Estimation of Glottal Source Parameters from Diverse Signals

This is a study to investigate the parameters of the glottal source signal that are evidenced by three kinds of signals: an electroglottographic (EGG) signal, an acoustic signal, and an oral airflow signal. The glottal pulse waveform, whether intrinsically defined as glotal airflow or area, can be parameterized with attributes that vary across speakers and types of phonation. Some of these parameters are readily inferred from an EGG signal, while others are less apparent. Additionally, a variety of methods have been proposed for glottal source or parameter estimation from the acoustic or oral airflow signals. An informal experiment involving three subjects illustrates the use of EGG to observe the the open quotient. Then a method for deriving voice source parameters from a filtered acoustic waveform is considered. Finally, inverse filtering is briefly discussed with respect to the acoustic and oral airflow signals.