Abstract This paper contributes insight into the sources of variability in vowel formant estimation, a major analytic activity in sociophonetics, by reviewing the outcomes of two simulations that manipulated the settings used for linear predictive coding (LPC)-based vowel formant estimation. Simulation 1 explores the range of frequency differences obtained when minor adjustments are made to LPC settings, and measurement timepoints around the settings used by trained analysts, in order to determine the range of variability that should be expected in sociophonetic vowel studies. Simulation 2 examines the variability that emerges when LPC settings are varied combinatorially around constant default settings, rather than settings set by trained analysts. The impacts of different LPC settings are discussed as a way of demonstrating the inherent properties of LPC-based formant estimation. This work suggests that differences more fine-grained than about 10 Hz in F1 and 15–20 Hz in F2 are within the range of LPC-based formant estimation variability.

中文翻译：

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通过基于仿真的技术探索元音共振峰估计

摘要本文通过回顾两个模拟基于线性预测编码（LPC）的元音共振峰估计设置的模拟结果，为洞察元音共振峰估计中的变异性来源提供了见解。仿真1探索了对LPC设置进行细微调整时获得的频率差异范围，以及受过训练的分析人员所使用的设置周围的测量时间点，以确定在社会语音元音研究中应该期望的变化范围。仿真2检验了LPC设置围绕恒定默认设置（而不是受过培训的分析师设置的设置）进行组合变化时出现的可变性。讨论了不同LPC设置的影响，以证明基于LPC的共振峰估计的固有属性。这项工作表明，与基于FPC的共振峰估计变异性范围相比，F1中的约10 Hz和F2中的15–20 Hz更细粒度的差异。