Abstract
A simplified perceptual protocol for the assessment of voice quality (VQ) is attempted based on the Vocal Profile Analysis (VPA) scheme, with the aim of alleviating typical issues associated with the multidimensionality of VQ and enabling an easy quantification of speaker similarity. Twenty-four non-pathological male speakers (12 monozygotic twin pairs) of Standard Peninsular Spanish were perceptually evaluated by two trained phoneticians using the simplified VPA (SVPA). Based on their perceptual ratings, intra- and inter-rater agreement was measured, and an index of speaker similarity was calculated not only between twin pairs but also between non-twin pairs. For that purpose, one member of each twin pair was compared with a member of a different twin pair. Intra- and inter-rater agreement measures were tested with unweighted and linear weighted kappa. Speaker similarity was measured with simple matching coefficients (SMC). The results show that analysts' internal consistency was very high, whereas inter-rater agreement was found to be strongly setting-dependent. SMCs between speakers indicate that twin pairs are, on average, more similar than non-twin pairs. Agreement results suggest that the proposed SVPA is a reliable protocol for the perceptual characterization of VQ, and SMC results confirm that it can also be a useful tool for the assessment of speaker (dis)similarity. The extraction of a voice quality similarity index shows potential in fields like forensic phonetics, but could also be of interest in related areas of voice research and professional practice.
Highlights
The perceptual assessment of voice quality Voice quality ( VQ) can be broadly defined as the combination of laryngeal and supralaryngeal features in someone’s voice, producing a long-term effect in perception and making that voice recognizably different from others.[1]
Summarizing the main points discussed the second research question of this study was whether an index or distance measure of speaker similarity could be extracted from the simplified VPA (SVPA) scheme; we have shown that it is possible to design a method that allows for a quantitative measure of speaker similarity
We have shown that the SVPA scheme reveals that MZ twins are overall more similar than nontwin speakers, as expected, but at the same time it is a useful tool to detect fine-grained aspects of VQ that distinguish even very similar-sounding speakers
Summary
The perceptual assessment of voice quality Voice quality ( VQ) can be broadly defined as the combination of laryngeal and supralaryngeal features in someone’s voice, producing a long-term effect in perception and making that voice recognizably different from others.[1] Methodologically, the assessment of VQ can be approached from an articulatory, acoustic, or perceptual point of view. In this investigation, we focus on the perceptual assessment of VQ. Some researchers opt for featural analyses, whereas others consider that VQ perception must involve a great component of holistic, gestalt-like pattern processing.[5,6,7] Anyhow, the perceptual assessment of voices has a quantifiable basis that can correlate with other forms of evaluation, such as laryngoscopic observations or acoustic analyses.[8]
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