Estimation of vocal tract parameters for the classification of speech under stress

In this work, we propose a method for the classification of speech under stress that is based on a physical model. Using this method, the characteristics of the vocal folds and the vocal tract are taken into consideration, based on the process of speech production. In addition to vocal fold parameters, we estimate parameters of the vocal tract representing cross-sectional areas and vocal tract length, by fitting a two-mass model to real speech. Results show that calculation of vocal tract length for each speaker can improve the accuracy of the estimation of other physical parameters. Analysis is performed under vowel-dependent and vowel-independent conditions, showing that the proposed physical features are effective for the classification of neutral and stressed speech.