Chapter 6.1-6.2

Question 1

formants

Answer 1

resonant frequencies of the vocal tract
- the first formant (F1) is the lowest resonant frequency of the vocal tract when producing a vowel
—the first formant is NOT equal to f0 !!!!
- the second formant (F2) is the second lowest resonant frequency of the vocal tract
…and so forth
- formants are proportional to c, the speed of sound, and inversely proportional to λ, 4 x the length of the vocal tract
—longer vocal tract (tube) = lower formants
— f = c/λ, where λ=4L
—L = length of vocal tract

Question 2

How could we calculate the first formant?

Answer 2

f = c/λ
—λ = 4L
—L = length of the vocal tract
—c = speed of sound = 33,000-35,000 cm/sec
—at 20°C in air, c = 34,300 cm/sec
—c depends on the medium

Question 3

f₀ vs. formants

Answer 3

f₀ is NOT the same as F1.
—f0 describes the lowest frequency of the vocal folds vibrating, whereas F1 is the lowest resonant frequency of the vocal tract
—if f0 is higher than F1, then F1 will not be heard in filtered voice
–> in other words, if the fundamental frequency of the speech stream is higher than the first formant, you will not hear the first formant
–> this is why it is hard to tell what soprano opera singers are actually singing

Question 4

What is the relationship between vowel articulatory features and formants?

Answer 4

1. F1 is related to how high/low (close/open) a vowel is.
   —lower F1 = higher vowel
   —higher F1 = lower vowel
2. F2 is related to how front/back a vowel is
   —lower F2 = back vowel
   —higher F2 = front vowel
3. F2 and F3 lower with rounding