Estimation of stops' spectral place cues using multitaper techniques

This study focuses on the spectral characteristics of the European Portuguese stops /p, b, t, d, k, g/ produced by six native speakers. We analysed the spectral peaks and troughs by means of multitaper spectra and performed a parameterisation of the stop spectra using slope and moment measures. In comparison to traditional spectral estimations, multitaper is more exact and, more importantly, not limited to a stationary signal length necessary for the analysis window. Therefore, it is well-suited for the rather short duration of the burst of a stop. Results show that the burst characteristics vary with place of articulation. While the global spectral frequencies match the data in classical literature, it is shown that other spectral measures in our data do not follow the typical classical spectral patterns. It is discussed whether these differences are due to the use of different methodology, or substantial cross-linguistic differences in the spectral characteristics.