Abstract
This study presents the margins of minimum and maximum tolerances for the frequencies of the first three formants (F1, F2, and F3) in the pronunciation of vowels of Brazilian Portuguese for use in voice therapy for the deaf. The frequencies were obtained from the voluntary collaboration of 53 adults who had their voices recorded and converted into digital signals during the phonation of each of the seven vowels (/a/, /e/, /Ɛ/, /i/, /o/, /ᴐ/, /u/) sustained for approximately one second. The samples were divided into two groups: male and female. The recording and extraction of the formants were conducted by software developed exclusively for this purpose in MATLAB platform using the eight-coefficient LPC (Linear Predictive Coding) algorithm. The results showed that a consistent reference for the mean values of the F1, F2, and F3 frequencies can be obtained through graphical and statistical analysis of the samples collected from the voice signals. The reference values obtained were analyzed and can be used for the calibration of devices and serve as a basis for training oralization for the deaf.
Highlights
The deaf present difficulties in speaking because they cannot hear, except for those who have problems in the vocal tract that prevent them from emitting sounds
This article addresses this issue considering that the establishment of reference frequencies for the first three formant vowel sounds can assist in the vocal training of deaf adults who wish to improve or acquire oralization in Brazilian Portuguese
The objective of this study is to identify the margins of tolerance and reference values for the frequencies of the formants F1, F2 and F3, according to gender and age range, for the seven vowels of Brazilian Portuguese (/a/, /e/, /Ɛ/, /i/, /o/, /ᴐ/, /u/), which constitute the core of the syllables of the words of that language[7]
Summary
The deaf present difficulties in speaking because they cannot hear, except for those who have problems in the vocal tract that prevent them from emitting sounds. The ability to recall sounds found in hearing individuals is limited or absent in the deaf. This article addresses this issue considering that the establishment of reference frequencies for the first three formant vowel sounds can assist in the vocal training of deaf adults who wish to improve or acquire oralization in Brazilian Portuguese. The first initiatives that sought a means of education for the deaf had financial motivation, and were limited to the children of wealthier families concerned with the passage of assets to their deaf offspring. Not of inclusive nature, these initiatives have flourished, because they served as a basis for other educators who reproduced the teaching methods from the contact with deaf children of noble families who were educated by these methods[4]
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