Exam 2

Question 1

Odd quarter wavelength rule

Answer 1

The air in a tube of uniform volume which is closed at one end will resonant to a frequency four times the length of a tube with other formants occurring at odd-numbered intervals of the resonant frequency

Question 2

Radiation characteristic

Answer 2

Sound modification as it moves through the lips (6 dB increase in amplitude per octave)

Question 3

Sound source of sources for both voiced and voiceless consonants

Answer 3

Voiced Consonants
-Primary Source = vocal folds
-Secondary source = point of constriction or obstruction created by articulators

Voiceless Consonants
-Point of constriction or obstruction created by articulators

Question 4

Periodic waves

Answer 4

Type of complex wave that will repeat itself over regular intervals in time (sine wave)

Question 5

Quasi-periodic waves

Answer 5

Type of complex wave that appears to be reasonably periodic because almost all features of one cycle repeat themselves in the next cycle (vowels)

Question 6

Aperiodic waves

Answer 6

Type of complex wave categorized by a complete absence of periodicity; random wave (“sh”)

Question 7

Missing fundamental phenomenon

Answer 7

Phenomenon where the fundamental frequency can be stripped away and the listener will perceive it as if the fundamental is still there (aural illusion)

Question 8

White noise (Gaussian noise)

Answer 8

Aperiodic complex wave that contains all possible frequencies at the same relative amplitude

Question 9

Transient noise

Answer 9

Abrupt sound of a very short duration that does not repeat itself

Question 10

Free vibration

Answer 10

Vibration caused by the single application of an external force

Question 11

Vocal tract modifications 1st, 2nd, 3rd formants are most responsive to

Answer 11

Formant 1
-more responsive to changes in mouth opening

Formant 2
-more responsive to changes in size of the oral cavity

Formant 3
-more responsive to front vs. back constriction

Question 12

Sound absorption

Answer 12

Occurs when sound hits a barrier and enters into it dissipating in the form of thermal energy

Question 13

Inverse square law

Answer 13

Orderly relationship between a decrease in the sounds amplitude and the distance it travels from the source

Question 14

Damping

Answer 14

Sound diminishes in amplitude over time

Question 15

Low-damped system

Answer 15

The vibrations last for a relatively long period of time and they diminish gradually

Question 16

High-damped system

Answer 16

Vibrations last for a relatively short period of time and they diminish rapidly (critically damped systems are an extreme version of this)

Question 17

Functions that make up the source filter theory

Answer 17

1.) Source function
2.) Transfer function
3.) Output function

Question 18

Source function

Answer 18

Exists at the level of the larynx and it is the sound before it’s undergone any modifications (amplitude spectrum)

Has a fundamental frequency and harmonics and the harmonics decrease in amplitude at a rate of 12 dB per octave

Question 19

Transfer function

Answer 19

Not a sound; represents the modification the sound is going to undergo as it travels through the vocal tract (frequency response curve)

Question 20

Output function

Answer 20

Reflects the sound as it emerges from the lips after it has undergone modification by the vocal tract (amplitude spectrum)

Has a 6 dB increase in amplitude per octave because of the barffell effect

Question 21

Properties which determine the complexity of a complex sound wave

Answer 21

Frequency, amplitude, phase, and number of waves

Question 22

Square wave

Answer 22

Type of shape of a complex periodic sound wave; special kind of complex periodic wave that’s composed of the summation of an infinite number of either even OR odd multiples of the fundamental that have the appropriate relative amplitudes and the same starting phase

Decrease at a rate of 6 dB per octave

Question 23

Sawtooth wave

Answer 23

Type of shape of a complex periodic sound wave; special kind of complex periodic wave that’s composed of the summation of an infinite number of either even AND odd multiples of the fundamental that have the appropriate relative amplitudes and the same starting phase

Decrease at a rate of 6 dB per octave

Question 24

Triangle wave

Answer 24

Type of shape of a complex periodic sound wave; special kind of complex periodic wave that’s composed of the summation of an infinite number of either even OR odd multiples of the fundamental that have the appropriate relative amplitudes and the same starting phase

Decrease at a rate of 12 dB per octave

Question 25

Resonance

Answer 25

A frequency-selective reinforcement of the soundwave and sound energy that occurs when one vibrating object sets or forces another object into vibration

Question 26

Forced vibration

Answer 26

One vibration forcing something else into vibration (resonance)

Has a realization of an increase in power which makes us perceive the sound as louder

Question 27

How the length of the front cavity influences the resonant shaping of consonants

Answer 27

-The more posterior the point of constriction, the larger the front cavity, the lower its resonant frequencies, and the more shaping of the sound that will occur

-The more forward the point of constriction, the smaller the front cavity, and the higher the resonant frequency to the extent that there is little to no response shaping

Question 28

Transient

Answer 28

Abrupt sound of a very short duration that does not repeat itself (slamming your hand on a table)

Question 29

Reflection

Answer 29

A sound is deflected off a barrier and prolonged (technically known as reverberation)

Question 30

Fourier analysis

Answer 30

Process by which a complex waveform is decomposed or broken down so that all the simple sinusoids can be analyzed according to the amplitude, frequency, and phase of each

Question 31

Vocal tract as a variable broadly tuned resonator

Answer 31

-The vocal tract is variable because its length and volume can be changed (every time we move our articulators we change the length, volume, and shape of the vocal tract which in turn changes the resonant characteristics of that vocal tract)

-The vocal tract is broadly tuned because it resonates a range of frequencies around its resonant frequency (harmonics don’t have to be an exact match to be reinforced because if they’re close enough they’ll get some degree of reinforcement)