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Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production

The source-filter theory describes speech production as a two-stage process where a sound source is generated, having its own spectral properties, and is then shaped by the resonant properties of the vocal tract which acts as a filter. The vocal tract filter includes parts of the oral and potentially nasal cavities. Sound sources can be periodic like voiced sounds, aperiodic like whispers, or mixed. Periodic sources have harmonics while aperiodic sources have random spectral components. The vocal tract filter produces formants that characterize vowels, while the fundamental frequency characterizes the glottal source and perceived pitch.

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108 views2 pages

Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production

The source-filter theory describes speech production as a two-stage process where a sound source is generated, having its own spectral properties, and is then shaped by the resonant properties of the vocal tract which acts as a filter. The vocal tract filter includes parts of the oral and potentially nasal cavities. Sound sources can be periodic like voiced sounds, aperiodic like whispers, or mixed. Periodic sources have harmonics while aperiodic sources have random spectral components. The vocal tract filter produces formants that characterize vowels, while the fundamental frequency characterizes the glottal source and perceived pitch.

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Iván Zamorano Reveco
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| Acoustic Theory of Speech Production |

Source-Filter Theory of Speech Production


Robert Mannell
Click here for a pdf version of this topic

The source-filter theory describes speech production as a two stage process involving
the generation of a sound source, with its own spectral shape and spectral fine
structure, which is then shaped or filtered by the resonant properties of the vocal
tract.
Most of the filtering of a source spectrum is carried out by that part of the vocal tract
anterior to the sound source. In the case of a glottal source, the filter is the entire
supra-glottal vocal tract. The vocal tract filter always includes some part of the oral
cavity and can also, optionally, include the nasal cavity (depending upon whether the
velum is open or closed).
Sound sources can be either periodic or aperiodic. Glottal sound sources can be
periodic (voiced), aperiodic (whisper and /h/) or mixed (eg. breathy voice).
Supra-glottal sound sources that are used contrastively in speech are aperiodic (ie.
random noise) although some trill sounds can resemble periodic sources to some
extent.
A voiced glottal source has its own spectrum which includes spectral fine structure
(harmonics and some noise) and a characteristic spectral slope (sloping downwards at
approximately -12dB/octave).
An aperiodic source (glottal or supra-glottal) has its own spectrum which includes
spectral fine structure (random spectral components) and a characteristic spectral
slope.
Periodic and aperiodic sources can be generated simultaneously to produce mixed
voiced and aperiodic speech typical of sounds such as voiced fricatives.
In voiced speech the fundamental frequency (perceived as vocal pitch) is a
characteristic of the glottal source acoustics whilst features such as vowel formants
are characteristics of the vocal tract filter (resonances).

What is a filter?
A filter is anything that can selectively permit some things to pass through and block
other things. For example, a piece of filter paper used in chemistry blocks the
passage of solid particles larger than a certain size and permits smaller particles and
liquids to pass through unhindered. An acoustic filter selectively attenuates (reduces

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in intensity) certain frequencies and allows other frequencies to pass through


relatively unattenuated.

References
Clark and Yallop, section 7.10
Harrington and Cassidy, chapter 3.

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