Speech recognition through the analysis of

spoken syllables using autocorrelation

function parameters

ALAN RUBELLIN, ANDRES SABATER

aurubellin@gmail.com

Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero

www.untref.edu.ar

Buenos Aires – September 5-9, 2016

Acoustics for the 21st Century… 1/17
INTRODUCTION

•Why ACF is applied in speech recognition?

–Features of ACF parameters correspond to perceptual

qualities related to pitch timbre, duration and loudness.

Changes in the spectra of

stationary sound (Vowels)
–Timbral distinctions
Transient fluxes in
amplitude, frequency and
phase (Consonants)

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AUTOCORRELATION FUNCTION

Monoaural ACF parameters:

• Φ(0): Autocorrelation amplitude in t=0

• Wφ(0) : Timbre
• Φ1: Magnitude of the maximum. “Pitch
Strength”.
• τe: Effective Duration of the Autocorrelation
• τ1: Delay of the maximum. “Pitch” frequency
(1/ τ1)

Ando, Y.; Cariani, P.; Auditory and Visual Sensations; Springer, 2009.

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RUNNING ACF

Bidondo, A. et al.; Speaker recognition analysis using running autocorrelation function parameters; Proceedings of
meeting on acoustics, ICA 2013.

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PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

• Changes in frequency spectrum and waveform can be

correlated with the temporal behaviour of the rACF
parameters.

Identification of consonants by analysing different CV

syllables formed with the same vowel.

Stablish a classification of consonants according to the

temporal pattern of the rACF parameters.

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VOICE RECORDING

• 20 males and 20 females speakers.

• Pronounciation in spanish of the syllables “a”, “la”, “ma”, “na”, “ta” and
“sa”.

• 16 bits, 44100 Hz.

• Normalized

• A-Weighted Filter

• Low background noise and short reverberation time

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DATA PROCESSING

• rACF parameters using Matlab software according to Sato and Wu

method:

–Integration interval: 0.1 s

–Maximum time leg: 0.2 s
–Running step: 0,01 s

• Spectrograms of audio files were plotted with the DAW.

• Statistical parameters using Microsoft Excel: Median, variance and

standard deviation.

• Sato, S.; Wu, S.; Definition of the effective duration (τe) of the running autocorrelation function of music signals; Acta
Acustica united with Acustica; vol.97, 2010, pp 432-440.

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MATLAB SOFTWARE

Matlab Software used to

calculate rACF
parameteres.
Sato, S.; Wu, S., 2010.

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RESULTS

Median values of rACF parameters

Syllable Φ(0) [dB] τ1 φ1 Wφ(0)

[ms] [ms]
Median values showed
“a” 9.567 5.501 0.716 0.371
no significant
“la” 8.857 6.504 0.755 0.477
Lowest differences between
“ma” 2.684 6.878 0.737 0.656
Loudness the “a” vowel and the
“na” 2.272 6.646 0.731 0.485
CV Syllables, with the
“sa” 7.086 4.518 0.729 0.179
exception of Φ(0)
“ta” 15.105 5.562 0.768 0.404

Highest
Loudness

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RESULTS

• Sound energy is similarly distributed within the same

bandwidth between “a”, “la”, “ma” and “na” syllables.

“a” “la”

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RESULTS

• Sound energy is similarly distributed within the same

bandwidth between “a”, “la”, “ma” and “na” syllables.

“ma” “na”

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RESULTS

• τ1 shows a similar stationary pattern with the increase of the time

(Related to the pitch)

• Formant frequencies and tonal components of these CV syllables

can also be identified with a stationary behaviour of τ1.

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RESULTS

• Pronounciation of the “s” produces sound energy within a large

bandwidth of frequency with no significant tonal components.

Initial low values of τ1 are related with pronunciation of the letter “s” which
involves a large frequency bandwidth with no significant tonal components

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RESULTS

• Syllable “ta” shows an opposite temporal waveform of τ1, which may be

generated by the letter “t” pronunciation.

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CONCLUSIONS

• It was possible to identify characteristic temporal behaviours of τ1 with

different CV syllables that include the same single vowel, regardless the
speaker.

• It was also possible to relate the temporal patterns of τ1 with spectrum

characteristics of the consonant involved in the CV syllable.

• This can lead to a primary classification of consonants according to the

temporal response of τ1, related to the pitch percept in the pronunciation
of the syllable.

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CONCLUSIONS

• Possible classification of consonants according to the different loudness

characteristics generated during the pronunciation of syllables
(parameters Φ(0) and τe).

• Future work may include further investigation of r-ACF parameters in the

rest of the single vowels, CV syllables with different consonants, and also
study the syllables that feature more than one vowel.

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 Thanks for your attention
Questions or suggestions ?
arubellin@gmail.com

Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero

www.untref.edu.ar

Buenos Aires – September 5-9, 2016

Acoustics for the 21st Century… 17/17