An alternative to the spectral overlap assessment metric (SOAM), first introduced by Wassink [(2006). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 119(4), 2334–2350], is introduced. The SOAM quantifies the intra- and inter-language differences between long–short vowel pairs through a comparison of spectral (F1, F2) and temporal properties modeled with best fit ellipses (F1 × F2 space) and ellipsoids (F1 × F2 × duration). However, the SOAM ellipses and ellipsoids rely on a Gaussian distribution of vowel data and a dense dataset, neither of which can be assumed in endangered languages or languages with limited available data. The method presented in this paper, called the Vowel Overlap Assessment with Convex Hulls (VOACH) method, improves upon the earlier metric through the use of best-fit convex shapes. The VOACH method reduces the incorporation of “empty” data into calculations of vowel space. Both methods are applied to Numu (Oregon Northern Paiute), an endangered language of the western United States. Calculations from the VOACH method suggest that Numu is a primary quantity language, a result that is well aligned with impressionistic analyses of spectral and durational data from the language and with observations by field researchers.
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August 2014
August 01 2014
An assessment of acoustic contrast between long and short vowels using convex hulls Available to Purchase
Erin F. Haynes;
Erin F. Haynes
a)
American Institutes for Research
, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
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Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Harvard University
, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Search for other works by this author on:
Erin F. Haynes
a)
American Institutes for Research
, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451
Michael Taylor
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Harvard University
, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: [email protected]
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, 883–891 (2014)
Article history
Received:
November 24 2013
Accepted:
June 26 2014
Citation
Erin F. Haynes, Michael Taylor; An assessment of acoustic contrast between long and short vowels using convex hulls. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 August 2014; 136 (2): 883–891. https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4887479
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