Discrimination of simplified vowel spectra

Abstract

One of the most important, and delicate, tasks of human hearing is speech recognition. Speech sounds show very quick variations over time, both in their intensities and in their frequency spectra. The basis ofspeech recognition is the ability to classify these sounds and to track changes in them. Much research has been performed on speech perception. This research has produced many rivalling models for the mechanisms behind the ability to distinguish speech and speech-like sounds (Moore, 1989). However, the theory of hearing does not provide exact answers concerning the nature and precision of the mechanisms to detect differences between speech-like sounds. Of old, two groups of theories have existed next to each other, one based on the spectra, and one based on the waveforms of sounds. Zie: Summary