-measured in decibels (dB)
-loudness: perception of intensity
Waveform
-amplitude as a function of time
-x-axis: time
-y-axis: intensity
Intensity Contour
-average intensity as a function of time
-x-axis: time
-y-axis: intensity
Spectrogram
-intensity and frequency as a function of time
-x-axis: time
-y-axis: intensity
-gradients in shading: intensity
Vowels vs Consonants
-greater amplitude than consonants
-longer in duration than consonants
Formants
-dark bars shown on spectrograms that identify vowels
-formants are resonant frequencies of the vocal tract
Spectrum
-the frequency array, or energy pattern, associated with any sound
-vowel production is associated with low-frequency energy
-vowels are considered to have low-frequency spectra
Energy of Vowels
low-frequency energy
VOT: Voice Onset Time
-the time between the release of the stop burst and the onset of the voicing of the vowel
Prevoicing
-onset of voicing occurs before release burst in stops
-negative value
Voiceless Fricatives
-voiceless fricatives have greater airflow through the constriction
