Beyond spectral moments: Validating alternative measures of sibilant fricatives using listener ratings of children's speech.

Abstract

Shadle [(2023). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 153, 1412-1426] proposed that the spectral peak in mid-frequency (FM) is a superior measure of place of articulation of sibilant fricatives to the most commonly used measure, the first spectral moment (M1). It is examined as to whether FM predicts adult listener's ratings of the place of articulation of 2.5-3.5-year-old children's word-initial /s/ and /ʃ/ when compared to M1. Regression models reveal that FM in 3-9 kHz range best predicts listener's ratings of children's fricatives. These results provide additional validation for FM as a measure of fricatives' place of articulation, including in children's speech.