LINGUIST List 13.592

Mon Mar 4 2002

Qs: Vowel Normalisation Procedures

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>



We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

In addition to posting a summary, we'd like to remind people that it is usually a good idea to personally thank those individuals who have taken the trouble to respond to the query.

Directory

  • Dom Watt, Vowel normalisation procedures

    Message 1: Vowel normalisation procedures

     Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 17:25:52 +0000
    From: Dom Watt <djlw1york.ac.uk>
    Subject: Vowel normalisation procedures




    There is a bewildering choice of vowel formant normalisation algorithms available which aim to eliminate, among other things, vocal tract length-related effects between speakers that result from age and gender differences. Some are based on warpings of F1/F2 space using frequencies of higher formants, relationships between formants and F0, or on logarithmic transforms of values in linear Hz. Others (Barks, mels, critical bandwidths, etc.) use psychoperceptual criteria deriving from the non-linear response characteristics of the auditory system.

    What, in the opinion of anyone who's had to choose one (or has developed one themselves), would be the criterion/criteria by which the successfulness, utility and reliability of a normalisation routine for formant frequency measurements could be estimated? Do Disner's (1980) conclusions about the value of a procedure lying in the degree to which it can trade off scatter reduction against 'linguistic realism' still hold?

    I'll post a summary of responses. Dom Watt.

    Reference: Disner, S.F. (1980) Evaluation of vowel normalization procedures. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 67(1): 253-261.

    Dominic Watt Department of Language & Linguistic Science University of York Heslington York YO10 5DD UK Tel 01904 432665 Fax 01904 432673 www.york.ac.uk/depts/lang/webstuff/people/dw.html