ASA 127th Meeting M.I.T. 1994 June 6-10

1pSP1. Synthesis of consonant sequences using a Klatt synthesizer with higher-level control.

Sensimetrics Corp., 26 Lansdowne St., Cambridge, MA 02139

The use of higher-level (HL), quasi-articulatory parameters to control a formant-based speech synthesizer has the potential advantage of greatly simplifying the array of parameters needed to synthesize consonants. The principal parameters in this array are the time-varying cross-sectional areas of the constriction formed by the primary articulator, and of the orifice formed by the secondary articulator, i.e., the glottal of the velopharyngeal port. This paper describes rule-driven procedures for synthesizing consonant sequences that require changes in the primary articulator or movements of the secondary articulator. Examples include: (1) clusters such as /pl/ or /tw/ where the HL parameters are automatically mapped into frication noise in the coarticulated liquid or glide; (2) nasal-obstruent sequences in which velopharyngeal closure automatically results in an intraoral pressure increase; (3) sequences of two stop consonants in which the two articulatory closures and releases are manifested acoustically in different ways depending on their timing and on the glottal adjustments; and (4) fricative-stop and stop-fricative sequences in which the stop may have an influence on the fricative noise. Variants created through simple adjustment of parameter timing illustrate the efficiency and flexibility of the procedures. [Work supported in part by NIDCD.]