Adjustments of Pitch and Intensity in Whispered Vowels

Abstract

Observations of the shape of the mouth opening and the position of the larynx during whispering reveal that the mouth opening widens and the larynx lifts when speakers intend to whisper in high pitch. On the contrary, the mouth opening narrows and the larynx lowers in low pitch. These movements of the mouth and the larynx seem to play an important role for changing pitch in whispered vowels. This result supports the conclusion obtained from our perceptual and acoustical study for whispered vowels that the shifts of the first and the second formant frequencies correspond to the perception of the pitch change.
Flow rates, subglottal pressure and/or mesopharyngeal pressure were proved to be among the important aerodynamic cues for changing loudness in whispered vowels.
It is suggested that there are some physiological mechanisms to substitute the lack of vocal fold vibration to change pitch and intensity in whispered speech.