VOX SENES

The aim of this project is to study the speech changes due to aging, both at the segmental level as well as at supra-segmental level, by analyzing the variation of acoustic and articulatory parameters. A deeper knowledge on how speech changes with age is essential for the development of automatic speech recognition systems suitable for elderly?s voices and to clinical assessment of speech disorders.

In the first phase of this project, the acoustic EP vowels produced by many speakers, divided into different age groups will be analyzed. The problem of age-related changes of rhythm will be approached in a second phase of the project, in a longitudinal study.

The relationship between the production of vowels (especially the tongue shape and motion), the changes on formant frequencies and age will be addressed in an ultrasound study to be held in the third task of the project.