Voices of Reason? Study Links Acoustic Correlations, Gender to Vocal Appeal

This graphic illustrates the vowel space area from a single talker. Each peak corresponds to different vowel nuclei, and as speech increases in clarity, on average, the total area enclosed by these peaks becomes larger. CREDIT: University of California, Irvine; University of Utah

WASHINGTON, August 31, 2021 — What makes a voice attractive? The question is the subject of broad interest, with far-reaching implications in our personal lives, the workplace, and…click to read more

From the Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Link to article: Examining vocal attractiveness through articulatory working space
DOI: 10.1121/10.0005730

Compact Speaker Systems Direct Sound Efficiently

A compact speaker system designed to maximize the amount of sound moving toward zero degrees and minimize the sound leakage elsewhere. CREDIT: Wang et al.

WASHINGTON, August 31, 2021 — As electronic devices decrease in size, their component parts, like speakers, need to shrink as well. In JASA Express Letters, published by the Acoustical Society of America through AIP Publishing, researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China and the University of Quebec developed three designs for compact speaker systems that control the…click here to read more.

From the Journal: JASA Express Letters
Link to article: On the design of differential loudspeaker arrays with broadside radiation patterns
DOI: 10.1121/10.0005760

Examining Correlation Between Occupational Noise, Heart Disease

WASHINGTON, August 10, 2021 — Occupational settings can involve exposure to loud noise, a known and preventable contributor to hearing loss. Hearing conservation programs and policies aim to protect workers from noise-induced hearing loss, but it remains unclear whether stress reactions caused by noise exposure might also…click to read more

From the Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Link to article: Self-reported exposure to occupational noise and cardiovascular disease in Canada: Results from the Canadian Health Measures Survey
DOI: 10.1121/10.0005588

Does Visual Feedback of Our Tongues Help in Speech Motor Learning?

These images show the real-time visual feedback of the tongue in sagittal (A) and coronal (B) planes, and for each condition the orientation of the ultrasound transducer is shown below. CREDIT: Guillaume Barbier, Ryme Merzouki, Mathilde Bal, Shari R. Baum, and Douglas M. Shiller

WASHINGTON, August 3, 2021 — When we speak, although we may not be aware of it, we use our auditory and somatosensory systems to monitor the results of the movements of our tongue or…click to read more

From the Journal: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Link to article: Visual feedback of the tongue influences speech adaptation to a physical modification of the oral cavity
DOI: 10.1121/10.0005520