Articulatory parameters used to generate vocal tract shapes and bark-difference dimensions

Abstract

In this study, the correlation between two articulatory parameters used to generate vocal tract shapes from formant frequencies and three bark-difference dimensions were examined. Ladefoged et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 1027–1035 (1978)] identified the articulatory parameters w1 and w2 as the front-raising and back-raising proportions of tongue shape and showed how they may be calculated from formant frequencies. The ten American English vowels of Peterson and Barney were used for men and women. The three bark-difference dimensions were described by Syrdal and Gopal [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 79, 1086–1100 (1986)]. The F1−F0 dimension represents vowel height and the F3−F2 dimension corresponds to vowel place of articulation. The linear correlation between F1−F0 and w2 was −0.86 (p < 0.001) and that between F3−F2 and w1 was −0.96 (p < 0.001).