On the Characteristics of Formant Frequency of Vowels in ‘Kyogi Karuta'

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the characteristics of the formant frequency of vowels used in the recitation of Kyogi Karuta (Competitive karuta). All vowels within the first unit of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (One hundred poets, one poem each) were considered as the sample and subjected to acoustic phonetic analysis when delivered by a reciter at All Japan Karuta Association. As a result, we confirmed that F1 for the recitation of Kyogi Karuta was grouped at the centre of the formant diagram compared to normal speech. Moreover, we confirmed that F1 was grouped even closer to the centre of the formant diagram after the second unit. This research showed that as compared to normal speech, the formant frequency of vowels in the recitation of Kyogi Karuta is centralized, which was demonstrated by F1 and F3 more clearly than F2.