Research in acoustics of human speech sounds : Correlates and perception of speaker body size

If we consider people of different ages and sex, we can observe significant correlations between some acoustic measures of speech and the body size of the speaker. However, data become less clear when individual differences are studied and controlled by age and sex variables. This chapter reviews possible associations between some speech acoustic parameters and speaker body size within sex in human adults, avoiding sexand age-related confounds. Also, it examines the ability of listeners to perceive speaker body size from speech samples. Correspondence/Reprint request: Dr. Julio González, Departament of Basic and Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology. University Jaume I. 12071Castellón de la Plana, Spain. E-mail: gonzalez@psb.uji.es