The Calculation of Vowel Resonances

X-ray photographs taken during vowel phonation indicate that for many vowels the vocal tract may be approximated by a series of cylindrical sections. This makes possible the use of distributed impedance theory in the calculation of the transmission through the tract, yielding multiple resonances. Several vowels have been calculated, from dimensions based on the x-rays, and in each case three resonances have been found in the right range. Several conclusions can be drawn about the origin of the first three vowel formants. The theory has been supplemented by the use of an equivalent electrical network, by means of which understandable vowels can be produced artificially, when supplied with energy from a suitable complex source.