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Zygosity Effects on Human Voice: Fundamental Frequency Analysis of Brazilian Twins’ Speech

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2024

Lilian C. Luchesi Open the ORCID record for Lilian C. Luchesi [Opens in a new window] ,
Julio C. Cavalcanti Open the ORCID record for Julio C. Cavalcanti [Opens in a new window] ,
Tania K. Lucci Open the ORCID record for Tania K. Lucci [Opens in a new window] ,
Vinicius F. David Open the ORCID record for Vinicius F. David [Opens in a new window] ,
Emma Otta Open the ORCID record for Emma Otta [Opens in a new window]  and
Patricia F. Monticelli Open the ORCID record for Patricia F. Monticelli [Opens in a new window]
Lilian C. Luchesi*
Affiliation:
Ethology and Bioacoustic Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil Psychoethology and Human Ethology Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
Julio C. Cavalcanti
Affiliation:
Integrated Acoustic Analysis and Cognition Laboratory, Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, Rua Ministro de Godoy, São Paulo, Brazil Institute of Language Studies, Department of Linguistics, University of Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil Laboratory of Phonetics, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Tania K. Lucci
Affiliation:
Psychoethology and Human Ethology Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
Vinicius F. David
Affiliation:
Psychoethology and Human Ethology Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
Emma Otta
Affiliation:
Psychoethology and Human Ethology Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo
Patricia F. Monticelli*
Affiliation:
Ethology and Bioacoustic Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
*
Corresponding authors: Patricia Monticelli; Email: monticel@usp.br and Lilian C. Luchesi; Email: lili.luchesi@gmail.com
Corresponding authors: Patricia Monticelli; Email: monticel@usp.br and Lilian C. Luchesi; Email: lili.luchesi@gmail.com
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Abstract

Voice production can be influenced by interindividual variations related to genetic, physiological, behavioral, and several environmental factors. Here we examined the effect of zygosity on speaking fundamental frequency (F0) statistical descriptors. Our aims were: (1) to determine whether the genetic similarity between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins affects F0 characteristics, and (2) to quantify the contribution of genetic factors to these characteristics. The study involved 79 same-sex twin pairs of Brazilian Portuguese speakers, comprising 65 MZ and 14 DZ twins, aged 18 to 66 years (31.7 ± 11.6 years), with 21 male and 58 female pairs. Participants were recorded while uttering a greeting phrase and the Brazilian Portuguese version of the ‘Happy Birthday to You’ song. Speech segments were analyzed using Praat free software, and F0 measures were automatically extracted in both Hertz and semitone scales. Statistical descriptors, including centrality, dispersion, and extreme values of F0 were examined, and the ACE model (i.e., total genetic effects, A; shared environmental influences, C; and nonshared environmental influences, E) was employed to estimate the additive effect;ts of monozygosity. As anticipated, we observed a zygosity effect on several F0 parameters, with more similarity between MZ twins compared to DZ twins. We discuss the genetic influences on F0 parameters and the absence of a monozygosity effect in two of them. Additionally, we briefly address potential biases associated with the selected measurement scale for statistical modeling. Finally, we explore the influence of genetic factors on F0 patterns, as well as environmental, life history and linguistic factors, particularly concerning F0 variation in speech.

Keywords

Intra-sibling similaritySame-sex twinsPhonetic-acoustic analysisVoice parameters
Type
Article
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 27 , Issue 4-5 , August 2024 , pp. 215 - 222
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© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of International Society for Twin Studies

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