Vowel Distinction
at High Frequencies
Vowel Distinction
at High Frequencies
Hermann Ingi RagnarssonHermann Ingi Ragnarsson
The Purpose
To find out if vowels move closer to each other on a vowel space
chart when they are sung at higher frequencies.
The Method
• I recorded the singing of the Icelandic vowels a, e, í, o, ú at 5 different frequencies.
• I used a piano for reference. Playing five different keys. After each key was pressed the singer would sing the vowels.
The Piano Keys that Were Used
• Middle-C, E, G, C(one octave higher) and E (one octave higher)
Middle C - Spectrogram
Middle C - Formants
E - Spectrogram
E - Formants
G - Spectrogram
G - Formants
C (higher) - Spectrogram
C (higher) - Formants
E (higher) - Spectrogram
E (Higher) - Formants
Vowel Space Charts
Middle C
E
G
C (Higher)
E (Higher)
Conclusion
Despite showing instances of unpredictable ‘behavior’ the
vowels generally move closer to each other on the vowel space
chart with increasing frequencies.