Acta Oto-Laryngologica

ISSN: 0001-6489 (Print) 1651-2251 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ioto20

Vowel formant frequencies

To cite this article: (1969) Vowel formant frequencies, Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 68:sup257, 7-22,
DOI: 10.3109/00016486909129235

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00016486909129235

Published online: 08 Jul 2009.

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 111. VOWEL FORMANT FREQUENCIES

Method
A Sound-Spectrum Analyzer (Kay, Sona-Graph Model 6061A) was used
for the acoustical analysis of reproduced speech sounds. Steady-state por-
tions of the vowels were identified from both wide-band and narrow-band
spectrograms. The first and second formant frequencies for each vowel on
each repetition of each subject were estimated from the spectrum envelopes
drawn on expanded narrow-band sections (0-4000 Hz) (Fig. 1 ) .
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In each age group, the mean formant frequencies and between-subject

standard deviations were calculated from the mean values of each subject,
while intra-subject standard deviations were calculated as the square root
of the mean value of the individual variance within each age group.
These intra-subject standard deviations of the distribution of five repeti-
tions within each age group were used as a measure of variability, or the
inverse of precision, of articulation and were calculated either in absolute
terms or in terms of ratios to the individual means.
Since the present study focuses, on measures of variability associated with
talker repetitions, age and different vowels, some information about error of
measurement of formant frequencies through visual inspection of spectro-
gram sections is required. Several previous reports have addressed them-
selves to this problem. With age as a principal variable, Potter and Stein-
berg (1950) reported no correlation between the fundamental frequency and
formant frequency for their three groups of adult males, adult females, and
children. More directly related to the present report was their further find-
ing that repeated utterances by a number of talkers showed a standard
deviation of 20-40 Hz for the first formant, and 40-70 Hz for the second
formant. Corresponding measurements for children (8 years) yielded values
about twice as large. Distributions of single utterances from a large number
of talkers had standard deviations two or three times as large. Peterson and
Barney (1952) reported that the standard deviation for the first formant of
a repeated vowel ([i]) by adult females was 15.3 Hz. They did not attribute
this value to a specific source but suggested that it represented intra-subject
variability, that is, over several trials by the same talker, and they stated
further that this value was not easily interpretable in comparing one talker
with another. Finally, and more specifically concerned with error of spectro-
graphic measurement, Lindblom (1962) studied the accuracy with which
formant frequencies could be estimated from spectrograms of synthesized
vowels. He compared the values read by five experienced investigators and
obtained a between-reader standard deviation of 40 Hz for adult male voice
pitch, that is, a value about one-fourth the fundamental frequency.

Acta oto-laryng. S n p p l . 257

 8 EGUCHI AND HIRSH
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F i g . I . Spectrogram of a child’s rendition of “He has a blue pen. I am tall.” \Vide-hand

spectrogram is shown at the top, and narrow-hand in the center. At the bottom are seen
the sections at the indicated points in time which show the spectral distribution of the
vowels up to 4 kHz.

We cannot find any study on intra-reader variability, that is, the relia-
bility with which a single investigator will draw his spectrum envelopes
and interpolate the peak values on successive readings of the same recorded
sample. Accordingly, one of us ( S . E.) estimated from sections the first
and second formants of six different vowels spoken by a 6-year-old child
and by an adult male. Five sets of narrow-band sections (0-4 kHz) were
recorded from the spectrogram and lie then made his estimates on different
occasions and in haphazard order. The typical standard deviation within any
set of five was about 10 Hz, a value considerably lower than any that will

Acta oto-laryng. Suppl. 257

 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 9
TABLE1a-f. First a n d second formant frequencies for six nomels.
In each age or sex-age sub-group, N = 5. Each table section concerns one vowel, and within each
section the columns represent, in order, the Mean frequency, the Between-subject standard
deviation, the Within-subject standard deviation, and the Ratio of t h e Within-s.D. t o the .\lean.

Age Between-S Intra-S Ratio of Iutra-S

(yrs.) Mean S.D. S.D. S.D. t o .\\Iean

il. /i/
1;irst foormunl
3 484 81.2 53.1 .110
4 4 44 49.5 41.5 ,093
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5 408 63.3 37.0 .OYI

(i 397 15.2 30.5 .()it<
7 411 19.5 28.6 .050
8 397 38.1 25.X ,060
9 403 58.9 21.4 ,053
10 103 36.9 19.4 .(148
11, 31 397 li.0 18.5 .047
11, I' 423 x1.3 18.2 .1143
12, 111 359 62.1 17.6 .(I 19
12, F 358 35.5 17.3 .o 1x
I:<, 31 35.5 54.8 16.0 .O 13
13, F 377 30.2 16.2 ,043
Adult, nl 288 34.3 15.2 .0,5:3
htlull. F 338 21.1 14.9 ,044

Second formarit
9 3 9 18 267.1 l:30.8 .039
4 3050 453.1 104.0 ,034
3 3235 346.3 95.8 ,030
ti 3108 210.8 89.6 .(129
7 3204 187.1
-.
Lb.9 .02 4
8 3101 67.9 71.1 ,023
9 3106 171.5 58.7 ,019
10 3028 167.7 56.5 ,019
11, h1 2778 98.7 46.5 .(117
11, I-' 3134 179.2 46.1 ,015
12, .\I 2877 49.0 39.5 .(114
12, F 2940 183.7 40.3 ,011
13, J I 2727 279.7 34.9 ,013
13, F 2907 296.3 41.0 ,011

Adult, 111 2217 194.4 33.5 .015

Adult, F 2810 72.5 39.4 .()14

IEI
1;irst forrnunt
3 673 77.1 97.8 ,145
4 566 68.0 78.7 ,139
5 642 61.4 66.4 ,103
6 512 61.1 55.3 .108

Actn oto-Inryng. Siippl. 257

 10 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

Table 1 (continued)

'4ge Between-S Intra-S Ratio of Intra-S

(yrs.) Mean S.D. S.D. S.D. to Mean

7 664 134.5 50.2 .076

8 585 77.1 45.5 .078
9 608 119.2 40.3 .066
10 645 106.9 33.2 .051
11, it1 671 15.2 27.7 .041
11, F 628 171.2 30.0 .048
12, M 618 82.3 25.3 .041
12, I: 687 54.5 24.8 .036
13, IZI 668 62.5 21.2 .032
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13, F 590 141.8 22.1 .037

Adult, M 555 91.7 21.0 .038
Adult, I; 589 106.5 21.6 .037

Second formant
3 2683 180.6 144.7 ,054
4 2397 205.0 119.6 .050
5 2418 157.8 96.5 ' .040
6 2281 198.3 92.9 ,041
7 2280 104.5 73.1 .032
8 2195 142.2 69.8 .032
9 2296 158.1 69.5 .030
10 2193 163.3 59.5 ,027
11, ni 2109 73.1 51.4 .024
11, I: 2359 187.6 51.5 .022
12, 1LI 2059 123.9 48.2 .023
12, F 2169 104.3 44.5 .021
13, hl 1974 196.1 41.8 ,021
13, F 2205 226.3 46.0 .021
Adult, nI 1726 70.5 38.5 .022
Adult, F 2111 101.5 45.2 .021

c- la/
First formant
3 786 107.9 102.2 .130
4 657 121.3 86.5 .132
5 643 90.4 68.8 .107
6 611 98.5 58.8 .096
7 736 113.1 56.1 .076
8 685 77.3 51.1 .075
9 647 53.7 47.0 .073
10 735 47.5 37.3 ,051
11, M 620 88.9 34.4 .055
11, F 736 141.4 34.6 .047
12, M 658 48.5 33.9 .052
12, F 700 39.8 33.5 .048
13, M 658 70.1 29.5 .045
13, F 672 86.5 29.4 .044
Adult, i
V 616 68.6 25.4 .041
Adult, F 761 75.7 30.3 .040

Acfa o f o - l a r y n g . S u p p l . 257
 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 11
Table 1 (continued)

Age Between-S Intra-S Ratio of Intra-S

(yrs.1 Mean S.D. S.D. S.D. t o Mean

Second formant
3 2599 205.4 134.6 .052
4 2281 213.4 112.3 .049
5 2423 201.9 101.1 .042
6 2238 144.1 93.9 .042
7 2299 137.2 86.2 .037
8 2222 101.3 85.9 .039
9 2295 102.3 76.3 .033
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10 2255 110.6 70.5 .031

11, M 2063 123.3 68.1 .033
11, F 2266 100.1 64.2 .028
12, M 2012 101.5 63.3 ,031
12, F 2136 113.2 60.3 .028
13, M 1885 225.7 56.9 .030
13, F 2161 214.9 57.1 .026
Adult, M 1723 63.3 59.5 .036
Adult, F 2054 85.5 61.5 .030

d. la1
First formant
3 986 105.9 168.9 .171
4 879 148.7 121.5 .138
5 1037 237.9 110.3 .106
6 809 109.1 87.2 .108
7 950 61.4 74.0 ,078
8 921 99.8 69.3 .075
9 1053 109.4 63.5 ,060
10 997 131.9 54.8 .055
11, M 884 37.5 39.5 .045
11, F 1005 149.7 47.1 .047
12, M 915 110.5 38.7 .042
12, I? 895 58.5 37.5 .042
13, M 900 121.1 34.3 .039
13, F 950 51.0 36.0 .038
Adult, M 813 100.7 34.8 .043
Adult, F 922 95.9 37.4 .041

Second formant
3 1982 180.8 156.3 .079
4 1858 211.0 137.5 .074
5 1784 116.2 119.6 .067
6 1655 63.3 98.5 .060
7 1652 119.6 83.2 .050
8 1729 153.7 77.1 .045
9 1785 87.2 73.7 .041
10 1709 127.9 66.9 .039
11, M 1538 136.8 53.9 .035
11, F 1752 52.9 55.8 .032

Acta oto-laryng. S i z p p l . 257

 12 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

Table 1 (continued)

Between-S Intra-S . Ratio of Intra-S

S.D. S.D. S.D. t o Mean
~~ ~~

12, M 1573 104.4 50.1 .032

12, F 1734 176.7 50.3 .029
13, M 1526 96.2 46.1 ,030
13, F 1719 138.9 43.8 .025
Adult, M 1301 60.3 44.8 .034
Adult, F 1503 110.1 44.2 .029

0. I D /
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Firsf formant
3 802 110.3 109.6 .137
4 762 144.6 83.3 .109
\ 5 901 197.0 79.6 ,088
6 689 87.2 62.5 .091
7 817 78.8 53.1 .065
8 743 69.7 48.1 .065
9 836 68.7 45.2 .054
10 814 89.6 39.2 .048
11, M 724 67.6 34.5 .048
11, F 799 114.1 31.8 .040
12, M 705 100.5 31.2 .044
12, F 830 89.5 28.1 .034
13, M 744 85.7 24.5 .033
13, F 806 126.1 24.8 .031
Adult, M 653 39.5 23.3 ,036
Adult, F 666 38.9 24.1 ,036

Second formant
3 1485 70.8 122.1 .082
4 1390 172.7 93.4 ,067
5 1513 109.6 80.3 .053
6 1308 117.3 68.1 .052
7 1398 94.9 64.8 ,046
8 1359 78.3 63.2 .047
9 1352 116.2 54.7 .040
10 1336 48.9 52.0 .039
11, M 1284 87.5 47.5 .037
11, F 1325 104.9 44.2 .033
12, M 1175 139.3 40.9 .035
12, F 1382 82.5 40.1 .029
13, M 1120 82.8 41.0 ,037
13, F 1802 155.9 42.4 ,035
Adult, M 1048 67.4 40.6 .039
Adult, F 1135 95.4 41.9 .037

First formant
3 578 74.2 55.7 .096
4 472 21.7 42.0 .089

A e f a oto-laryng. S u p p l . 257
 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 13
Table 1 (continued)

Age Between-S Intra-S Ratio of Intra-S

(yrs.1 Mean S.D. S.D. S.D. to Mean

5 452 41.4 39.2 .087

6 431 28.6 34.2 .079
7 481 49.0 30.8 .064
8 450 65.3 24.9 .055
9 469 63.5 23.1 .049
10 469 35.1 19.3 .041
11, M 448 38.5 15.9 ,035
11, F 478 77.1 18.7 .039
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12, M 404 47.0 16.0 .040

12, F 422 31.2 16.8 .040
13, M 428 18.6 15.4 .036
13, F 399 31.9 15.9 .040
Adult, M 344 45.9 16.2 .047
Adult, F 356 35.0 14.5 .041

Second formant
3 1664 309.7 120.6 .072
4 1528 149.4 97.6 .064
5 1477 112.3 86.3 .058
6 1385 117.9 78.2 .056
7 1525 67.8 67.3 .044
8 1437 51.7 64.0 .046
9 1392 115.6 61.7 ,044
10 1351 92.8 56.9 .042
11, M 1388 144.6 52.5 0.38
11, F 1474 91.2 49.5 .036
12, M 1253 120.4 46.7 .037
12, F 1436 64.9 47.8 .033
13, M 1347 103.9 45.1 .033
13, F 1420 203.2 46.8 .033
Adult, M 1256 80.5 43.6 .035
Adult, F 1460 72.7 46.1 .029

be described presently. Since this crude measure of reader error was the
same for both ages or for all vowels, we conclude that the measures of
variability to be described in the following sections are in fact descriptive
of the speech productions.

Results
Means for each age group and standard deviation between and within
subjects for first-formant and second-formant frequencies are given in
Table 1.
Mean values of first-formant and second-formant frequencies. The second-
formant frequency (first column, lower half) tended to drop more than did

Acta oto-laryng. Szippl. 257

 14 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

3.5 ~ ~
a- 3 - 4 YRS

..
1

0
7 - 8 YRS
-1 1 - 1 2 Y R S FEMALE -
__ - - -- 13ADULT,YRSFEMALE
-ADULT, MALE
FEMALE
-
-
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1.0 -
1 1 1 , 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 1 1 1

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

F i g . 2. Mean formant frequencies for combined age groups a s shown in e key. Each
point represents the combination of Formant 1 and Formant 2 for each of the six vowels,
The different symbols together with the lines that join them represent the different ages.
The broken circles are drawn around all points for a given vowel.

the first-formant frequency (first column, upper half), with the exception
of the first-formant frequency for the vowel [a]. This was especially clear
during the period from 3 to 5 years. Formant frequencies of 13-year-old
girls were close to those of adult females, while 13-year-old boys had higher
formant frequencies than did adult males. Formant frequencies of adults
showed almost the same values as those found in the literature (Peterson
and Barney, 1952; Fairbanks and Grubb, 1961; Potter and Steinberg, 1950).
In order to assess the dependence of formant frequencies on age, values
were averaged for the following age groups: 3 and 4 years; 7 and 8 years;
11 and 12 year-old girls; 13 year-old girls, and male and female adults. The
results are shown in Fig. 2 as the familiar F,-F, plot with the vowels of
each age group connected to form a “vowel triangle”.
Here, the gradual but marked decrease in second formant frequencies, as
contrasted with the more stable first-formant frequencies, is shown. Another
feature that stands out is that the first-formant frequency for [a] appears
to be independent of age.
Between-subject standard deviations. Standard deviations of the distribu-
tion of individual subject means (second column) within each age group

A c f a oto-laryng. Sizppl. 257

 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 15
, I ! I I I !

80 -

60-
f *
40- 40- 0
i 1 ~

20 - 20 -

I I I I I I I I I
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P i g . 3. Intra-subject variability in first formant for six vowels as a function of age.

Each point represents the standard deviation in Hz for each subject used in the experi-
ment. Above the age of 10, females are indicated by filled circles, while males are
indicated by open circles.

Actn oto-largng. S u p p l . 257

 16 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

'J
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I I 12 13 'ADULT

I20

I00

n
Y
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I'I i12' 1k3 -'ADULT
J 200 I I I , 1 I I 1 I I I :: I

180 -
Ihl
160 -
140 - '
* s
120- : - 120- D 0

100-
- .. I
- 100- ~
* *
s
I . .

80 - - 80- D ....
O

'
V

...
60

40
-
- 1 60-

40-
. *
a

0
.

. t

. l i
.
i

i
1 -
I
8 -

2ol 1 1 1 1 , 1 1 1
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 'ADULT
1 1 1 1 ~
20 -

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 I3 "ADULT

AGE (YEARS)
F i g . 4 . Intra-subject variability for second formant. Each point represents the standard
deviation in Hz for each subject used in the experiment. Above the age of 10, females are
indicated by filled circles, while males are indicated by open circles.

Acta oto-laryng. S u p p l . 255

 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 17

‘601\ FIRST F O R M A N T

- 140 il
t l
ipl
a1
120 3 /
ul
0
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F i g . 5. Intra-subject variability in Formant 1 typical of the different age groups as a

function of age. In this figure each point represents the square root of the average
variance for the children in each age group. The different symbols and the different lines
connecting them for each of the six vowels are identified in the key.

for the first and second-formant frequencies varied between 40 and 450 Hz.
Age does not appear to be a factor in between-subject standard deviations
for either the first or second-formant frequency. In other words, individual’s
mean formant frequencies do not appear to become more like each other
as the individuals get older.
Intra-subject standard deviations. The five sentence repetitions permitted
calculation of intra-subject standard deviations for first and second-formant
frequencies, which are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively. Each point
represents a standard deviation for each subject. The filled points show
data for female subjects above the age of ten.
The variability of first-formant frequencies was higher for middle
vowels than for high-front and high-back vowels, but for all vowels the
variability decreases with age, reaching a minimum value, which corre-
sponds to that for adults, at about age 11 to 13. While there is no clear
dependence of variability of second-formant frequency on particular vowels,
the dependence on age was the same.
Summaries of average variability, typical of each age group for the first
and second formant frequencies are shown in Figs. 5 and 6 respectively.
The differences in variability of first-formant frequencies among the

2 - 691079 Acta oto-laryng. S u p p l . 257

 18 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

8-
1601 .\ SECOND FORMANT

-N
140-

-
I
120-
0
I-
2 loo-
>
w
D
80 -
n
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OL
6
0 60-
z
2 d
v, 40-

2ot
F i g . 6. Intra-subject variability in Formant 2 typical of the different age groups as a
function of age. In this figure each point represents the square root of the average
variance for the children in each age group. The different symbols and the different lines
connecting them for each of the six vowels are identified in the key.

vowels are clear here. Variability of [a] is the highest of all vowels while the
variabilities of [i] and [u] are the lowest. The variability of first-formant
frequencies is 170 Hz for [a], 55 Hz for [i] and [u], and 100 Hz for [E], [ae],
and [ 3 ] , at the age of 3. At 13 years, however, it is 35 Hz for [a], 15 Hz for [i]
and [u], and 21-29 Hz in [E], [ae], and [a], the same values as those of a n
adult. The variability of second-formant frequencies is approximately the
same f o r all vowels. The variability of second-formant frequencies ranged
from 120 to 150 Hz at three years and 35 to 57 Hz at thirteen years, reaching
adult values.
Ratio of intra-subject standard deviotion to m e a n value. It is obvious from
Fig. 5 that the intra-subject variability of first formant for [a] is higher
than that for either [i] or [u], but then so is the mean formant frequency.
Perhaps variability should be reckoned not as an absolute yalue, but as a
fraction of the mean around which the values vary. Accordingly, we show
the same data in Fig. 7, but the ordinate describing variability, is the ratio
of the standard deviation in Hz to the child’s o w n m e a n first-formant
frequency. Indeed, the differences among the vowels are less distinct. The
decrease with age remains as before.
Fig. 6 showed a fair homogeneity of the ‘absolute’ variability of the

A c t u oto-lmryng. S i r p p l . 257
 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 19

-
FIRST FORMANT

A- /i/ -
/& /
I - /a? /
0
- /a/ -
.
x ----- /3/
/u/

-
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I I 12 13 ADULT

AGE ( Y E A R S )

F i g . 7. Re-plotting of first-formant data shown in Fig. 5, hut with the variability ex-
pressed o n the ordinate as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean formant
frequency.

second formants for different vowels in absolute terms, but Fig. 8 shows
how the relative variabilities separate according to the mean second-formant
frequencies.
The relative variabilities for the first formant for the 3-year-olds are still
highest for [a] (0.171) and lowest f o r [i] and [u] (0.096, 0.11). By the age
of five or six, however, the ratios are similar for all vowels (0.09 or 0.1) and
they remain the same as they descend to the adult value of 0.03 to 0.05. For
the second formant, the s.D./mean ratio is lowest for [i] and higher for [a],
[3], and [u], and this finding is independent of age.

Discussion
Acoustical phonetics characterizes phonemes or speech sounds in articula-
tory terms by places or gestures of the tongue, and in acoustic terms by
formants and transitions. In the past, studies on vowel formant frequencies
have been reported to clarify some acoustical features of speech sounds. It
has been recognized that the vowel formants represent the acoustical
resonant properties of vocal tract as shaped i n articulation by the tongue
(Potter, Kopp and Green, 1947; Joos, 1948; Peterson and Barney, 1952;

2* - 691079 Acta oto-laryng. S u p p l . 257

 20 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

4- SECOND FORMANT

A- /i/
a /&/
A- /zE /
0- /a /
x ----- / 3 /
a--- /ul
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 I I 12 13 ADULl

AGE ( Y E A R S )
Fig. 8. Re-plotting of second-formant data shown in Fig. 6, but with the variability ex-
pressed on the ordinate as the ratio of the standard deviation t o the mean formant
frequency.

Peterson, 1951, 1959; Potter and Steinberg, 1950; Stevens and House, 1961).
Identification of the vowel is chiefly dependent on the first and the second
formants.
One simple notion from the past was that the first formant corresponds
to the back cavity and the second formant corresponds to the front cavity of
the mouth (Joos, 1948). However, it has also been reported that the formants
generated by different talkers speaking the same vowel have different
frequencies; and that formants generated in producing different vowels may
hav the same frequency. A theory based on absolute values for vowel for-
mant frequency has great difficulty (Stevens and House, 1963). Various
investigators have considered as a basis for this confusion size of vocal tract,
dialect and many other factors.
Recent studies of synthesized speech and measurement of the size of
vocal tract on X-ray pictures reveals that the first and second formants are
not simply acoustic features of front cavity and back cavity in the vocal
tract (Fant, 1960). For example :
“The first formant. The frequency of the first formant F, is generally
dependent more on the back cavity volume than on the volume of other
cavities. An exception is the vowel [a],where F, is affected equally on a
percentage basis by a change in the front cavity volume, and by a change of
the back cavity volume. Since the back cavity of [a] is much shorter than
the front cavity, the percentage increase of F, due to the removal of a small

Acta oto-luryng. S u p p l . 257

 Development of Speech Sounds in Children 21
unit length section of the back cavity is larger than the shift caused by a
removal of a section of the same length in the middle of the front cavity.
“F1 of the vowels [el, [i], and [i]is almost completely determined by the
back cavity volume and the narrowest section of the mouth cavity. In the
vowels [u], [o], and [a] is somewhat more dependent on the front cavity
constriction section. The contribution to F1 of [u] from the back cavity
volume is somewhat larger than that from the front cavity.
“The second formant. Only in the case of the vowel [i] was the mouth
cavity with associated orifices found to be the essential determinant of F,.
F, of [i] is clearly a half-wavelength resonance of the back cavity. There is a
similar but not at all so apparent tendency of F, of [el to be influenced
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more by the back than by the front cavity. The second formant of the back
vowels [u], [o], and [a] is somewhat more dependent on the front cavity
than on the back cavity. Providing the cavity volume changes are introduced
on a constant percentage basis, this tendency is apparent, but if the volume
changes are performed by means of a constant length reduction, there is
found an equal dependency of F, on the two cavities for [u] and also for [a].
In the case of [u], F, is dependent much more on the relative dimensions
of the tongue pass than on the lip section. These two parts of the compound
resonator system have about the same effect on F, of both [a]and [o]. The
lip section is of practically no importance for F, of [i] and does not have a
very marked influence of [el either” (Fant, 1960, p. 121).
There are only a few studies of vowel formant frequency of children
(Potter and Steinberg, 1950; Peterson and Barney, 1952), especially on the
development of formant frequencies (Potter and Peterson, 1948; Okamura,
1966). What is known is that formant frequencies of eight-year old children
are about 25% higher than that of adult males and 20% higher than that
of adult females.
Okamura (1966) reported, in his study on formant constructions and
differentiation of vowel areas in two-formant space, that Japanese \.owe1
formant frequencies can be differentiated from each other by the age of
nine.
Needless to say, the vocal tract of a child is smaller in size than that of a n
adult. But we cannot easily assume that the formants have higher frequen-
cies in proportion to the size of the vocal tract with age as a whole, because
different parts of the vocal tract presumably change at different rates.
In a study on the anatomical development of voice and speech organs in
children, Negus (1949) pointed out that the larynx develops most rapidly
between the ages of 3 and 5 years, and then development of the larynx be-
comes more gradual with age until puberty is reached.
Our results on formant frequencies can be summarized as follows:
( a > There is a clear decrease of first and second formant frequencies
between ages 3 and 5 years.
( b ) Generally, the decrease of the second-formant frequency is greater
than that of the first-formant frequency.

Acta oto-lnryng. Szippl. 257

 22 EGUCHI AND HIRSH

( c ) The first-formant frequency of [a] is independent of age.

( d ) Between-subject standard deviations of formant frequencies are un-
related to age and sex.
From these results and the work of others (e.g., Negus, and Fant) the
following conclusions may be drawn :
(e) These acoustical results are in accordance with the rapid anatomical
development of the vocal tract between the ages of 3 and 5 years.
( f ) The development of the front cavity will have a greater influence
on changes in formant frequencies than the development of the back cavity.
(9) First formant frequencies of [a] are not so clearly influenced by
development of vocal tract, but indirectly or mutually influenced by devel-
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opment of front and back cavities, and also other factors (i.e. fundamental
frequency, etc.).
( h ) Variability of formant frequencies for given vowels between subjects
is independent of age and sex.
Anatomical factors may not be the only source of these variations, since
the development of speech sounds in children is influenced also by psycho-
physiological development. Further, the perception of vowels is dependent
not only on formant frequency, but also on many other information-bearing
elements of speech (Peterson, 1952). We should not expect, therefore, to
understand the development of vowel formant frequency in children on the
basis of the anatomical development of vocal tract alone.

Acta oto-laryny. S u p p l . 257