F1–F2 vowel space and resonance synthesis — the acoustics of human vowels
Vowel F1–F2 Space
F1: 730 Hz
F2: 1090 Hz
F3: 2440 Hz
Click anywhere on the plot to set F1/F2. Each point is a vowel sound. X-axis = F2 (front–back), Y-axis = F1 (open–close). Linguists traditionally invert both axes.
Quick Vowels (Peterson & Barney 1952)
The vocal tract acts as a resonator. Formants are peaks in the frequency response. F1 correlates with tongue height, F2 with tongue frontness. Changing these transforms one vowel into another.