Articulatory correlates of voice qualities of god guys and bad guys in Japanese anime: an MRI study

This paper examines the articulatory correlates of the Hero and Villain Voice Types, which were auditorily identified in a separate study on cartoon voices, using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. In general, the MRI images were in good agreement with the previous auditory analysis results; the major characteristic difference between voice quality settings of heroes and those of villains and between two villainous voice types was found in the supraglottal states and the pharyngeal cavity. Auditory analysis can be as valid as acoustic or any other analysis method depending on the level of training in a commonly accepted system such as Laver’s framework for voice quality description. However, the MRI technique also allowed us to see what would not be observed otherwise, e.g., larynx height, pharyngeal cavity, vocal tract length, and the position of the hyoid bone. Auditory and physiological methods should be used in combination in order to further our understanding of the larynx and the pharynx.