Pitch level of 16-17-year-old Finnish students in reading and spontaneous speech tasks

Authors

• Ilkka Ketolainen University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech–Language Pathology
• Minna Laakso University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech–Language Pathology
• Susanna Simberg Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, University of Oslo, Faculty of Educational Sciences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23997/pk.60780

Keywords:

F0, social norms, voice

Abstract

Fundamental frequency (F0) in speech is mainly defined by anatomical and biological factors, but it is also affected by different socio-cultural and behavioral models of voice usage. Unoptimal voice usage models can lead to voice disorders. This research examined the F0 of 16−17-year-old Finnish native speakers in reading and in spontaneous speech. In addition, the F0 in a sustained vowel as well as the reading speed was measured, and the students were asked to evaluate their own F0 on a VAS scale. The results were compared
with Aino Sallinen-Kuparinen’s (1985) study, which stated that the speakers’ educational background and sex influence their F0.
The speaking behaviour of Finnish students seems to have changed during the past 30 years: in the original study, girls attending a vocational school used a higher F0 than girls attending a high school. In addition, the speakers’ sex contributed to some differences in the students’ speaking behaviour. In the present study, neither the educational background nor the speaker’s sex had an effect on the pitch level. The girls’ F0 was 216 Hz in reading and 213 Hz in spontaneous speech. The boys had a low F0 compared to international
studies: 101 Hz in reading and 97 Hz in spontaneous speech. Possibly the boys in this age are affected by a social norm, which values a low speaking fundamental frequency. Low F0 was preferred also in the self-evaluation: the majority of the test persons estimated their own F0 to be lower than average.