Associations Between Speaking Fundamental Frequency, Vowel Formant Frequencies, and Listener Perceptions of Speaker Gender and Vocal Femininity--Masculinity.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine associations between speaking fundamental frequency (f_os), vowel formant frequencies (F), listener perceptions of speaker gender, and vocal femininity--masculinity. Method: An exploratory study was undertaken to examine associations between f_os, F₁-F₃, listener perceptions of speaker gender (nominal scale), and vocal femininity-masculinity (visual analog scale). For 379 speakers of Australian English aged 18-60 years, f_os mode and F₁-F₃ (12 monophthongs; total of 36 Fs) were analyzed on a standard reading passage. Seventeen listeners rated speaker gender and vocal femininity--masculinity on randomized audio recordings of these speakers. Results: Model building using principal component analysis suggested the 36 Fs could be succinctly reduced to seven principal components (PCs). Generalized structural equation modeling (with the seven PCs of F and f_os as predictors) suggested that only F₂ and f_os predicted listener perceptions of speaker gender (male, female, unable to decide). However, listener perceptions of vocal femininity--masculinity behaved differently and were predicted by F₁, F₃, and the contrast between monophthongs at the extremities of the F₁ acoustic vowel space, in addition to F₂ and f_os. Furthermore, listeners' perceptions of speaker gender also influenced ratings of vocal femininity-- masculinity substantially. Conclusion: Adjusted odds ratios highlighted the substantially larger contribution of F to listener perceptions of speaker gender and vocal femininity--masculinity relative to f_os than has previously been reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]