Korean aegyo speech shows systematic F1 increase to signal childlike qualities

TL;DR

This study analyzes how Korean aegyo speech, a childlike style used in romantic contexts, modifies vowel formants to imitate children's vocal traits, mainly through F1 increases and vowel fronting.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of vowel space modifications in adult aegyo speech, highlighting systematic F1 increases and vowel fronting as stylization techniques.

Findings

Aegyo speech shows significant F1 increase across vowels.

Selective fronting of front vowels occurs in aegyo speech.

Vowel space expands mainly through F1 shifts, imitating children's vocal traits.

Abstract

Korean aegyo is a socially recognized childlike speaking style used predominantly in romantic interactions among adults. This study examined vowel space modification in aegyo by analyzing formant frequencies from twelve Seoul Korean speakers who produced identical scripts in aegyo and non-aegyo styles. Results show that aegyo speech features a significant increase in F1 values across vowels and selective fronting of front vowels, leading to vowel space expansion but mainly a shift to higher F1. These findings suggest that adult speakers stylize childlike speech by imitating the shorter vocal tract of children, mainly through global vowel lowering and partial fronting.