May Chan (University of Pennsylvania)

Oxley Hall Front
February 7, 2025
3:55PM - 5:30PM
Oxley 103

Date Range
2025-02-07 15:55:00 2025-02-07 17:30:00 May Chan (University of Pennsylvania) Pitch-dependent variation in vowel production and perceptionThe source-filter theory, which underpins much of modern speech science, assumes the source and filter to be independent. This theory predicts that source-related attributes (e.g., pitch) cannot be influenced by filter-related attributes (e.g., vowels). Despite its utility in describing speech, this assumption is more valid for low-pitched male speech than for high-pitched female or children's speech, as warned by Klatt and Klatt (1990). One challenge arises when the fundamental frequency is higher than the lowest formants, as in high-pitched singing, public speaking, and children’s speech. These situations indeed present problems for speech technologies. Do human speakers also face the same challenges? If so, how do voice users reconcile these challenges in production and perception?In this talk, I present two studies that demonstrate the interaction between the voice source and the filter. In the production study, I challenge the view that vowel adjustments by pitch are exclusively a trained technique used by singers. I reveal using articulatory data that lay-speakers also show vowel adjustments in higher-pitches, suggesting that filter adjustments are at least partially tied to the articulatory coordination between vowel and pitch production. In the perception study, I demonstrate that harmonic-formant crossovers can shift listeners’ vowel perception. I show that before H2 crosses over F1, higher-pitched vowels tend to be perceived as higher in vowel quality, consistent with theories of intrinsic pitch. However, this relationship between pitch and vowel height reverses after the H2-F1 crossover. These results reveal that the interplay between source and filter components, such as harmonics and formants, have direct psychoacoustic consequences. Together, I show that vowel and pitch properties interact in both production and perception, underscoring their importance in shaping our understanding of speech across diverse vocal characteristics and speech contexts. Oxley 103 America/New_York public

Pitch-dependent variation in vowel production and perception

The source-filter theory, which underpins much of modern speech science, assumes the source and filter to be independent. This theory predicts that source-related attributes (e.g., pitch) cannot be influenced by filter-related attributes (e.g., vowels). Despite its utility in describing speech, this assumption is more valid for low-pitched male speech than for high-pitched female or children's speech, as warned by Klatt and Klatt (1990). One challenge arises when the fundamental frequency is higher than the lowest formants, as in high-pitched singing, public speaking, and children’s speech. These situations indeed present problems for speech technologies. Do human speakers also face the same challenges? If so, how do voice users reconcile these challenges in production and perception?

In this talk, I present two studies that demonstrate the interaction between the voice source and the filter. In the production study, I challenge the view that vowel adjustments by pitch are exclusively a trained technique used by singers. I reveal using articulatory data that lay-speakers also show vowel adjustments in higher-pitches, suggesting that filter adjustments are at least partially tied to the articulatory coordination between vowel and pitch production. In the perception study, I demonstrate that harmonic-formant crossovers can shift listeners’ vowel perception. I show that before H2 crosses over F1, higher-pitched vowels tend to be perceived as higher in vowel quality, consistent with theories of intrinsic pitch. However, this relationship between pitch and vowel height reverses after the H2-F1 crossover. These results reveal that the interplay between source and filter components, such as harmonics and formants, have direct psychoacoustic consequences. Together, I show that vowel and pitch properties interact in both production and perception, underscoring their importance in shaping our understanding of speech across diverse vocal characteristics and speech contexts.

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