We present an algorithm, based on the EM algorithm, which simultaneously estimates both physical scale and vowel identities from a segment of speech. The validity of the algorithm depends on the scale hypothesis that the variation of the formant frequencies for a given vowel is mainly influenced by the physical size of the speaker. This is both a new application and a new confirmation of a hypothesis that is often accepted without proof.
['Lawrence H. Smith', 'Douglas J. Nelson']
An estimate of physical scale from speech