Broadcast speech and the effect of voice quality on the listener : a study of the various components which categorise listener perception by vocal characteristics.

摘要

Voice quality is crucial to the art of the broadcast speaker. Acceptable voiceudquality is a necessity for an acceptable microphone voice and essential therefore forudemployment as a broadcaster. This thesis investigates the characteristics of theudvoice which provide that acceptability; and categorises the features which lead theudlistener to make judgements about their vocal likes and dislikes. These subjectiveudjudgements are explored by investigating the psychological, medical, and innateudfeatures contributing to the vocal perceptions of the listener. Voice quality isudrelated to the efficiency of the larynx and its importance to voice production; andudto the various vocal disorders which can affect the broadcaster.udIt becomes evident throughout the thesis that each listener receives a clearudimpression of the personality of the speaker through the features present in theudvoice. Many of these impressions however are based on stereotypes. The thesisudrelates these stereotypical judgements to accents, investigating their relationship toudthe 'BBC' voice, the 'World Service' voice, the 'ILR' voice and the 'reporter'sudvoice' . It is shown that the listener's subjective impression of the voice and theudbroadcaster personality is formed by the presentational and physical aspects of voiceudquality.udListener perceptions of voice acceptability are tested and discussed. The data isudanalysed to provide a set of dominant characteristics from which are drawn voiceudhistograms and frequency polygons.udThe result is a set of preferred voice characteristics which apply specifically to theudbroadcast speaker and which can be sought during the selection process.