Perception and Production of Sounds in the High-Frequency Range of Human Speech

The frequency range audible to humans can extend from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, but only the lower portion of this range – up to 8 kHz – has been systematically explored regarding speech. Challenging the notion that extended high-frequency (EHF) information has minimal functional significance, this Special Issue presents a collection of studies investigating the acoustic and perceptual utility of EHF information above this low range. The papers are divided into five categories, including EHF hearing, EHF hearing loss, EHF in speech and speaker recognition, acoustic EHF energy in fricative sounds, and ultrasonic vocalizations in mice in relation to human hearing.

Guest Editors: Ewa Jacewicz (Liaison Guest Editor), Joshua M. Alexander, and Robert A. Fox

Image Credit: Figure 1 from Y. Hamza, A. Farhadi, D. M. Schwarz, J. M. McDonough, L. H. Carney, “Representations of fricatives in subcortical model responses: Comparisons with human consonant perception.” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 154: 602–618 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0020536