How are Acoustic Landmarks Detected?

The landmark detection process begins by analyzing the signal in several broad frequency bands. Because of the different vocal-tract dimensions, the appropriate frequencies for the bands are different for adults and infants; however, the procedure itself does not vary. First, an energy waveform is constructed in each of the bands. Then the rate of rise (or fall) of the energy is computed, and peaks in the rate are detected. These peaks therefore represent times of abrupt spectral change in the bands. simultaneous peaks in several bands identify consonantal landmarks.