Using entropy to determine vowel spaces
Terese Anderson, Grandon Goertz · ExLing Conferences · 2022
Vowel spaces are often illustrated with the first and second formants plotted against each other on X-Y plots. The numerical values of vowel F1, F2, and F3 were evaluated using Pearson correlations, and results often showed inconsistencies, indicating that some F1-F2 plots might not provide the best vowel space depiction. The same formant values were examined using conditional entropy methodology, and determinations were made regarding which formants should be the independent X variable and which formants should be the dependent Y variable for plotting. This research describes the examination of relationships between formants to determine optimal, more accurate vowel space plots.