Measuring noise as a component of mammalian vocalizations is of interest because of its potential relevance to the communicative function. However, methods for characterizing and quantifying noise are less well established than methods applicable to harmonically structured aspects of signals. Using barks of coyotes and domestic dogs, we compared six acoustic measures and studied how they are related to human perception of noisiness. Measures of harmonic-to-noise-ratio (HNR), percent voicing, and shimmer were found to be the best predictors of perceptual rating by human listeners. Both acoustics and perception indicated that noisiness was similar across coyote and dog barks, but within each species there was significant variation among the individual vocalizers. The advantages and disadvantages of the various measures are discussed.
REFERENCES
1.
Baken
, R. J.
, and Orlikoff
, R. F.
(1999
). Clinical Measurement of Speech and Voice
, 2nd ed. (Singular Publishing
, San Diego).2.
Beecher
, M. D.
(1988
). “Spectrographic analysis of animal vocalization: Implications of the uncertainty principle
,” Bioacoustics
1
, 187
–208
.3.
Boersma
, P.
(1993
). “Accurate short-term analysis of the fundamental frequency and the harmonics-to-noise ratio of a sampled sound
,” Proc. Inst. Phonetic Sci.
of the University of Amsterdam 17
, 97
–110
.4.
Boersma
, P.
, and Weenink
, D.
(1996
). “Praat: A system for doing phonetics by computer
,” Technical Report 132, Institute of Phonetic Sciences of the University of Amsterdam
.5.
Brown
, C.
, Alipour
, F.
, Berry
, D. A.
, and Montequin
, D.
(2003
). “Laryngeal biomechanics and vocal communication in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis)
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
113
, 2114
–2126
.6.
Darden
, S. K.
, Pedersen
, S. B.
, and Dabelsteen
, T.
(2002
). “Methods of frequency analysis of a complex mammalian vocalization
,” Bioacoustics
13
, 247
–263
.7.
Dejonckere
, P. H.
, Bradley
, P.
, Clemente
, P.
, Cornut
, G.
, Crevier-Buchman
, L.
, Friedrich
, G.
, Van De Heyning
, P.
, Remacle
, M.
, and Woisard
, V.
(2001
). “A basic protocol for functional assessment of voice pathology, especially for investigating the efficacy of (phonosurgical) treatments and evaluating new assessment techniques: Guideline elaborated by the Committee on Phoniatrics of the European Laryngological Society (ELS)
,” Eur. Arch. Otorhinolaryngol.
258
, 77
–82
.8.
Feddersen-Petersen
, D.
(2000
). “Vocalization of European wolves (Canis lupus lupus L.) and various dog breeds (Canis lupus f. fam.)
,” Arch. Anim. Breed
43
, 387
–397
.9.
Fitch
, W. T.
, Neubauer
, J.
, and Herzel
, H.
(2002
). “Calls out of chaos: The adaptive significance of nonlinear phenomena in mammalian vocal communication
,” Anim. Behav.
63
, 407
–418
.10.
Hopp
, S. L.
, Owren
, M. J.
, and Evans
, C.
(1998
). Animal Acoustic Research: Sound Analysis and Research Methods
(Springer-Verlag
, Heidelberg).11.
Jiang
, J.
, Lin
, E.
, Wu
, J.
, Gener
, C.
, and Hanson
, D. G.
(2000
). “Effects of simulated source of tremor on acoustic and airflow voice measures
,” J. Voice
14
, 47
–57
.12.
Jürgens
, U.
(1994
). “The role of the periaqueductal grey in vocal behavior
,” Behav. Brain Res.
62
, 107
–117
.13.
Kent
, R. D.
, and Ball
, M. J.
(1999
). Voice Quality Measurement
(Singular Publishing
, San Diego).14.
Klingholz
, F.
(1987
). “The measurement of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in continuous speech
,” Speech Commun.
6
, 15
–26
.15.
Koike
, Y.
(1973
). “Application of some acoustic measures for evaluation of laryngeal dysfunction
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
45
, 839
–844
.16.
Lieberman
, P.
(1963
). “Some acoustic measures of the fundamental periodicity of normal and pathologic larynges
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
35
, 344
–353
.17.
Nicastro
, N.
, and Owren
, M. J.
(2003
). “Classification of domestic cat (Felis catus) vocalizations by naive and experienced human listeners
,” J. Comp. Psychol.
117
, 44
–52
.18.
Owren
, M. J.
, and Bernacki
, R. H.
(1988
). “The acoustic features of vervet monkey alarm calls
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
83
, 1927
–1935
.19.
Owren
, M. J.
, and Linker
, C.
(1995
). “Some analysis methods that may be useful to acoustic primatologists
,” in Current Topics in Primate Vocal Communication
, edited by E.
Zimmermann
, J. D.
Newman
, and U.
Jürgens
(Plenum Press
, New York), pp. 1
–27
.20.
Riede
, T.
, Arcadi
, A. C.
, and Owren
, M. J.
(2004
). “Nonlinear acoustics in the pant hoot vocalizations of common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Frequency jumps, subharmonics, biphonation, and deterministic chaos
,” Am. J. Primatol
64
, 277
–291
.21.
Riede
, T.
, Herzel
, H.
, Hammerschmidt
, K.
, Brunnberg
, L.
, and Tembrock
, G.
(2001
). “The harmonic-to-noise-ratio applied to dog barks
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
110
, 2191
–2197
.22.
Riede
, T.
, Herzel
, H.
, Mehwald
, D.
, Seidner
, W.
, Trumler
, E.
, Böhme
, G.
, and Tembrock
, G.
(2000
). “Nonlinear phenomena in the natural howling of a dog-wolf mix
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
108
, 1435
–1442
.23.
Schneider
, G. T.
(2004
). “Magnitude estimation of chaotic and white noises: Listener evaluations of loudness and annoyingness
,” unpublished Baccalaureate thesis, Cornell University
.24.
Schrader
, L.
, and Hammerschmidt
, and K.
(1997
). “Computer-aided analysis of acoustic parameters in animal vocalizations: a multiparametric approach
,” Bioacoustics
7
, 247
–265
.25.
Sciamarella
, D.
, and d’Alessandro
, C.
(2004
). “On the acoustic sensitivity of a symmetrical two-mass model of the vocal folds to the variation of control parameters
,” Acta. Acust. Acust.
90
, 746
–761
.26.
Seyfarth
, R. M.
, and Cheney
, D. L.
(1984
). “The acoustic features of vervet monkey grunts
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
75
, 1623
–1628
.27.
Solomon
, N. P.
, Luschei
, E.
, and Kang
, L.
(1994
). “Fundamental frequency and tracheal pressure during three types of vocalizations elicited from anaesthetized dogs
,” J. Voice
9
, 403
–412
.28.
29.
Tokuda
, I.
, Riede
, T.
, Neubauer
, J.
, Owren
, M. J.
, and Herzel
, H.
(2002
). “Nonlinear analysis of irregular animal vocalizations
,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
111
, 2908
–2919
.30.
West
, R.
, and Larson
, C. R.
(1999
). “Laryngeal and respiratory activity during vocalization in macaque monkeys
,” J. Voice
7
, 54
–68
.31.
Wilden
, I.
, Herzel
, H.
, Peters
, G.
, and Tembrock
, G.
(1998
). “Subharmonics, biphonation, and deterministic chaos in mammal vocalization
,” Bioacoustics
9
, 171
–196
.32.
Yin
, S.
(2002
). “A new perspective on barking in dogs (Canis familiaris)
,” J. Comp. Psychol.
116
, 189
–193
.33.
Yin
, S.
, and McCowan
, B.
(2004
). “Barking in domestic dogs: Context specificity and individual identification
,” Anim. Behav.
68
, 343
–355
.© 2005 Acoustical Society of America.
2005
Acoustical Society of America
You do not currently have access to this content.
