Perception and Production of English Vowels by American Males and Females

Abstract

The aims of this study are to explore the link between the perception and production of vowel sounds and to make a minor contribution to the debate about the hyperspace effect. The sample of 18 American English speakers (male and female) identified ideal American English vowels from sets of synthetic vowels, and the same participants produced those vowels in a clear speaking style. The formant values of the produced vowels were measured and compared with those of perceived vowels on the vowel space. The results show that a vast majority of the perceived vowel spaces of the male and female groups were not significantly different, whereas the produced vowel spaces of the two groups were significantly different. Additionally, in the male group, the perceived vowel space was larger than the produced vowel space, whereas the opposite phenomenon was observed in the equivalent vowel space of the female group. The perception of vowels in this study, therefore, appears to reference a speaker who is not necessarily the same as the listener. Thus, the hyperspace effect based on a simple comparison between perceived and produced vowel spaces should be reconsidered.