Acoustical Analysis of the Norwegian S-Sound

Abstract

By analysis of the Norwegian s it was found that the spectrum at any rate contains frequencies up to 16 kc/s. It contains also a series of resonance frequencies. The average number for the most distinctive ones is 4. The peaks are, on the whole, evenly distributed. It seems as though some persons pronounce s with more fixed resonances than others.

The spectra of s are compared with different sound combinations. The distribution of the maximum was investigated, but no change was proved. There is a tendency for the maximum to be moved towards lower frequencies for s as initial sound.

It seems as though women pronounce s with greater intensity, in the higher frequency range, than men. It is impossible to prove any difference owing to age or dialect.

It is shown that the spectrum changes with the duration of s. It seems as though the maximum is moved towards lower frequencies.

With the aid of a white-noise generator and a filter, a synthetic s was produced. One finds that this must contain at least one pure tone between 5 and 10 kc/s. The spectrum of the average s contains no peaks and will therefore not sound like an s.