F0 and segment duration in formant synthesis of speaker age
Susanne Schötz · 2006
This paper describes the work with F 0 and segment duration when developing a prototype system for analysis of speaker age using data-driven formant synthesis.The system was developed to extract 23 parameters from the test words-spoken by four differently aged female speakers of the same dialect and family-and to generate synthetic copies.Audio-visual feedback enabled the user to compare the natural and synthetic versions and facilitated parameter adjustment.Next, weighted linear interpolation was used in a first crude attempt to synthesize speaker age.Evaluation of the system revealed its strengths and weaknesses, and suggested further improvements.F 0 and duration performed better than most other parameters.