Probing the Shape of the Fricative Space
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper reviews the great amount of disagreement in the techniques which have been used in the measurement of fricative spectra, and then outlines a technique for probing the differences between these measurement systems in a perceptual protocol. Synthetic stimuli with spectra varying systematically in four dimensions are generated by combining four Gaussian noise components with independently varied amplitudes, and with different
base frequencies. Spectral moments are calculated from the resulting stimuli, and the results of predicting the moments from the synthesis parameters are probed, finding a complex relationship between the synthesis dimensions and spectral moments, and between the spectral moments themselves. The paper also lays out a navigation protocol, where listeners can search the synthetic space to find examples of different English
fricatives, and presents pilot data arising from the protocol. Pilot data show agreement between listeners in the location of high-probability areas for each fricative inhabiting different locations in the synthetic space. Building regression models to predict listener responses using the synthetic parameters and using their concurrent spectral moments shows a roughly 30% agreement across listeners, but comparing these models also shows
that spectral moments measures do not appreciably out-perform the synthetic parameters in predicting listener categorization data, thus failing to demonstrate that the spectral moments measures provide an explanation of the labeling functions for the different
fricatives.
Downloads
Article Details
The Indiana University Linguistics Club Working Papers (the "Publisher") and Author(s) agree as follows.
1. Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher's agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, or distribute the Work throughout the world in all means of expression by any method known or hereafter developed, including electronic format. Author further grants Publisher the right to use Author's name in association with the Work in published form and in advertising and promotional materials.
2. Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in the Author's name.
3. Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to notify IULCWP before publishing the Work elsewhere.
4. Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work: (a) is the Author's original Work and that the Author has full power to enter into this Agreement; (b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another; (c) contains no material that is obscene, libelous, or defamatory. Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
5. Licensing and Reuse: Reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ ). This lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the Work non-commercially; although new works must acknowledge the original IULCWP publication and be non-commercial, they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.