Impact of Face Mask Wearing on Vowel Production

In the post-COVID era, face masks have become a part of our daily lives. However, the effects of these masks on Mandarin speech production remain unclear. This study aimed to address this research gap by conducting a comprehensive investigation of the impact of surgical face masks on vowel production. Vowels produced in a continuous speech context were recorded for 61 native Mandarin-speaking adults, both with and without wearing a face mask. The acoustic parameters associated with three corner vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/ in Mandarin were measured. Significant changes were observed in the acoustic parameters under the masked condition, including an increase in F0 and a decrease in both F1 and F2 of vowel /a/, as well as tVSA, F1RR, and F2RR. However, no significant changes were found in duration and FCR. The patterns exhibited similarities between male and female speakers. The observed differences in vowel production can be attributed to the acoustic and physical consequences of wearing face masks. These differences, which may indirectly lead to reduced speech intelligibility, highlight the necessity of adopting adaptive strategies when face masks are present in various communication settings.