Broadcast speech and the effect of voice quality on the listener : a study of the various components which categorise listener perception by vocal characteristics.

Voice quality is crucial to the art of the broadcast speaker. Acceptable voice
quality is a necessity for an acceptable microphone voice and essential therefore for
employment as a broadcaster. This thesis investigates the characteristics of the
voice which provide that acceptability; and categorises the features which lead the
listener to make judgements about their vocal likes and dislikes. These subjective
judgements are explored by investigating the psychological, medical, and innate
features contributing to the vocal perceptions of the listener. Voice quality is
related to the efficiency of the larynx and its importance to voice production; and
to the various vocal disorders which can affect the broadcaster.
It becomes evident throughout the thesis that each listener receives a clear
impression of the personality of the speaker through the features present in the
voice. Many of these impressions however are based on stereotypes. The thesis
relates these stereotypical judgements to accents, investigating their relationship to
the 'BBC' voice, the 'World Service' voice, the 'ILR' voice and the 'reporter's
voice' . It is shown that the listener's subjective impression of the voice and the
broadcaster personality is formed by the presentational and physical aspects of voice
quality.
Listener perceptions of voice acceptability are tested and discussed. The data is
analysed to provide a set of dominant characteristics from which are drawn voice
histograms and frequency polygons.
The result is a set of preferred voice characteristics which apply specifically to the
broadcast speaker and which can be sought during the selection process.