Acoustic properties for place of articulation in nasal consonants

The goal of this study was to determine whether acoustic properties could be derived for English labial and alveolar nasal consonants that remain stable across vowel contexts, speakers, and syllable positions. In experiment I, critical band analyses were conducted of five tokens each of [m] and [n] followed by the vowels [i e a o u] spoken by three speakers. Comparison of the nature of the changes in the spectral patterns from the murmur to the release showed that, for labials, there was a greater change in energy in the region of Bark 5-7 relative to that of Bark 11-14, whereas, for alveolars, there was a greater change in energy from the murmur to the release in the region of Bark 11-14 relative to that of Bark 5-7. Quantitative analyses of each token indicated that over 89% of the utterances could be appropriately classified for place of articulation by comparing the proportion of energy change in these spectral regions. In experiment II, the spectral patterns of labial and alveolar nasals produced in the context of [s] + nasal ([ m n]) + vowel ([ i e a o u]) by two speakers were explored. The same analysis procedures were used as in experiment I. Eighty-four percent of the utterances were appropriately classified, although labial consonants were less consistently classified than in experiment I. The properties associated with nasal place of articulation found in this study are discussed in relation to those associated with place of articulation in stop consonants and are considered from the viewpoint of a more general theory of acoustic invariance.     

Acoustic cues discriminating german obstruents in place and manner of articulation

This study focuses on the extraction of robust acoustic cues of labial and alveolar voiceless obstruents in German and their acoustic differences in the speech signal to distinguish them in place and manner of articulation. The investigated obstruents include the affricates [pf] and [ts], the fricatives [f] and [s] and the stops [p] and [t]. The target sounds were analyzed in word-initial and word-medial positions. The speech data for the analysis were recorded in a natural environment, deliberately containing background noise to extract robust cues only. Three methods of acoustic analysis were chosen: (1) temporal measurements to distinguish the respective obstruents in manner of articulation, (2) static spectral characteristics in terms of logarithmic distance measure to distinguish place of articulation, and (3) amplitudinal analysis of discrete frequency bands as a dynamic approach to place distinction. The results reveal that the duration of the target phonemes distinguishes these in manner of articulation. Logarithmic distance measure, as well as relative amplitude analysis of discrete frequency bands, identifies place of articulation. The present results contribute to the question, which properties are robust with respect to variation in the speech signal.     

Acoustic analysis of trill sounds

In this paper, the acoustic-phonetic characteristics of steady apical trills--trill sounds produced by the periodic vibration of the apex of the tongue--are studied. Signal processing methods, namely, zero-frequency filtering and zero-time liftering of speech signals, are used to analyze the excitation source and the resonance characteristics of the vocal tract system, respectively. Although it is natural to expect the effect of trilling on the resonances of the vocal tract system, it is interesting to note that trilling influences the glottal source of excitation as well. The excitation characteristics derived using zero-frequency filtering of speech signals are glottal epochs, strength of impulses at the glottal epochs, and instantaneous fundamental frequency of the glottal vibration. Analysis based on zero-time liftering of speech signals is used to study the dynamic resonance characteristics of vocal tract system during the production of trill sounds. Qualitative analysis of trill sounds in different vowel contexts, and the acoustic cues that may help spotting trills in continuous speech are discussed.     

Acoustic analysis of voice in multiple sclerosis patients

The objective is to investigate the presence of dysphonic symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and to compare quantitative acoustic parameters in multiple sclerosis patients and normal individuals. The method of study was an 8-month controlled cross-sectional that was carried out with 106 individuals (30 MS, 76 controls). Both groups included males and females from 20 to 55 years. Exclusion criteria were prior vocal disorder, laryngeal microsurgery, recent endotracheal intubation, tumors, laryngeal, lung or mediastinal metastases, respiratory disease, and other associated neurological diagnoses. For dysphonic symptoms (qualitative variables), associations were assessed using Mantel-Haenszel's chi2 test, with Yates correction or the Fisher exact test when necessary. Statistical significance was set at p< or =0.05. Dysphonia was observed in 70% of MS individuals versus 33% of controls (p=0.01). Association was found between MS and dysphonia (OR: 2.2, CI 95%: 1.13-4.25). Fundamental frequency was higher among MS patients (p=0.01). Fundamental frequency deviation was significantly higher in MS women (but not men) than controls (p=0.00). Jitter was higher in MS men than in all other groups (p=0.00). Results suggest that evaluation and treatment of MS patients should be revised, evaluating voice alterations in relation to other signs. MS seems to intensify gender effect on fundamental frequency deviation, noise, and jitter, with MS women presenting fewer voice variations than men.     

Acoustic voice analysis in patients with essential tremor

To quantify several acoustic features of the voice in patients with essentialtremor (ET), 28 patients and 28 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. ET severity was assessed with the rating scale for tremor of Fahn, Tolosa, and Marín. The Computerized Speech Lab 4300 program (Kay Elemetrics) was used. Two-second samples of a sustained /a/ and a sentence were captured with a microphone and laryngograph equipment. Measures included fundamental frequency (F₀), frequency perturbation (fitter, Koike algorithm), intensity perturbation (shimmer, Horii algorithm), and harmonic-to-noise ratio (H/N, Yumoto algorithm) of the vowel /a/, and the frequency and intensity variability of the sentence, phonational range, and dynamic range at the natural frequency, maximum phonational time, and s/z ratio. All subjects underwent indirect laryngoscopy and/or laryngeal fibroscopy. When compared with controls, ET patients showed higher jitter, lower H/N ratio (the last one only with laryngographic signal), of the vowel /a/, lower frequency variability in the microphonc signal, lower intensity variability in the laryngographic signal of the sentence, and significantly lower dynamic range at natural frequency of phonation. ET patients reported higher frequency of the presence of high voice intensity, tremor, and struggle. Several acoustic parameters were influenced by the severity of the disease, including shimmer, jitter, H/N ratio, frequency variability of the sentence, and s/z ratio, although neither of the acoustic analysis values or the phonetometric measurements were affected by the presence of voice tremor or by a successful pharmacological treatment of ET.     

Acoustic analysis and perception of vowels in stuttered speech

In stuttered repetitions of a syllable, the vowel that occurs often sounds like schwa even when schwa is not intended. In this article, acoustic analyses are reported which show that the spectral properties of stuttered vowels are similar to the following fluent vowel, so it would appear that the stutterers are articulating the vowel appropriately. Though spectral properties of the stuttered vowels are normal, others are unusual: The stuttered vowels are low in amplitude and short in duration. In two experiments, the effects of amplitude and duration on perception of these vowels are examined. It is shown that, if the amplitude of stuttered vowels is made normal and their duration is lengthened, they sound more like the intended vowels. These experiments lead to the conclusion that low amplitude and short duration are the factors that cause stuttered vowels to sound like schwa. This differs from the view of certain clinicians and theorists who contend that stutterers actually articulate /schwa/'s when these are heard in stuttered speech. Implications for stuttering therapy are considered.     

维吾尔语方言识别及相关声学分析

根据语音识别和声纹识别等语音应用研究的实际需要,首次对和田方言的声学特性和识别进行研究。首先选取和田方言语音进行人工多层级标注,对元音的共振峰、时长和音强进行统计分析,描绘出和田方言主体格局及男性和女性的发音特点。然后运用方差分析和非参数分析法对维吾尔语3种方言的共振峰样本进行检验,结果表明3种方言的男性元音、女性元音及整体元音的共振峰分布模式存在显著差异。最后,分别构建基于GMM-UBM (Gaussian Mixture Model-Universal Background Model)、DNN-UBM (Deep Neural Networks-Universal Background Model)和LSTM-UBM (Long Short Term MemoryUniversal Background Model)维吾尔语方言识别模型,对基于梅尔频率倒谱系数及其与共振峰频率组合做输入特征提取的方言i-vector区分性进行对比实验。实验结果表明融入共振峰系数的组合特征可以增加方言的辨识度,且LSTM-UBM模型较GMM-UBM和DNN-UBM能提取到更具区分性的方言i-vector。     

汉语韵律层级结构边界的声学分析

基于大规模语料库,对比了较慢和较快两种语速的语料,研究了韵律层级结构边界的声学表现。研究主要得到以下结果: (1)汉语语句音高的下倾和重置是由音域下限的移动实现的。 (2)韵律词边界的声学线索是低音线的不连续性和边界前音节的延长, 一般没有无声段。 (3)韵律短语和语调短语边界的声学线索是低音线重置和无声段。并且,边界等级越高,低音线重置程度越大,无声段的长度也越长。 (4)知觉等级与无声段长度成对数增长关系。     

Acoustic analysis of the speaking voice after thyroidectomy

Voices of 47 female patients were analyzed before and after thyroidectomy, with preservation of the recurrent and superior laryngeal nerves and normal vocal fold motility during the observation period. A mean decrease of the speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) of 12 Hz was found on day 4; in 8 patients the postoperative vocal pitch was more than 2 semitones lower. The distance between the highest and lowest F₀ during speaking was diminished (speech was more monotone) and the vocal jitter was elevated. In the frequency spectrum, there was a diminished prominence of the harmonics. The other spectral parameters (as the slope of the spectrum and the H1/H2 ratio) were unchanged. All changes had disappeared the fifteenth day, except for a lower SFF (>2 semitones) in 2 cases. It is concluded that after normal dissection of the laryngeal nerves, and in the absence of vocal fold paresis, other reasons for voice changes immediately after thyroidectomy remain: alterations in the neck muscles, in the laryngeal mucosa, and in the patient's general condition. Although the effects seem limited and of short duration, knowledge of them is helpful when informing the patient before thyroid surgery.     

Acoustic analysis and mood classification of pain-relieving music

Listening to preferred music (that which is chosen by the participant) has been shown to be effective in mitigating the effects of pain when compared to silence and a variety of distraction techniques. The wide range of genre, tempo, and structure in music chosen by participants in studies utilizing experimentally induced pain has led to the assertion that structure does not play a significant role, rather listening to preferred music renders the music "functionally equivalent" as regards its effect upon pain perception. This study addresses this assumption and performs detailed analysis of a selection of music chosen from three pain studies. Music analysis showed significant correlation between timbral and tonal aspects of music and measurements of pain tolerance and perceived pain intensity. Mood classification was performed using a hierarchical Gaussian Mixture Model, which indicated the majority of the chosen music expressed contentment. The results suggest that in addition to personal preference, associations with music and the listening context, emotion expressed by music, as defined by its acoustical content, is important to enhancing emotional engagement with music and therefore enhances the level of pain reduction and tolerance.     

Acoustic analysis of the singing and speaking voice in singing students

The singing power ratio (SPR) is an objective means of quantifying the singer's formant. SPR has been shown to differentiate trained singers from nonsingers and sung from spoken tones. This study was designed to evaluate SPR and acoustic parameters in singing students to determine if the singer-intraining has an identifiable difference between sung and spoken voices. Digital audio recordings were made of both sung and spoken vowel sounds in 55 singing students for acoustic analysis. SPR values were not significantly different between the sung and spoken samples. Shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratio were significantly higher in spoken samples. SPR analysis may provide an objective tool for monitoring the student's progress.     

Acoustic analysis of bound rubber formed in silica/SBR compounds

The compressibility of the bound rubber around the silica particle was evaluated by an acoustic technique. The density and the longitudinal wave velocity of a silica/SBR compound were measured as a function of the silica content. The density increased linearly with the filler content. The longitudinal wave velocity was almost constant within the experimental error. The mass ratio of the bound rubber to the silica in the silica/SBR compounds was 1.08+/-0.03 kg kg(-1) which was measured by a thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The partial specific adiabatic compressibility of the silica was estimated as (0.1+/-0.5) x 10(-10) Pa(-1) on the basis of a three states model. The adiabatic compressibility of the bound rubbers in the silica/SBR compounds was (4.6+/-0.5) x 10(-10) Pa(-1). The compressibility was almost the same as that of the SBR, and the value was twice larger than the compressibility of the bound rubber formed in a CB/SBR composite.     

Acoustic analysis of the composition of human blood serum

New acoustic methods of determining total protein, protein fractions, and lipid components of the human blood serum are presented. Acoustic methods are based on high-precision measurements of velocity and temperature dependences and frequency and temperature dependences of ultrasound absorption. Acoustic characteristics of the blood serum were measured using the method of a fixed length interferometer in acoustic cells ～80 mcl in volume in the temperature range from 15 to 40°C and the 4–9 MHz frequency range with the acoustic analyzer developed by BIOM company. An error in measuring ultrasound velocity in the blood serum was 3 × 10^?5; that of absorption, 2 × 10^?2. The developed acoustic methods were clinically tested and recommended for application at clinical diagnostic laboratories with RF treatment-and-prophylactics establishments.     

重塑砂质含气沉积物的声响应特性与模型预测分析

海洋沉积物中气泡的存在对沉积物的声学特性有显著影响。为实现在实验室内对不同初始应力条件下含气沉积物的声学特性测量,研制了一套可用于土工三轴仪的双探针声学测量系统,基于CT扫描试验获得重塑含气砂样品中气泡群的尺寸分布,确定其共振频率范围。试验结果表明:细砂沉积物声速随气体含量的增加呈指数型降低,衰减系数随气体含量的增加呈指数递增,初始应力的增加会导致沉积物声速变快,声衰减变小。沉积物中气体含量0%～1.18%,测量频率250 kHz,有效围压100 kPa时,声速为1745～976 m/s,衰减系数为57～224 dB/m;有效围压200 kPa时,声速为1773～1011 m/s,衰减系数为41～192 dB/m。利用已建立的含气沉积物声学模型对试验结果进行预测对比,分析表明含气沉积物的声学模型除需考虑气泡的赋存状态和声波在沉积物固、液、气中的界面反射外,还需考虑沉积物所处的原位应力条件。     

合成语声的声学分析及识别特征算法*

当前社会新型犯罪中电信诈骗案件频发,急需一种能够自动有效区分语声真伪的方法。为进一步增强目前深度学习领域识别合成语声的能力,为保障语声信息安全提供技术上的支持,针对合成语声声学特性上异于真实语声的特点,分析对比合成语声和真实语声的声学特性,设计了一种声学特征均方根角量化语声声强变化程度,结合基频变化率和语声窄带频谱图声学特征进行融合,量化了声学特性差异,聚焦了合成语声中关键声学信息。在神经网络模型中融合输入声学特征,在FoR数据集的验证集上得到了0.6%的等错误率,在测试集上最好结果达到了10.8%的等错误率。该文成功实现了对合成语声的识别,证实了声学特征的有效性和研究方案的可行性,在一定程度上拓宽了合成语声特征设计的研究思路。     

Acoustic analysis of a liquefied petroleum gas-fired pulse combustor

Experimental investigation of acoustic characteristics of a Helmholtz type liquefied petroleum gas-fired pulse combustor is presented. In the experiments, the length of the tail pipe was changed from 1.9 m to 1.3 m by 10 cm intervals. Sound level measurements were taken from the exhaust side (outlet) and air flapper side (inlet) at a distance of 1 m from both sides. With decreasing lengths of the tail pipe, the sound pressure level increased. At the measurements related to the exhaust side, the maximum value of equivalent continuous sound pressure level, LEQ was 96.6 dB when the length of the tailpipe and fundamental frequency were 1.3 m and 63 Hz, respectively. Same kinds of measurements were performed at the air flapper side, but the LEQ value was stronger at the exhaust side than the one at the air flapper side. It was also observed that the effect of the type of gaseous fuel on the acoustic efficiency of the pulse combustor can be neglected when the results of the acoustic efficiencies were compared to those in the literature. In order to compare the accuracy of frequencies measured by the sound level meter, a suitable dynamic pressure transducer and a spectrum analyzer were used to perform amplitude and frequency measurements. The average deviation between the measurements performed by the sound level meter and dynamic pressure transducer was 2.4 Hz (3.8% errors) while the average deviation was 3.8 Hz (6% errors) between the sound level meter and spectrum analyzer.     

Acoustic analysis of damping structure with response surface method

Analysis of vibro-acoustic systems is challenged by their highly non-linear and complex properties, especially for the damping structure. So, an approximate response surface method (RSM) method is utilized to analysis the effect of design parameters on the sound radiation from a vibrating panel. A simple case study was illustrated to demonstrate the capabilities of the developed procedure. In details, sound radiated from vibrating panel with a point force excitation has been analyzed by numerical method. The structure-born noise problem is approximated by a series of second-degree polynomials. Three analysis objectives are considered, namely, mean quadratic velocity, sound radiation power and system loss factor. In this way, the trend of sound radiation varying with design parameters can be obtained conveniently and effectively.     

重塑砂质含气沉积物的声响应特性与模型预测分析

海洋沉积物中气泡的存在对沉积物的声学特性有显著影响。为实现在实验室内对不同初始应力条件下含气沉积物的声学特性测量,研制了一套可用于土工三轴仪的双探针声学测量系统,基于CT扫描试验获得重塑含气砂样品中气泡群的尺寸分布,确定其共振频率范围。试验结果表明:细砂沉积物声速随气体含量的增加呈指数型降低,衰减系数随气体含量的增加呈指数递增,初始应力的增加会导致沉积物声速变快,声衰减变小。沉积物中气体含量0%~1.18%,测量频率250 kHz,有效围压100 kPa时,声速为1745~976 m/s,衰减系数为57~224 dB/m;有效围压200 kPa时,声速为1773~1011 m/s,衰减系数为41~192 dB/m。利用已建立的含气沉积物声学模型对试验结果进行预测对比,分析表明含气沉积物的声学模型除需考虑气泡的赋存状态和声波在沉积物固、液、气中的界面反射外,还需考虑沉积物所处的原位应力条件。