Sex, acoustic space and vowel centralization in Bogota Spanish

Abstract

The present study analyses sex-specific differences in acoustic vowel space area (VSA), formant centralization ratio (FCR) and vowel dispersion in Bogota Spanish. In addition, we explore the relationship between speaking fundamental frequency (f0), an acoustic parameter that conveys speaker sex information, and VSA. Results suggest that, in line with previous research, females have a larger VSA than males. However, some speakers produce vowels that show the opposite pattern to the gender stereotype. Formant centralization and vowel dispersion are related to individual phonetic differences and vowel type respectively. Finally, results show that speakers with a higher average f0 also have larger vowel spaces.