Laryngeal mechanisms in speech production and perception: A cross-language study on F0 perturbation

2019 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17F17006
• Research Institution: Sophia University
• Principal Investigator: 荒井 隆行 上智大学, 理工学部, 教授 (80266072)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): GAO JIAYIN 上智大学, 理工学部, 外国人特別研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2017-10-13 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: Tokyo Japanese / Seoul Korean / voicing / fundamental frequency / voice onset time / electroglottography / laryngeal mechanism / speech production and perception

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

We investigated the interplay between laryngeal mechanisms, using cross-linguistic acoustic, electroglottographic (EEG), and perceptual data.
Our most important achievement is the phonetic description of the voicing contrast of plosives in Tokyo Japanese. We showed that closure voicing is variably produced in word-initial position but maintained in word-medial position. Crucially, fundamental frequency (F0) of the following vowel contributes largely to the distinction between the two plosive series in word-initial position. These results were compared with languages that are undergoing a similar development.
We then examined the perception of the voicing contrast in Japanese by native and nonnative listeners. We conducted experiments using synthesized stimuli, with Japanese- and French-speaking listeners. Our results showed that closure voicing is the primary cue for both listener groups, but the sensitivity to F0 is stronger with Japanese than French listeners.
Seoul Korean is more advanced in this F0 development, and previous studies also reported a role of voice quality. We recorded EEG data with Korean speakers and found highly variable realization of the voice quality. The only consistency is that vowel is breathier after aspirated and lenis than after fortis plosives.
Altogether, we have demonstrated that while some automatic mechanisms explain the interplay between laryngeal behaviors, the production and perception of the laryngeal contrast depend on individual variability as well as language-specific factors, such as phonological structure and prosodic contexts.

Research Progress Status

令和元年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Strategy for Future Research Activity

令和元年度が最終年度であるため、記入しない。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Korean and Japanese listeners' perception of /ma/ produced by a mechanical vocal-tract model (2020)
  • Author(s): Yun, J., Wong, J. W. S., Moore, J., Iwakami, J., Hui, C. T. J., Gao, J., & Arai, T.
  • Journal Title: Acoustical Science and Technology Volume: 41 Pages: -
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Plosive (de-)voicing and f0 perturbation in Tokyo Japanese: Positional variation, cue enhancement and contrast recovery (2019)
  • Author(s): Gao, J., & Arai, T.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Phonetics Volume: 77 Pages: 1-33
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2019.100932
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Breathy voice and low-register: A case of trading relation in Shanghai Chinese tone perception? (2019)
  • Author(s): Gao, J., Halle, P., & Draxler, C.
  • Journal Title: Language and Speech Volume: - Pages: -
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0023830919873080
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Source and filter contributions to voice quality differences (2020)
  • Author(s): Erickson, D., Takano, S., Li, Y., Gao, J., Kawahara. S., Obert, K., Takahashi K., & Akagi, M.
  • Organizer: International Seminar on Speech Production
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] VOT-F0 coarticulation in Japanese: production-biased or misparsing? (2019)
  • Author(s): Gao, J., Yun, J., & Arai, T.
  • Organizer: International Congress of Phonetic Sciences
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Is French more "true voicing" than Japanese? Perception of plosive voicing in French vs. Japanese (2019)
  • Author(s): Gao, J., & Arai, T.
  • Organizer: New Sounds
  • Int'l Joint Research