bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Contrastive Investigation of Vowel Duration in German and Dutch
Authors: van Dommelen Wim 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The point of departure for this investigation were some generally accepted impressionistic statements about durational differences between German and Dutch vowels. Acoustic measurements revealed that differences can best be described with a phonological rule (to be applied in German but not in Dutch) rather than be regarded as inherent. Furthermore it appeared that second-language performance with regard to vowel duration is not necessarily predictable from the duration of pronunciation training.
Statistical Relationships among the First Three Formant Frequencies in Vowel Segments in Continuous Speech
Authors: Sato Shigeru , Yokota Masayuki , Kasuya Hideki 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Statistical relationships among F<sub>1</sub> F<sub>2</sub> and F<sub>3</sub> in vowel segments in continuous speech were investigated with 909 vowel samples from Japanese sentences uttered by 4 adult male speakers. Determined by minimizing the square errors from the measured F<sub>3</sub>, two separate planes corresponding to front and back vowels are situated in the F<sub>1</sub>F<sub>2</sub>F<sub>3</sub> space to obtain the F<sub>3</sub> values estimated from F<sub>1</sub> and F<sub>2</sub>. Estimation errors are found to be comparable to difference limens in hearing. Also, uniform/nonuniform formant frequency scaling is discussed in terms of physical differences in the planes for individual speakers.
Articulatory Parameters for the Perception of Bilabials
Authors: Kasuya Hideki , Takeuchi Shoji , Sato Shigeru , Kido Ken’iti 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In order to investigate articulatory cues for the perception of bilabial consonants, a production model was set up whose control parameters were converted into acoustic parameters by which a terminal analogue speech synthesizer was driven to synthesize test sounds for the perception experiments. Experiments concerning discrimination between /b/ and /w/ and between /m/ and /w/ were then performed with these test sounds. Statistical testing of the results showed that discrimination among the bilabials in an intervocalic context entirely depended on the minimum value of lip opening and that, contrary to the facts hitherto known, it was independent of the rate of lip opening/closure. At the same time, the features [ + anterior, – coronal] and [ + nasal] turned out to be perceptually independent phonological attributes of bilabial and nasal consonants, respectively.
Intelligibilité de la parole bruitée, soumise à une analyse-synthèse par prédiction linéaire
Authors: Garcin Philippe , Sérignat Jean-François 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Linear prediction analysis-synthesis techniques are commonly implemented in low-bit rate (2,400–9,600 bauds) speech transmission systems. We know that these systems do not work properly if speech is noisy. With the aid of a diagnostic rhyme test in French, we could evaluate the degradation of the intelligibility of synthesized speech. This test was applied to original speech and to linear-prediction synthesized speech, for different signal-to-noise ratios (white noise). The results obtained show clearly that intelligibility is degraded by the linear prediction analysis-svnthesis in a high ambient noise environment.
Segment Duration and the ‘Mora’ in Japanese
Authors: Beckman Mary 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
An experiment was conducted to test two predictions entailed by the hypothesis that Japanese morae have constant durations. The first prediction is that a segment’s duration will conform to its moraic status in an utterance; a consonant will be longer when it is syllabic than when it occurs in a GV mora, and phonemically long consonants will have durations that reflect their moraic structure. The second prediction is that segment lengths will vary to compensate for the intrinsic durations of adjacent segments in order to equalize mora lengths. Neither of these predictions was borne out.
F₀ in the Production of Lenis and Fortis Plosives
Authors: Kohler K.J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The contribution of fundamental frequency (F₀) to the distinction between lenis and fortis plosives is investigated for German in monotone, falling, and rising pitch patterns. A larger F₀ drop is found in the stressed vowel before lenis, as against fortis, in disyllabic words with the contour high + fall. These F₀ differences do not have aerodynamic causes due to articulatory constraints on phonation but can be related to an active laryngeal control in two production patterns differing in overall articulatory effort and also resulting in an articulatory timing contrast. Hypotheses are formulated as regards the importance of this F₀ difference for perception, and with respect to the production and the perception of the lenis/fortis opposition along the F₀ parameter in English.
Algorithms and Devices for Pitch Determination of Speech Signals
Authors: Hess Wolfgang J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In this paper the various pitch determination methods and algorithms (PDAs) are grouped into two major classes: time-domain PDAs and short-term analysis PDAs. The short-term analysis PDAs leave the signal domain by a short-term transformation. They supply a sequence of average pitch estimates from consecutive frames. The individual algorithm is characterized by the short-term transform it applies. The time-domain methods, on the other hand, track the signal period by period. Extraction and isolation of the fundamental harmonic, and investigation of the temporal signal structure are the two extremes between which most of these PDAs are found. After the review of these principles the paper finally discusses different application-oriented aspects, i.e., the role of the PDA in phonetics, education, phoniatrics, and speech communication systems.
Significant Points: Pitch Period Detection as a Problem of Segmentation
Authors: Schäfer-Vincent Kurt 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In this article the problem of pitch period detection is discussed. The following statements concerning the nature of the problem are made: (1) Pitch period detection is a segmentation problem (in the technical sense of segment). (2) ‘Significant points’ are required as boundary points for the definition of segments. (3) There exists a visual recognition mode for segments in the speech signal. This implies the recognition of ‘significant points’. (4) The visually recognized segments may be related to auditorily recognized segments. Then an algorithm (‘skeletization’) is presented, which selects ‘significant’ points. The ‘significance’ of these points is examined. Characteristic properties of the suggested solution are didscussed.
On the Variabilty in F₀ Patterning and the Function of F₀ Timing in Languages where Pitch Cues Stress
Authors: Thorsen Nina 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The basic property of pitch as a cue to linguistic stress is fundamental frequency (F₀) change. That leaves room for a lot of variation: in the direction of the change, the amount of change, and its exact coordination with the stressed syllable. Examples (from the literature) from a number of languages and dialects attest that they do indeed exhibit quite striking differences in the stress/F₀ relationship. The decisiveness, under certain circumstances, of the timing of F₀ events is illustrated by the results of a pilot experiment with a disyllabic Danish word: The location of a two-semitone rise from the first to the second syllable – before or after the intervocalic sonorant consonant – will shift listeners’ location of the stress.
Cross-Language Use of Pitch: An Ethological View
Authors: Ohala John J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Certain signaling functions of the pitch of voice are remarkably similar across languages and cultures: (1) high or rising pitch to mark questions, low or falling pitch to mark nonquestions; (2) high pitch to signal politeness, low pitch to signal assertiveness; (3) in ‘sound symbolic’ vocabulary, high tone used with words connoting smallness or diminutive, low tone with words connoting largeness. These patterns can be explained by the assumption that human vocal communication exploits the ‘frequency code’, a cross-species association of high pitch vocalizations with smallness (of the vocalizer), lack of threat, and of low pitch vocalizations with the vocalizer’s largeness and threatening intent.
Prosodic Boundary Signals in German
Authors: Kohler K.J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The investigations reported on in this paper took their departure from earlier findings which showed rhythmic as well as word boundary effects on segment and syllable durations in German, with different strengths in different speakers. They also pointed to influences from F₀ contours and from coarticulation on this timing adjustment. This article is thus concerned with the interplay of rhythmic and semantic structuring of German speech, signalled by prosodic features, especially by F₀ and duration, marginally also by speech pauses. The rhythmic principle is the segment and syllable compression within the foot basic to stress-timing, modified by various coarticulatory processes, which allow faster executions of speech gestures. The semantic principle is that of information structuring, by organizing speech into information units, at a hierarchy of levels, by marking information points within them, and by establishing various degrees of cohesion within and between these information units.
Click Placement and Units of Perceptual Processing
Authors: Barry William J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The relationship between experimental method and the perception hypothesis being examined is a particularly critical one. Here, earlier studies employing the click-placement method are surveyed, and the conclusions drawn there about the perceptual processes involved are discussed. A working hypothesis is developed which enables an examination, for the first time, of Ladefoged and Broadbent’s [1960] original claim concerning basic processing units. Within a hypothetical framework of hierarchically organized perceptual decisions, the click-placement task is applied in a series of experiments designed to approach the question of processing units at segment, syllable and foot level. Evidence is found for the psychological reality of the syllable and foot. The phonetic basis of the foot is examined and found to be replaceable by top-down information. Between foot and syllable level, indications of differential word demarcation were found, dependent on differences in segmental structure.
Indices naturels et indices artificiels en parole de synthèse
Authors: Chafcouloff M.N. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
An experiment was conducted to test the perceptual relevance of the cues used by Delattre for the synthesis of sonorants in French. For this purpose, stimuli with /j, w, 1, r/ in intervocalic position and in a symmetrical context /i, a, u/ were generated on a formant serial synthesizer. The results derived from identification and preference tests show that minor spectral and temporal modifications improve the auditory quality of the glides /j, w/. In contrast, Delattre’s rules do not lead to a satisfactory synthesis of /1, r/, and important parametric changes concerning acoustic targets, steady-state and transition durations, and overall amplitude should be considered.
F₀ Timing in Danish Word Perception
Authors: Thorsen Nina 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
(1) When vowel and consonant duration cues are ambiguous between /ku·lÓ™/ and /kulÓ™/ an early F₀ rise, relative to the vowel-consonant boundary, will tend to favor identification of stimuli as /ku lÓ™/, while a later F₀ rise increases the number of /kulÓ™/ judgments somewhat. (2) When vowel duration cues are ambiguous between /’bilisd/ and /bi’lisd/ an F₀ rise before the intervocalic consonant will significantly increase the number of/’bilisd/ identifications, whereas an F₀ rise after the consonant yields more judgments of /’bilisd/. The latter result corroborates the acoustic observation that initial voiced consonants in stressed syllables dissociate tonally from the vowel and join up with the preceding material, if any, to the effect that tonally the stress seems to begin with the vowel.
Untersuchungen zur spezifischen Dauer deutscher Vokale
Authors: Antoniadis Zissis , Strube Hans Werner 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
This paper examines the effects of vowel quality (formant frequencies), speaker and place of articulation of the surrounding consonants (/p/, /t/ or /k/) upon the duration of German vowels embedded in a fixed carrier sentence. The results obtained verify and complement known data from other investigations and make it possible to specify formulae, which can be used both in prosodic analysis and in automatic speech synthesis.
Timing Constraints and Coarticulation: Alveolo-Palatals and Sequences of Alveolar + [j] in Catalan
Authors: Recasens Daniel 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
General articulatory characteristics and V-to-C coarticulatory effects for alve-olo-palatals [É], [λ] versus sequences [nj], [lj] in Catalan VCV utterances have been measured at the point of maximum alveolar contact and over time by means of dynamic palatography. Data show that the amount of V-to-C coarticulation in tongue dorsum contact varies inversely with the duration of the temporal lag between the periods of alveolar closure and palatal closure. Results support the view that coarticulation is affected by contrasting timing constraints on articulatory activity.
Vowel Variation in Japanese
Authors: Keating Patricia A. , Huffman Marie K. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
A language’s use of the phonetic vowel space depends not only on how many vowel phonemes the language has, but on how each phoneme varies allophonically across contexts. This study tests the hypothesis that Japanese vowel allophones, measured from a wide range of contexts, will not fill the vowel formant space. This was predicted because Japanese has few vowel phonemes, distributed unevenly in the vowel space, and has no obvious processes of vowel reduction. Formant frequencies of vowel tokens from word lists and from read texts were compared for 7 speakers. These data show that, in Japanese, vowel allophones in prose fill in the vowel formant space more than allophones in word lists do, mainly as a result of centralization of the prose tokens. The use of the total formant space is determined in part by the distribution of phonemes, and in part by allophone centralization.
Phonological Variability in Mother-Child Speech
Authors: Stoel-Gammon Carol 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Previous research has provided conflicting findings regarding the phonological characteristics of adult-child speech, with some studies reporting more phonetic clarification and others greater unintelligibility. The present study examined the speech of 10 mothers to their young children (age 15–18 months) and found that a variety of speech styles was used, ranging along a continuum from slow, carefully articulated speech to rapid, casual speech. Each style was associated with particular linguistic and situational contexts. Phonological characteristics of the two styles are described and hypotheses regarding the effect of the observed variability on language acquisition are discussed.
Study of Subglottal Air Pressure during Hindi Stop Consonants
Authors: Dixit R. Prakash , Shipp Thomas 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
This study examines subglottal air pressure (Ps) variations in Hindi stop consonants. The stops were produced in initial, medial and final positions and under different stress conditions in nonsense utterances of the type CV, VCV and VC which were embedded in a frame sentence. The results show no systematic correlation between Ps variations during the oral closure of the stops and the voicing and/or aspiration contrasts associated with them. However, aspiration and a momentary drop in Ps immediately after the release of aspirated stops seem to be systematically related. A systematic relationship between a momentary increase in Ps and production of stress is also observed. The variations in Ps associated with the production of stop consonants appear to be reflections of the changes in the glottal and supraglottal impedances. Ps variations related to normal stress appear to be controlled by the phonatory system rather than the respiratory system. On the other hand, for the implementation of heavy or emphatic stress, the phonatory and the respiratory systems appear to function synergistically.
On Aspiration in Swahili: Hypotheses, Field Observations, and an Instrumental Analysis
Authors: Engstrand Olle , Lodhi Abdulaziz Y. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Quantitative evidence to substantiate accounts of Swahili phonetics is scarce. In this paper, attention is drawn to the particularly complex feature of aspiration. A set of working hypotheses for experimental research are formulated. On the basis of field observations, aspiration is assumed to be operative at several levels of Swahili grammar. Contrary claims are reviewed and discussed in relation to informant selection and control methods for experimental procedures. A digital phonetic data base under current construction is outlined. Speech samples from the data base are used to quantify Swahili aspiration along the voice onset time dimension. The data suggest that the physical manifestation of the aspiration feature is relatively strong in Swahili as compared with Swedish.
Perceptual Compensation for Segmentally Conditioned Fundamental Frequency Perturbation
Authors: Reinholt Petersen Niels 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The paper deals with the role of two types of segmentally conditioned fundamental frequency (F₀) perturbation in speech perception, i. e. the differences in F₀ between high and low vowels and the effect of prevocalic obstruent voicing on F₀. The literature relevant to this issue is reviewed, and the results of a supplementary experiment on F₀ as a cue to vowel identity are reported. On this basis three major points are made: (1) Although the pitch of vowels is influenced psychoacoustically by their spectral shape, this effect is too small to be of any significant importance in speech perception. (2) The two types of F₀ perturbation are not treated differently in the speech perception process, and (3) irrespective of type, the segmentally conditioned F₀ variation can function as a cue both to segment identity and to the identity of prosodic categories, depending on the actual demands upon the speech perception system.
Prosodic Effects on Lenis/Fortis Perception: Preplosive F₀ and LPC Synthesis
Authors: Kohler Klaus J. , van Dommelen Willem A. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Two experiments, each with three sub-tests, examine the influences on lenis/ fortis perception of both preplosive F₀ (flat vs. rising) in monotone utterance intonation and of natural vs. synthetic speech quality. The German word ‘leiten’ [la<sup>e</sup>tn], ‘to lead’, pronounced by a male and a female speaker [Experiments I and II, respectively), formed the basis for the test stimulus construction. The stop closure (= silence) was varied by the same 5 steps to yield a continuum from clear /t/ to clear /d/ in all tests. The data support the conclusion that a rising as opposed to a non-rising F₀ at the end of a preplosive vowel in a monotone utterance intonation increases /t/ perception. They also show that LPC synthesis quality is a strong additional cue for /t/, being stronger where it characterizes the whole utterance rather than only a small part of it. These influences on lenis/fortis perception are found to be consistent for the male and the female voice.
Speaking Rate and Segments: A Look at the Relation between Speech Production and Speech Perception for the Voicing Contrast
Authors: Miller J.L. , Green K.P. , Reeves A. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
When listeners process segmentally relevant properties of the speech signal they do so in a rate-dependent manner. This is seen as a shift in the perceptual category boundary; as rate declines and overall syllable duration increases, the category boundary moves toward a longer value of the acoustic property in question. Focusing on the /b/-/p/ distinction specified by voice onset time (VOT), we investigated whether the acoustic modifications that occur with an alteration in speaking rate accord with this pattern of perceptual boundary shift. Two main findings emerged. First, as speaking rate became slower and overall syllable duration became longer, the VOT value of the consonant, especially that of the voiceless /p/, also became longer. Second, and most important, the VOT value that optimally separated the /b/ and /p/ VOT distributions also changed with rate, increasing with increasing syllable duration. However, the magnitude of the boundary shift obtained for these production data was greater than that typically found in perceptual experiments. This suggests the existence of constraints on the extent to which the perceptual system can accommodate for alterations due to rate of speech.
The Monophonematic Status of Diphthongs Revisited
Authors: Berg Thomas 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
This paper presents a challenge to the well-established monophonematic view of German and English diphthongs. Empirical evidence is provided by speech error patterns showing that misordered diphthongs occasionally split apart during the error process. Since both splitting up and remaining intact can be observed with diphthongs, a linear analysis, which predicts an all-or-none behaviour, proves to be inadequate. An explanation for the relative cohesiveness of these phonemes can be found in a multilevel representation within which diphthongs are two discrete atoms on the segmental level which are molecularized in the suprasegmental structure.
Discrimination of Five Voice Qualities and Prediction to Perceptual Ratings
Authors: Pittam Jeffery 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
A series of acoustic measures based on the long-term average spectrum were developed to discriminate five voice qualities. These were breathy voice, creaky voice, nasal voice, tense voice and whispery voice. A preliminary study first tested the effectiveness of a series of ‘equal-Hertz’ intervals in terms of their ability to discriminate the five voice types. The best of these was then compared to Bark and Mel intervals, using discriminant analysis. The most effective discriminators were shown to be the 1.5-Bark and 200-Mel intervals. The significant discriminators in all the discriminant analyses were then used to predict expert perceptual ratings of the voice qualities. All measures developed successfully predicted to all the voice types except nasal voice.
From Sagittal Distance to Area
Authors: Sundberg J. , Johansson C. , Wilbrand H. , Ytterbergh Christer 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In speech articulation studies, data on the pharynx are scarce. Still, the pharynx is an important part of the vocal tract. The present paper reports on an attempt to use computed tomography for investigating the pharynx. Axial computed tomograms were taken at four levels in the pharynx of a male and a female subject sustaining the vowels [u:, i:, α:, œ:]. From the tomograms the lateral width and the cross-sectional area were measured and their relations to the sagittal distance from the back pharynx wall to the midline of the tongue examined and compared with previously published data. In addition, some previous results derived from plaster casts are presented showing the corresponding distance-to-area relationship in the mouth region of some male and female subjects.