bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Word and mora intelligibility in ‘‘Familiarity-controlled word-lists 2003 (FW03).’’
Authors: Kondo Tadahisa , Amano Shigeaki , Sakamoto Shuichi , Suzuki Yôiti
Published: October 2013

‘‘Familiarity-controlled Word-lists (FW03)’’ was developed to make it possible to perform intelligibility tests on the same person repeatedly and/or under several different conditions. FW03 consists of 20 lists of 50 words in four word familiarity ranks. These words were selected taking phonetic balance into consideration to maximize their variety of initial moras and vowel-consonant sequences. To confirm that all FW03 word lists from a particular familiarity rank present the same hearing difficulty, we measured the word intelligibility of all the words in FW03. Sixteen subjects listened to 4000 words spoken by four speakers with seven signal-to-noise ratios. The mean intelligibility scores for the lists were significantly different even for the same familiarity rank. The intelligibility was apparently influenced by some specific moras and their position in words. These results suggest that it is difficult to equalize the word intelligibility of the lists even when the word familiarity is controlled more precisely. We therefore examined several methods for equalizing the intelligibility among the lists such as controlling the sound pressure level for each word when operating an actual intelligibility test. The effectiveness of these methods is discussed with detailed analyses of word and mora intelligibility in FW03.
Measurement of thrombi volume using a transesophageal echocoardiography movie
Authors: Aoki Masami , Yamaguchi Tadashi , Hachiya Hiroyuki
Published: October 2013

In a total knee replacement operation, thrombi are formed by blood stasis in the deep venous of inferior limbs. They can cause pulmonary thromboembolism. The current judgment method of the existence of thrombi in the orthopedics field is visual observation using transesophageal echocoardiography (TEE). Therefore, we attempted to devise a quantitative measurement method of the volume of thrombi from TEE movies using multiple signal processing. It is necessary to extract a contour of the right atrium area at each frame of a TEE movie to measure the amount of thrombi that reach the lungs. Therefore, we propose processing that combines the modified brain extraction technique (BET) and vector moving method. The modified BET enables high-precision contour extraction. Vector moving performs the fast contour extraction. In addition, the fiber structure extraction technique (FSET) is used to extract the thrombi information in the right atrium. Similarly to speckle reduction, FSET can extract anomalous information from echo images. Using these processes, we observed a small periodic change that is synchronized with the heartbeat and the large time change that is synchronized with breathing.
Particle image velocimetry measurement and vortex sound analysis of high-amplitude acoustically generated flows in open ended tubes
Authors: Skulina David
Published: October 2013

Periodic vortex shedding induced by an acoustic field has been observed by several authors at orifices and at the open ends of tubes. It is a well-known dissipative mechanism and affects the sound field at the open end of a tube and the efficiency with which a standing wave can be maintained within it. This has obvious implications in the playability and design of musical wind instruments. To quantify the losses associated with vortex generation and shedding at the open end of a tube a method for the evaluation of PIV velocity maps using vortex sound theory is outlined. Comparison between the results of the vortex sound calculations and the velocity fields measured from the PIV vector maps allows both qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the acoustical effect of vortex shedding on losses over the acoustic cycle. It is found that the net acoustical losses due to the interaction of vortices with the acoustic field are most significant in a region within 2.5 mm of the open end. Out of this region, vortices act as a net source of sound, but are of lesser magnitude. [Work supported by EPSRC.]
Simulation of piano strings and a soundboard by a large deformation theory
Authors: Nishiguchi Isoharu , Sasaki Masataka , Yamamoto Aki
Published: October 2013

Three-dimensional finite element analyses of piano strings and a soundboard are presented in which a large deformation theory is adopted. In the large deformation theory, the momentum balance of a body is preserved in the course of the deformation and the changes of direction and amplitude of axial force due to deformation are taken into account. It is shown that the secondary partials appear in the spectrum of the velocity component in the axial direction as well as the transverse direction. A hammer is modeled by masses with springs and dashpots. Gap elements are employed to simulate the contact and detachment between the hammer model and a string. It is demonstrated that multiple reflections between hammer and agraffe can be reproduced by the method. Modeling of the interaction among strings, a bridge, and a soundboard is also discussed in which the crown and the preloading of the soundboard are taken into account.
Use of the energy decay relief (EDR) to estimate partial-overtone decay times in a freely vibrating string
Authors: Lee Nelson , Smith Julius O.
Published: October 2013

The energy decay relief (EDR) was proposed by J. M. Jot [IEEE, ICASSP (1992)] for displaying the impulse response of artificial reverberation systems. The EDR is a frequency-dependent generalization of Manfred Schroeder’s energy decay curve (EDC), defined at time n as the sum of squared impulse-response samples from time n until decay is complete. The EDR is similarly defined for each band in a uniform filter bank, typically implemented using the short-time Fourier transform (STFT). In this work, we apply the EDR to the problem of estimating decay times for the partials of a freely vibrating string. Previously, such decay times have been measured based on STFT magnitude data. We show that the EDR has certain advantages over the STFT, such as being less sensitive to ‘‘beating’’ in the amplitude envelopes of the partial overtones. Results in the context of virtual acoustic guitar modeling will be presented.
A predictive noise model for the resurfacing of Nebraska Highway 2
Authors: Cheenne Dominique , Lee Connie , Cappiello Michael , Lalk Sam , Martin Coleman , Muzzy Philip
Published: October 2013

A detailed investigation of the noise soundscape resulting from traffic on a 3-mile segment of Nebraska Highway 2 prior to resurfacing work was undertaken by the students enrolled in the Acoustics Program at Columbia College, Chicago. Noise data were acquired at six different locations using established protocols and included daytime and nighttime conditions. The test data were compared to the predictions from an outdoor noise propagation computer model and the results were found to be within ±2 dB for all locations under consideration. The computer model was then used to assess expected noise conditions under various concrete and asphalt scenarios for resurfacing. Data show that reductions of up to 6 dB in the overall noise levels may be achievable depending on the choice for the surface of the roadway.
Predicted effects of forest stand age on acoustic propagation
Authors: Swearingen Michelle
Published: October 2013

A theoretical study on the impact of forest stand age on acoustic propagation will be presented. A Red Pine forest was simulated at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 80 years of age, with assumptions that it was being maintained for utility pole harvest. Forest parameters, such as density, height, and diameter of trees, were used to predict vertical sound-speed profiles and then acoustic propagation. The resulting spectra were weighted to simulate low-frequency (30 Hz) and midfrequency (500 Hz) blast signatures. Spectra and sound-exposure levels (SEL) were examined to determine whether the forest stand age has a significant impact on acoustic propagation within a forest.
Noise emissions from powered hand tools: A consumer alert!
Authors: Hayden Charles , Zechmann Edward
Published: October 2013

Existing standards for acquiring sound power levels of powered hand tools specify, for the most part, that sound levels be gathered in the unloaded test condition. However, there is an increase in sound level when the power tool is tested in the loaded condition. There are two purposes for gathering sound power level data: (1) determination of hearing loss hazard or irritation and (2) part of an engineering design optimization effort. The former is the focus of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health efforts. Sound power level data were gathered in the loaded and unloaded conditions from a variety of electrically powered hand tools. A model was then used to estimate the A-weighted sound pressure level at the operator’s ear from the A-weighted sound power (LWA) measurements of powered hand tools. The magnitude of LWA is found to be a reasonable predictor of the magnitude of sound pressure level exposure that a powered hand tool operator might experience across a variety of acoustical environments. This presentation explores the methods used to gather sound power levels, an evaluation of the model, and an examination of differences found between loaded and unloaded tool test conditions.
Noise exposure limits and measurements for earphones
Authors: Woo K. Allen
Published: October 2013

There are noise exposure concerns regarding the use of audio earphones and telephone receivers. The permissible noise exposure limits have been defined for the occupational environment for many years, for instance, the US Code of Federal Regulations, 29CFR1910.95, Occupational noise exposure and the Directive 2003/10/EC of European Parliament on Minimum Health and Safety Requirements. Those permissible noise exposure limits are defined for noise exposure in an ‘‘open-field’’ environment. An open-field environment is an environment where the noise sources are at a distance from a person’s ear. The sound or noise field can be a combination or any of a free field, or partially reflected, diffused, and reverberant fields. Nonetheless, the noise exposures from earphones are not in an open field. They are localized at or inside the user’s ear. Conventional open-field noise exposure measurement methods do not apply. During the last 15 years or so, a few different test methods for measuring noise exposure from earphone or telephone receivers were developed. The standards of ITU-T P.360, UL 60950-1, IEEE 269, and EN 50332 were developed mostly by the telephone industry. This presentation addresses the common permissible noise exposure limits, how to relate the limits to earphones, and how to measure them.
Sound quality evaluation of transient sounds in precision information equipments
Authors: Yamaguchi Masao , Shirakata Sho , Toi Takeshi
Published: October 2013

These days, sound quality in mechanical products has become a very important factor in addition to reduction of the sound pressure level. A new method is proposed for sound quality evaluation including the transient sound in precision information equipment taking MFP (multifunction peripheral), for example. The MFP has many functional parts and a lot of operational modes, so single copy mode and ten times continuous copies mode in monochrome are taken into account. Since the operational sound including the transient sound is changed with time in one cycle, it is necessary to identify high contribution sound section to decide the sound quality by pair comparison method and SD method with original, filtered, and edited sounds. As a result, sound quality of the transient sound is influenced by the cycle time, the rhythm, the sound pressure, and the frequency characteristics. As the single copy mode, main uncomfortable sound can be estimated at the steady-state sound section caused by a rotational component. On the other hand, for the ten times continuous copies mode, it can be estimated at the particular transient sound section in one cycle caused by collision with mechanical parts, which is different from the single copy mode.
Sound source identification for precision information equipment having many kinds of sound sources
Authors: Shirakata Sho , Yamaguchi Masao , Toi Takeshi
Published: October 2013

These days, precision information equipment having multifunction with high qualities in an office environment is demanded. Sound quality in this equipment has become a very important factor in addition to reduction of the sound-pressure level. MFP (multifunction peripheral) has many functional parts and operational modes, so it makes uncomfortable transient sounds in one cycle. The primary sound section to decide the sound quality of the MFP was estimated by sound quality evaluation as in previous research. Main uncomfortable sounds could be confirmed at the steady-state sound section as the single copy mode and at the particular transient sound section in one cycle as the ten-times continuous copies mode. So, it is necessary to identify the position of uncomfortable sound sources at each mode for comfortable sound design. Principal component analysis (PCA) using acceleration measured by accelerometers and sound pressure measured by microphones is applied to identify the number of sound sources. Sound-pressure distribution in one cycle from the MFP having many kinds of sound sources can be measured by microphone array at each moment. As a result, the sound source position can be identified by using PCA and sound-pressure distribution.
Nonlinear acoustic experiments involving landmine detection: Status and future
Authors: Korman Murray S. , Sabatier James M.
Published: October 2013

In past experiments [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 3354–3369 (2004)], airborne sound at two primary tones, f1 and f2 (closely spaced near resonance), undergo acoustic-to-seismic coupling. Due to interactions with the buried plastic landmine, a scattered surface profile can be measured. Particle velocity profiles at f1, f2, and f1−(f2−f1) exhibit single peaks; those at 2f1−(f2−f1), f1+f2, and 2f2+(f2−f1) involve higher-order mode shapes. For some combination frequencies the ‘‘on target’’ to ‘‘off target’’ contrast ratio can improve by over 20 dB. Near resonance, the bending (softening) of a family of increasing amplitude tuning curves, involving the vibration over the landmine, exhibits a linear relationship between the peak particle velocity and corresponding frequency. Hysteresis effects and slow dynamic behavior have also been observed. The interaction between the top-plate interface of a buried landmine and the soil above it appears to exhibit many characteristics of the mesoscopic/nanoscale nonlinear effects that are observed in geomaterials like rocks (sandstone). In linear detection schemes the natural inhomogeneous soil layering can generate some false alarms. Recent ‘‘off target’’ versus. ‘‘on target’’ tuning curve measurements show a substantial increase in nonlinearity, suggesting this to be a good false alarm discriminator. [Work supported by ONR.]
Phase inversion and two-frequency interaction in nonlinear time-reversal acoustic method of land mine detection
Authors: Sutin Alexander , Libbey Brad , Sarvazyan Armen
Published: October 2013

Seismic waves are known to generate a nonlinear response in soil, but data show that the presence of a mine increases the nonlinearities due to interactions of the mine and soil system. The nonlinear effects were investigated by two methods. The first, phase inversion, uses two short, broadband TRA focused signals with opposite signs. These are broadcast sequentially and the responses are added in post processing. This results in cancellation of the linear response leaving the nonlinear system components. The second method relies on two-frequency intermodulation. In this case time-reversed seismic energy at 280 and 350 Hz was used to excite the system while the response was analyzed at the sum frequency, 630 Hz. The experiments demonstrate that the presence of the mine increases nonlinearity by 12 dB for the phase-inversion method and by 6 dB for two-frequency interactions in comparison with intact sand. These results support the hypothesis that the interface between mine body and surrounding sand significantly increases the nonlinear response as compared to sand alone. Work was supported by U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.
Time-reversal acoustic focusing of waves produced by seismic vibrators
Authors: Sutin Alexander , Kurtenoks Victor , Sabatier James , Burgett Rick , ONeil Mike , Aranchuk Slava , Libbey Brad , Sarvazyan Armen
Published: October 2013

A land mine detection system has been developed based on excitation of seismic waves by four mechanical shakers and measurements of ground vibration by a 16-beam, scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). Time-reversal acoustic (TRA) focusing was applied to concentrate seismic waves using the above system. Linear swept frequency signals and orthogonal initial signals in the frequency band of 100–500 Hz were used in outdoor testing. The system impulse response from any shaker to the LDV output was computed by cross correlating the original and recorded signals. With orthogonal signals, the system impulse responses between multiple shakers and the LDV were measured simultaneously, thus reducing the overall measurement time. Each shaker then reradiates the time-reversed impulse responses focusing the seismic energy to a point on the ground. Experiments demonstrate that the TRA focusing provided a high concentration of elastic wave energy in the test area with typical focusing spots about 20 cm in diameter. [Work supported by U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate.]
Acousto-optic interactions at a surface perturbed by acoustic and gravity waves
Authors: Churnside James , Bravo Hector , Naugolnykh Konstantin , Fuks Joseph
Published: October 2013

We studied the acousto-optic interaction at a water surface perturbed by an underwater sound source. Using a coherent optical detection technique, we measured the power spectra of the scattered light. Filtering of the power spectra allowed us to detect the sound-induced perturbations of the surface in the presence of surface waves, even though the amplitude of the waves was much larger than the acoustic perturbations of the surface. The theory of scattering by a surface perturbed by sound and by surface waves is developed and that theory is compared with the experimental results.
Improvement of dispersion of nanometer-sized diamond particles for precise polishing by ultrasound exposure
Authors: Uchida Takeyoshi , Kikuchi Tsuneo , Setoyama Yoshikazu , Kawashima Norimichi , Takeuchi Shinichi
Published: October 2013

A novel acoustic dispersion method for fine diamond particles was investigated by our group. Nanometer-sized diamond particles for abrasive agents should be dispersed sufficiently in water without aggregation. The particles usually aggregate immediately after their manufacture. The dispersants and dispersion equipment are used for dispersion of the particles. However, these dispersion methods present problems in their dispersion characteristics and reaggregation because such methods do not improve the essential surface characteristics. We suggested the acoustic dispersion method. We reported in 2005 at the IEEE Conference in Rotterdam that nanometer-sized diamond particles with 5-nm primary particle size were dispersed using ultrasound. The particles with 5-nm primary particle size are anticipated for use as future abrasive agents. Particles with 50-nm primary particle size are actually used at present as abrasive agents. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the dispersion of particles with primary particle sizes of 20, 50, 80, and 150 nm. Results show that the aggregated particles were disaggregated to nanometer-sized particles. Zeta potentials of the diamond particles were increased by ultrasound. These results suggest the improvement of dispersion of nanometer-sized diamond particles in water.
Observation of living samples in a C-mode configuration with an ultrasonic phase conjugator
Authors: Seki Tatsuya , Ohno Masahiro
Published: October 2013

Ultrasonic images of living samples have been obtained in a C-mode configuration with phase conjugation (time-reversal) processes. A phase conjugator for 10-MHz ultrasound was realized by the field-mixing in a PZT block pumped with 20-MHz electric fields. Samples, relatively thick (mm to cm) living materials, were placed between an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving transducer and the phase conjugator and were scanned to form C-mode transmission images. Ultrasonic tone-burst pulses radiated onto the sample were led into the PZT block and were converted to their phase conjugate waves, which, for their time-reversing nature, acted to cancel the wavefront deformation introduced by the thick living samples. In the experiment, images were obtained at a frequency of 10 MHz for several samples such as chicken liver, poke meat, and some model samples made of agarose gel, both by the phase conjugate method and by the conventional one. Images by the phase conjugate method showed relatively good accordance with the real ultrasonic attenuation distribution, while those by the conventional method were very sensitive to the shapes or the discontinuities of samples.
Propagation and interaction of phase conjugate ultrasound waves in moving media
Authors: Preobrazhensky V. , Pernod P. , Pyl’nov Yu
Published: October 2013

Wave phase conjugation is known as an effective tool for compensation of phase distortions arising during wave propagation in inhomogeneous media. Backpropagation of the phase conjugate wave (PCW) towards the emitter restores the phase of the primary wave on its source. This feature of PCW results from reversibility of wave processes in stationary media. The presence of flows or of moving objects in a medium breaks the time-reversal invariance of the wave process and leads, in particular, to the phase shift of the emitted and conjugate waves on the source. In the present paper the theory of PCW propagation in nonlinear and moving inhomogeneous media is developed on the basis of the modified KZK approximation. Applications of the wave phase conjugation for new methods of ultrasonic velocimetry and nonlinear diagnostics of flows are considered.
Ultrasonic characterization of microstructure evolution during processing
Authors: Yang Liyong , Turner Joseph A.
Published: October 2013

Many cold-working processes for polycrystalline metals cause alignment of the grains with a single symmetry axis. This type of microstructure is called fiber texture. The existence of a preferred orientation of the grains has a significant influence on the propagation and scattering of ultrasonic waves, which are often used for material inspection. Knowledge of the wave attenuation of such textured materials is of both theoretical and practical interest to nondestructive testing and materials characterization. In this article, the quantitative relations between fiber texture and wave attenuations of hexagonal crystals are presented. The texture is characterized by a Gaussian distribution function that contains a single parameter that governs the transition of the texture from perfectly aligned crystals to statistically isotropic. Under this assumption, the materials of interest have a varying degree of transverse isotropy representative of processing conditions. Simple expressions for the attenuations of the three modes of waves are given in a concise, generalized representation. Finally, numerical results are presented and discussed in terms of the directional, frequency, and texture dependence. The results presented are expected to improve the understanding of the microstructure evolution during thermomechanical processing. [Work supported by U.S. DOE.]
Shaped sound focusing using multiple sources: An acoustical ring
Authors: Park Jin Young , Kim Yang-Hann
Published: October 2013

Shaped sound focusing is defined as the generation of acoustically bright shape in space using multiple sources. The acoustically bright zone is a spatially focused region with relatively high acoustic potential energy level. In view of the energy transfer, acoustical focusing is essential because acoustic energy is very small to use other types of energy. In clinical uses, for example, there are several approaches for using thermal energy from focused ultrasonic wave energy, so-called high intensity focused ultrasound, concerning point-focusing not regional focusing. If sound shape can be controlled, it offers various kinds of solutions for clinical uses and others because a regional focusing is essentially needed to reduce a treatment time and enhance the performance of transducers. For making the shaped-sound field, control variables, such as a number of sources, excitation frequency, source positioning, etc., should be considered according to geometrical sound shape. To verify these relations between them, a wave-number domain matching method is suggested because the wave-number spectrum can provide the information of the source from the phase and magnitude of the wave-number spectrum. In this presentation, discussions about shaped sound focusing and how to make this sound field are provided for the case of an acoustical ring.
Simulation of phonation control using a tensile vocal-fold model
Authors: Tao Chao , Zhang Yu , Jiang Jack J.
Published: October 2013

The vocal folds act as an energy transducer that converts aerodynamic power into acoustic power. Therefore, modeling the vocal-fold vibration could provide valuable information for voice synthesis. In previous vocal-fold lumped models, the vocal-fold was simplified as a spring oscillator; the restoring force due to lateral deflection of vocal-fold tissue is represented by equivalent lateral springs. However, the vocal-fold tissue actually contains an intricate extracellular matrix, composed of longitudinal elastin, which lies parallel to the vocal fold. Thyroarytenoid, lateral cricoarytenoid, and cricothyroid muscles control the elongation of these longitudinal elastin and further determine the voice pitch, dysphonia, and rough voice. In this study a tensile vocal-fold model is proposed to simulate vocal-fold vibration. In this model the lateral tissue deflection is represented by lateral spring and the longitudinal elastin elongation is described by nonlinear longitudinal springs. Differential equations are developed to describe the tensile vocal-fold model. The fundamental frequency and phonation threshold pressure are predicted by the proposed vocal-fold model. Numerical simulations prove that the proposed tensile vocal-fold model can accurately describe the muscles control on phonation pitch and so on. [Work supported by NIH.]
Lung pressure dependence of glottal sound source
Authors: Nomura Hideyuki , Funada Tetsuo
Published: October 2013

The present study investigates the lung pressure dependence of the vibration of vocal cords using numerical experiments based on our proposed glottal sound source model. The glottal sound source model is described as a coupled problem between unsteady glottal jets and mechanical vocal cords. The vocal cord is assumed to be an elastic cover with effective mass of vocal cord. To simulate the mechanical properties of vocal cords, the elastic cover is supported by distributed small mechanical elements of a spring and damper. The speech production process can be predicted by alternately solving the motion of glottal jets and the vocal cords’ vibration. Results of this simulation show that the fundamental frequency of vocal cords’ vibration and the propagation velocity of the mucosal wave first increase and then remain constant with lung pressure. The threshold lung pressure of 200–400 Pa and the propagation velocity of mucosal waves is of the order of 1 m/s, which are consistent with measured values. These results suggest that our proposed model is suitable for description of a glottal sound source.
Linear stability analysis of an aeroelastic model of phonation
Authors: Zhang Zhaoyan , Neubauer Juergen , Berry David
Published: October 2013

This study presents a linear stability analysis of a two-dimensional aeroelastic model of phonation, which incorporates the interaction between the glottal flow and the vocal folds. The model consists of a wall constriction (shaped by the medial surface of vocal the folds), which is situated in a rigid pipe with an applied potential flow. The vocal-fold constriction is modeled as a plane-strain linear elastic layer. An eigenvalue problem is formulated and the eigenvalues of the coupled system and the eigenshape of the vocal fold surface are calculated. Both linear divergence and flutter instabilities are possible. Phonation onset frequency and pressure are investigated as a function of glottal channel width, vocal fold geometry, and vocal fold material properties. Based on aeroelasticity theory, this model allows the prediction of the effects of changing geometric and viscoelastic properties of the vocal folds on phonation onset.
The relation of the temporal variation of F2 to articulator movement
Authors: Tucker Benjamin V. , Story Brad H.
Published: October 2013

The second formant frequency (F2) has been shown to serve a prominent role in speech perception. The specific relation of the temporal variation of F2 to tongue and lip motion is, however, less well understood. Using the x-ray microbeam database (Westbury et al., 1994), data from six males and six females were extracted for six vowel to vowel (VV) transitions (iu, ia, ua, au, ai, ui). Time-dependent displacements of the lower lip pellet, four tongue pellets, and a jaw pellet were extracted from each of the VV transitions for each speaker. Also extracted for each VV were F1, F2, and F3. Jaw movement was decoupled from the movement of the other fleshpoints following Westbury (1994). Correlations were then calculated between each flesh point and each of the formants on both the x and the y axis of movement. An analysis of the correlation results indicates that F2 was most highly correlated with articulator movement on both the x and y axes.
Processing of Japanese vowel devoicing and the effect of speech rate
Authors: Ogasawara Naomi
Published: October 2013

Vowel devoicing (or reduction) in Japanese is an interface between the phonetic and phonological levels (Vance, 1987; Yoshida, 2002). The phonological rule for vowel reduction defines that high vowels (/i, u/) undergo reduction when between voiceless consonants or between a voiceless consonant and a pause. However, there are some cases of vowel reduction that do not fit the rule. A high vowel adjacent to a voiced consonant sometimes becomes reduced, especially in casual speech (Arai, 1999). Even a nonhigh vowel can undergo reduction (Arai, 1999; Vance, 2004). In this study, the effect of speech rate on the processing of reduced vowels is examined, particularly for vowels that are only likely to be reduced in casual, fast speech. How do listeners recognize vowels that are reduced in fast speech, or the words containing them? A lexical decision experiment showed that listeners found it easier to process fast speech containing reduced vowels than careful speech of isolated words containing them. They also found vowel reduction acceptable for nonhigh vowels in fast speech. This suggests that listeners use knowledge of both phonology and speech rate variability in processing connected speech.
Korean coda cluster simplification: Articulatory study
Authors: Son Minjung
Published: October 2013

Korean exhibits optional coda cluster reduction in lateral-stop (C1C2) sequences. However, this phenomenon has not been tested on the basis of articulatory data. The present study examines articulatory movement using EMMA. For two speakers of Seoul-Korean (e.g., JL and SL), clusters such as /Vlk/ and /Vlp/ followed by /ta/ were elicited at a normal rate along with control tokens (e.g., /Vkta/, /Vpta/, /Vlta/). The stimuli were presented with the relevant word in isolation. Results indicated that neither speaker showed /p/ and /l/ reduction, although there was interspeaker variation in /k/ reduction. While no /k/ reduction occurred in C1C2 for JL, SL demonstrated categorical /k/ reduction in 19% of production, where a longer closure duration of a tongue tip gesture was observed (e.g., possible compensatory lengthening) when it was compared with the control /VltV/; this fails to be addressed in impressionistic transcription and OT analyses [June 11th ICKL, pp. 382–390 (1998); Cho, CLS 35, 43–57 (1999)]. Lastly, the duration of gestural formation of /k/ in the sequence containing /lk/ was longer than that of /p/ in the sequence containing /lp/, which can be articulatorily supporting evidence to explain more /l/ deletion before /k/ than /p/ in Cho (1999). [Work supported by NIH.]
Ultrasound study of velar-vowel coarticulation
Authors: Wodzinski Sylvie M. , Frisch Stefan A.
Published: October 2013

In velar fronting, the closure location for a velar consonant is moved forward along the palate due to vowel context. This study is a replication and extension of a previous study on velar fronting [Wodzinski and Frisch, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114, 2395 (2003)]. In this study, ten participants produced sentences containing monosyllabic words with /k/ onsets and nine different American English vowels. Ultrasound was used to make measurements of lingual-palatal constriction location at the midpoint of stop closure. Participants were recorded using a head-stabilizing apparatus and an acoustically transparent standoff was used between the ultrasound probe and the jaw. Velar closure location was quantified by the angle of elevation from the horizontal axis of the ultrasound probe to the center of the velar closure. The articulatory frontness of the following vowel was quantified using the frequency of F2 at the vowel midpoint. A strong negative correlation between velar closure angle and the following vowel F2 was seen for all ten participants. The coarticulatory pattern suggests that each velar-vowel combination results in a distinct closure location for the velar. Implications for models of speech production will be discussed.
Introducing diphthongs to the vowel space
Authors: Bogacka Anna
Published: October 2013

The aim of the study is to provide information on a new vowel space of Polish learners of British English, specifically about acoustic properties of diphthongs. Polish does not have diphthongs, though it has vowel plus glide sequences comparable to English rising diphthongs. Polish has neither vowel duration distinctions nor vowels which are qualitatively identical to the ones appearing in English diphthongs. Studying diphthongs offers the possibility of examining the interplay of substitutions of qualitative and quantitative features. Eight dipthongs were taken into account. The conditioning criteria were quality, duration, occurrence of glottal stops, and degree of nasalization. Twenty subjects were recorded reading 61 sentences with diphthongs embedded in real words. The paper discusses challenges in segmentation. Reported are non-native properties of formant and timing relations and systematic differences in alternations applied to: simple vowels versus diphthongs, rising versus centering diphthongs, and initial versus final phases of diphthongs. Specifically, nasal vocalization was found to depend on the presence or absence of a following fricative, but to be independent of a stressed or unstressed position. The finding is explained by resorting to Polish prosody, which is not stress timed. Suggestions for using the findings in second language instruction will also be offered.
Cues to stop place in stop-liquid clusters
Authors: Flemming Edward
Published: October 2013

The acoustic correlates of stop place contrasts in prevocalic position have been studied intensively, but much less is known about stop place contrasts in consonant clusters. An understanding of the nature and distribution of cues to contrasts across a variety of contexts is important to the phonological analysis of the distribution of contrasts. This study extends the characterization of stop place contrasts to stop-liquid clusters /br, dr, gr, bl, gl/, based on acoustic analysis of American English. We examine how well established cues relating to burst duration, burst spectrum, and formant transitions generalize to the stop-liquid context. The relative perceptual weight of burst and formant transitions will be assessed through identification of cross-spliced stimuli.
Acoustic analysis of pressed voice
Authors: Ishi Carlos , Ishiguro Hiroshi , Hagita Norihiro
Published: October 2013

Pressed voice (‘‘rikimi’’ in Japanese) is a voice quality related to the vibratory patterns of the vocal folds. It was recently shown that pressed voice carries important paralinguistic information in Japanese, indicating emotional or attitudinal state of the speaker. In the present work, several acoustic features are investigated, aiming for an appropriate acoustic characterization and an automatic detection of pressed voices. Analysis of pressed voice samples extracted from natural conversational speech firstly shows that irregularity in periodicity (such as in creaky and harsh voices) is a common but not a strictly determinant feature of pressed voices. Spectral analysis shows that parameters related to spectral slope are effective to identify part of the pressed voice samples, but fail when vowels are nasalized or double-beating occurs in a glottal cycle. Temporal analyses of pressed and nonpressed creaky voices indicate that diplophonia (simultaneous production of two separate tones, when vocal folds oscillate out of phase) frequently occurs in nonpressed creaky voices, while it rarely appears in pressed ones. Further temporal analysis of EGG (electroglottograph) waveforms of acted speech showed the same trends obtained for natural speech, indicating that information about the absence of diplophonia can potentially be used for pressed voice detection.
Acoustic analysis and synthesis of laughter
Authors: Haga Toshiaki , Honda Masaaki , Shirai Katsuhiko
Published: October 2013

Laughter is an important emotional expression in speech. The production is characterized simply by quasiperiodic glottal opening/closing gesture with relatively constant articulatory configuration. The acoustic consequence, however, is complicated and appears in the temporal characteristics of voiced-unvoiced category and pitch, the spectral envelope, and the segmental duration. In this study, acoustic parameters that characterize laughter were investigated from acoustical and perceptual points of view. Laughter /hahaha/ was selected as a typical laughter from conversational speech recording and the acoustic characteristics were compared with those of normally uttered speech /hahaha/. The acoustic analysis was performed in terms of pitch in average and its intrasegmental pattern, the spectral tilt and formant bandwidth, and the segmental duration of the vowel /a/ and the consonant /h/. Then, perceptually significant acoustic features were investigated by using means of replacement of the acoustic parameters of the normally uttered speech by those of the laughter in speech analysis-synthesis system. The results showed that an increased pitch in average and distinct intrasegmental pitch pattern as well as spectral envelope with broad bandwidths are significant features to characterize the laughter. The laughter synthesis by rule was also investigated by manipulating these acoustic parameters.
A study on generation of the voice bar in voiced stops
Authors: Dang Jianwu , Nakai Takayoshi , Piao Yongnan , Masaki Shinobu
Published: October 2013

The voice bar of the voiced stops is generally considered as a radiation sound from the vibration of the laryngeal wall while the mouth is closed. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms involved in generation of the voice bar of the voiced stops by means of acoustic and mechanical measurements and MRI observations for three Japanese speakers. Radiated sounds from the mouth and the nostrils were recorded separately, while vibration of the laryngeal wall was measured by an accelerometer. The correlation of the nostril radiation to the voice bar is higher than that of the laryngeal wall vibration to the voice bar. It implies that the major component of the voice bar is likely radiated from the nostrils but not the laryngeal wall, where the nostrils’ radiation is possibly caused by a transvelar coupling of the yielding velum. The authors have proposed a two-layer board model to imitate the transvelar function. To obtain physiological evidences, articulation of stop-vowel sequences was observed by MRI movies. It found that the thickness of the velum varies with the adjacent vowels. Applying this measurement to the two-layer board model, the generation of the voice bar was evaluated by comparing the simulations and observations.
Sound radiations from nostrils for voiced speech and their individuality
Authors: Nakai Takayoshi , Yamamoto Masashi
Published: October 2013

This study is intended research to analyze sound radiations from the nostrils for voiced speech and explore their characteristics. Sound pressure near the nostril, vibration acceleration of the nose, and sound pressure in front of the mouth were observed using a three-channel A-D converter. The ratio of radiations from the nostril and the mouth, RRNM, was observed. Speech materials included nasal sounds /ma/ and /na/; five vowels; and /cvcv/(c=b, d, g, v=a, i, u, e, and o). There are ten male subjects. For initial buzzes, RRNM showed individuality: it is from 0 to −15 dB lower than for /m/. For medial buzzes, RRNM is mostly lower than for initial buzzes. Transitions from buzz to vowel and from vowel to buzz were mostly fast, but their transitions are slow and smooth in some cases. Frequency analyses revealed that radiation from the nostrils consists mainly of fundamental frequency, and the second and third harmonics.
On the vocalization of nonspeech sounds: Implicit mechanisms
Authors: Segnini Rodrigo , Mochida Takemi
Published: October 2013

When humans vocalize nonspeech sounds, as when imitating other sound-producing mechanisms, how effective is this vocalization? The human vocal tract is adept at producing speech sounds, allowing verbal communication despite variations in these sounds due to differences in size, shape, and dynamics of this mechanism among individuals. In contrast, nonspeech sounds that were not originally produced by the human vocal tract derive from even more structurally different mechanisms—those of animal calls or machinery sounds, for example. Through experiment, we determined that in imitative tasks of such nonspeech sounds, subjects were intuitively able to produce distinguishing articulatory movements for each sound under different conditions, even when lacking auditory feedback. These results reveal a nontrivial coherence between articulatory events and the intended sound despite the noted differences with the original production mechanism and the resulting acoustic mismatch. The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to Makio Kashino for enriching discussion and support in the realization of this project.
The articulation of consonants in Kinyarwanda’s sibilant harmony
Authors: Walker Rachel , Byrd Dani , Lee Sungbok , DeFreitas Celeste , Mpiranya Fidele
Published: October 2013

Kinyarwanda’s sibilant harmony causes alveolar /s, z/ to become retroflex when preceding a retroflex fricative within a stem. Intervening coronal stops block sibilant harmony, but bilabial and velar consonants are transparent. This study investigates the production of Kinyarwanda’s sibilant fricatives and also examines transparent and opaque consonants in the system. Articulatory kinematic data were collected for a native speaker of Kinyarwanda using electromagnetic articulography. This allowed calculation of the mean angle for receivers affixed to the tongue tip and blade over the target consonant intervals. Average mean angle reliably and robustly distinguished alveolar and retroflex fricatives, with alveolars showing a lower tip relative to blade. No significant difference in mean angle was found for /t/ in contexts where it blocked retroflex sibilant harmony versus ones where it preceded an alveolar fricative, confirming that /t/ does not participate in the harmony. However, in contexts where /m/ and /k/ are perceived as transparent to sibilant harmony, their mean tip-blade angle was significantly different from contexts where harmony did not occur. Furthermore, mean angle during transparent /m/ showed no significant difference from mean angle during retroflex fricatives, suggesting that tongue tip-blade angle conducts strongly and systematically through transparent consonants but without perceptible effect. [Work supported by NIH, USC URP.]
Intrinsic vowel F0 and speech rate
Authors: Maddieson Ian
Published: October 2013

A relation between vowel height and F0 such that, other things being equal, F0 is a little higher in a high vowel than a low vowel appears to be a phonetic universal. However, the cause of this relationship remains unclear. An insight might be gained from ways in which the relationship changes under transformations of speech rate. Ten speakers of American English were recorded saying sentences containing words such as ‘‘bead’’ and ‘‘bad’’ at fast and slow rates. For the majority of the subjects the intrinsic F0 difference was greater in fast speech, contrary to expectation. The difference cannot be explained by changes in vowel quality between the conditions.
Acoustic evidence for the lenis/fortis contrast in California Northern Paiute
Authors: Babel Molly
Published: October 2013

California Northern Paiute (CNP) is spoken in the communities on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern California. CNP is the southernmost dialect of Northern Paiute, a language belonging to the Western Numic branch of Uto-Aztecan. CNP is a severely endangered language spoken by fewer than ten fluent speakers. CNP has a phonemic contrast that is distinct from that of any other Numic language. CNP has three series of stops: lenis, fortis, and voiced fortis. Previous descriptions of CNP have used only impressionistic judgments to categorize the phoneme series. This paper presents the first acoustic evidence for the lenis/fortis contrast in CNP. Field recordings from five native speakers of CNP were analyzed in this investigation. The lenis/fortis contrast was examined by measuring the closure duration using cues from the waveform and spectrogram in a digital signal processing program. Results of duration measurements support the impressionistic evidence and suggest a voiced and voiceless fortis series in addition to a single lenis series in the phonemic inventory of CNP. This research has implications for the acquisition of categories by second language learners who are first language speakers of a language that does not have such a contrast.
Articulation without acoustics: A case study of Oneida utterance-final forms
Authors: Gick Bryan , Michelson Karin , Radanov Bosko
Published: October 2013

Whether the targets of speech production are primarily articulatory or acoustic has been controversial [Guenther et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 105(5), 2854–2865 (1999)]. While it has been observed that tongue movements occur even in contexts where they may be acoustically obscured [Browman and Goldstein, LabPhonI: 341–376 (1990); Tiede et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110(5), 2, 2657 (2001)], the question of whether natural languages can systematically encode articulations in the absence of acoustic consequences has remained open. A study was conducted to investigate a purported phonological process in the endangered Oneida (Iroquois) language whereby utterance-final forms exhibit fixed sequences having this property. Ultrasound, video, and acoustic data were collected from two native speakers of Oneida in a field setting. Preliminary results indicate that speakers’ tongue positions are significantly different during different utterance-final vowel articulations despite these vowels being completely inaudible. Results confirm claims that the Oneida phenomenon is in fact a case of articulation without acoustics, and indicate that it is indeed possible for articulations to be retained even in the systematic absence of auditory goals. [Work supported by NSERC.]