Influence of gerontological factors on voice and intonation

Yin Xiao

Age-related changes have a significant impact on the voice and intonation of a person, many different studies have shown that it is very easy to distinguish a "young" voice from an "old" one, this is largely due to physiological changes, for example, with a deterioration in lung function and degradation of the muscles of the larynx. All these physiological changes have a very strong effect on the formation and change of intonation in people at different ages. Using an experimental analysis of such prosodic parameters as the frequency of the main tone, intensity and analysis of the tempo of speech, a study of the influence of gerontological factors on intonation was carried out. The study analyzes sound recordings that were recorded by respondents aged 20 and over, all respondents were divided into four age groups: 20-30 years old, 40-50 years old, 50-60 years old and people over 65 years old. All research and experimental analyzes in this article are carried out using the PRAAT program developed by two Dutch scientists Paul Boersma and David Weenink at the Phonetic Research Institute of the University of Amsterdam, this program allows you to do, for example, spectral analysis or tone analysis.

Keywords:age, intonation, PRAAT, pitch, intensity, speech rate.