Abstract
The effects of vowel height on fundamental-frequency control were examined for eight profoundly deaf and five normal-hearing 9–13-year-old boys. Each speaker read a set of 40 phrases and 12 sentences containing from four to eight repetitions of the vowels /i, ɪ, ɛ, æ, a, ʌ, ɜ̀, ᴜ, u/ and the diphthong /ay/. Fundamental frequency was measured from computer-generated F0 contours near the center of each vowel token. On the average, cross-vowel variations in F0 were comparable for both deaf and hearing speakers, with fundamental frequency tending to increase with vowel height. The deaf speakers, however, appeared to fall into two groups: those for whom cross-vowel variations in F0 were relatively small, and those who produced the high vowels /i/, /ɪ/, and /u/ with excessively high F0. Differences between these two groups of deaf speakers have been examined relative to their articulatory proficiencies, and mechanisms responsible for the F0 variations within the latter group will be discussed. [Work supported by NIH.]
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call