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Acoustics of Speech > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Briefly describe the speech chain, beginning with a thought in the speaker’s mind and ending with understanding by the listener.

A

We have a thought we want to speak, the brain tells our speech anatomy what to do
The speech anatomy does what it is supposed to do (jaw moving, tongue moving, vf vibrating, etc.)
Something is produced by the articulators in form of a sound wave
We have feedback to ourselves when we are speaking so that we can monitor what we hear (Lombard effect?)
ear is stimulated and goes up to the brain of the listener we are trying to convey the message to
They understand what we thought and said

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2
Q

What are the three major systems in speech production?

A

respiratory system
laryngeal system
supra-laryngeal system

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3
Q

Describe the process of phonation (VF vibration)

A

Vocal folds adducted
Air pressure from lungs forces opening of vocal folds
Bernoulli effect brings vocal folds back together
As top of folds are opening, the bottom of the folds is closing
Pressure builds up again at the bottom and cycle continues for as long as the vocal folds are adducted (at a rate that is audible to the ear)
A brief puff of air escapes with each vibration with an audible sound

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4
Q

what is phonation

A

vibration of vf

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5
Q

Give examples of voiced and voiceless speech sounds.

A

Voiced speech sounds are phonemes produced with vocal fold vibration (vocal folds adducted). All American English vowels are voiced. For example, /b, /v/, /z/, etc.

Voiceless speech sounds are phonemes produced with vocal folds abducted. For example, /p/ /t/ /f/ etc.

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6
Q

What is the glottis? What kind of sound is a glottal stop?

A

The gottis is the space between the vocal folds. A glottal stop is when we do not let air escape. An example is when we say “kitten, button, Clinton, etc.” we only say /t/ and /n/

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7
Q

What is the function of the velopharyngeal port?

A

Opening between the oropharyngeal and nasal cavities
space between the soft palate and the pharyngeal wall.

create a tight seal between the velum and pharyngeal walls to separate the oral and nasal cavities for various purposes, including speech

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8
Q

is the port open during nasal sounds?

A

yes

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9
Q

is the port open during breathing?

A

depends how you are breathing

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10
Q

what are the 3 parts of the pharynx

A

Laryngopharynx: closest to the larynx
Oropharynx: adjacent to the lower portions of the oral cavity
Nasopharynx: adjacent to the lower portions of the nasal cavity

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11
Q

what are the vocal folds

A

bundles of tissue connected to cartilage within the larynx and are normally apart at rest to breathe and the space between them is the glottis

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12
Q

are we vocalizing when vf are open

A

no (whisper or breathing)

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13
Q

starts at nostrils/nares and continues to nasopharynx

A

nasal cavity

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14
Q

Starts at the mouth, continues to the oropharynx
Contains a set of anatomical structures that function as articulators

A

oral cavity

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15
Q

give examples of articulators

A

Articulator = “join together”
Tongue
Teeth
Lips
Alveolar ridge
Hard palate
Soft palate (velum)
Uvula

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16
Q

Defined by the velum/soft palate, and the walls of the pharynx

A

velopharygeal port

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17
Q

what is the larynx

A

Located just atop the trachea

Comprised of muscles and cartilage

Houses the vocal folds

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18
Q

what is thing called how sound changes through a system?

A

filter

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19
Q

words related to the larynx

A

GO & GEE
laryngoscope
laryngopharynx
laryngeal

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20
Q

words related to pharynx

A

pharyngoplasty
VP

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21
Q

do we speak on exhalation or inhalation

A

mostly exhalation

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22
Q

foundation of speech

A

lungs

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23
Q

source of acoustic speech signal

A

lungs

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24
Q

The rate at which the vocal folds open and close during phonation

A

fundamental frequency

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25
what do we use pitch cues for?
to identify the speaker in noise to convey emotions asking a ?, grammatical cue sound segregation
26
Where does the fundamental frequency of a person’s voice arise? What is the corresponding perceptual feature? How can this feature be changed?
It arises due to the rate the vocal folds open and close during phonation faster = higher pitch slower = lower pitch pitch of someone's voice changed? shorten and lengthen the vf to change elasticity
27
would you have the same level for tone and speech?
no because speech is a broad band signal and it has diff amplitudes at different frequencies
28
In the source-filter theory of speech production, what is the source for a vowel sound? What is the filter?
The source is the vocal fold vibration. The filter is the vocal tract.
29
The fundamental frequency of a voice (f0) is based on the sound occurring in which part of the vocal tract?
vocal folds
30
As the length of an open tube increases, does the resonant frequency increase or decrease?
decreases
31
Vowel formants (F1 and F2) are based on resonances in which parts of the vocal tract?
size of the vocal tract
32
How does tongue movement alter the length of these areas?
It makes them longer or shorter and this changes the resonance
33
How do the first two formants change with tongue position?
Tongue in back of mouth = low formant making it longer Tongue in front of the mouth is shorter so a high formant
34
n the source-filter theory of speech production, what is the source for a vowel sound? power? What is the filter?
vf vibration, air from the lungs, vocal tract
35
How are vowel sounds classified primarily? What are two secondary ways of classifying vowels?
Tongue height (high, mid, and low) - refers to the relative vertical position of the body of the tongue in the oral cavity Tongue advancement (front, central, back) - refers to the place of the major point of constriction of the tongue along the front-to-back plane secondary are degree of tension (tense vs lax) Lip configuration (rounded vs unrounded)
36
Explain the source-filter theory of speech production (for vowels)
The two primary methods for making airflow (source) audible are phonation and noise generation within the vocal tract Phonation is the creation of a nearly periodic sound wave by the vibration of the vocal folds. This laryngeal tone is the sound source for vowels and voiced consonants Noise is generated by the vocal tract by the positioning of the articulators in such a way that they form occlusions or constrictions. Aperiodic sounds created as air is released from occlusions or channeled through the constrictions sound source for the voiceless consonants
37
Know what influences the frequency of F1 and F2 for vowels
size of the vocal tract, part above the vocal folds up to the back of the throat and the oral cavity. it makes them longer or shorter and this changes the resonance. low tongue height, affects first formant making the tube smaller and a high frequency first formant. second is high tongue height affects second formant and makes it longer so it is a low frequency, tongue position or restriction. in back of mouth = low formant making it longer, in front of the mouth is shorter so a high formant
38
system that resonates
resonator
39
ystem vibrates as a result of external source of vibration
resonance
40
the classification of speech sounds Based on the way the speech sound is produced
phonetics
41
In the source-filter theory of speech production, what is the source for a vowel sound? power? What is the filter?
vf vibration, air from the lungs, vocal tract
42
overall peaks
speech envelope
43
peaks
formants
44
individual components
fundamental
45
volume decreases as tongue position moves from high to low
first formant
46
volume increases as tongue constriction moves from back to front
second formant
47
Vocal tract resonances
formants
48
waveform shows us
amplitude changes over time and cannot directly see the frequency
49
spectrum
shows us ampl and freque tells us frequency composition of that sound
50
spectrogram
Plots each of these shows amplitude over time and frequency components
51
the classification of speech sounds Based on the way the speech sound is produced Symbol is / /
phonetics
52
the smallest unit of sound in speech (perceptually) Based on the way speech sound is interpreted Symbol is [ ]
phoneme
53
is representation of a specific speech sound Specific articulatory configuration
phonetic symbol
54
refers to the relative vertical position of the body of the tongue in the oral cavity
tongue height (high, mid, low)
55
refers to the place of the major point of constriction of the tongue along the front-to-back plane
Tongue advancement (front, central, back)
56
refers to degree of muscle activity during production
Degree of tension (tense vs. lax)
57
lips are either pursed (protruded) or in a neutral (retracted) position
Lip configuration (rounded vs. unrounded)
58
Explain the source-filter theory of speech production (for vowels)
The two primary methods for making airflow (source) audible are phonation and noise generation within the vocal tract Phonation is the creation of a nearly periodic sound wave by the vibration of the vocal folds. This laryngeal tone is the sound source for vowels and voiced consonants
59
what influences the frequency of F1 and F2 for vowels
low tongue height, affects first formant making the tube smaller and a high frequency first formant. second is high tongue height affects second formant and makes it longer so it is a low frequency, tongue position or restriction. in back of mouth = low formant making it longer, in front of the mouth is shorter so a high formant
60
Decrease length =
higher frequency
61
Increase the length =
lower frequency
62
How are vowel sounds classified primarily? How are the first two formants influenced by these?
classified by tongue height and tongue position F1 - influenced by tongue height low frequency first formant = high tongue position because tube is longer F2 - tongue constriction low frequency second formant = constricted in the back, gives us a longer tube constricted in the front, gives us a high frequency second formant because it gives us a shorter tube back vowel has a longer tube and front vowel has a shorter tube
63
Which IPA symbols are the same as written in English (referred to as grapheme or orthography)? Which symbols are different?
same p b t d k g f v s m n
64
three categories of production that define consonant production
voicing manner place
65
sub categories of voicing
Voiced consonants vibration of the adducted vocal folds Voiceless consonants Noise generated by positioning of articulators Occlusions or constructions (e.g., /s/ or /p/)
66
what are voiced consonants
vibration of the adducted vocal folds
67
what are voicless consonants
noise generated by positioning of articulators occulusions or constructions
68
Define and describe voice onset time (VOT)
voicing cue for consonants time between burst and voicing onset
69
longer VOT
voiceless consonants
70
shorter vot
voiced consonants
71
Explain voice onset time and how it is a cue for voiced or voiceless consonants. What type of cue is this? (Temporal, spectral, or amplitude?)
spectral domain is frequency before the vocal folds vibrate space between the articulators coming together time/space when the articulators first come together and when the voicing starts (vf vibrates) voiced - almost immediately voiceless - longer duration the cue is temporal

Acoustics of Speech (3 decks)

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