The Application of Modern Instruments to the Study of Phonetic Problems
John C. Steinberg · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1934
A description of the flow of speech, one that shows how the different physical properties of the waves change with time, and also how the changes are interpreted by the ear as changes in sensation, is of considerable importance in the study of phonetics. Theoretically, such a description can be obtained by analytical methods from an oscillograph record, but the labor involved is very great indeed. Consequently, it would be desirable to have instruments to show these changes directly. An oscillograph record of a short phrase has been analyzed to show how the frequency of the voice fundamental, the intensity of the wave, and the resonant frequencies and damping of the vocal cavities changed with time as the phrase was spoken. From these properties, the time variations in the corresponding sensations, i.e., pitch, loudness and quality, were obtained. These results indicate some of the problems that are encountered in applying instruments to the study of phonetics.