Intrinsic F0 of vowels

[Pilar O]

Usually we assume that F0 and formants are not related, but some high-front vowels can increase the “natural” F0 in the vowel (as the tongue goes far away, causing some effects at the larynx).

Is this difference perceptually relevant? (maybe, increasing naturalness)
Is it taken into account for synthesis of vowels? (probably depending on the first answer)

[Simon]

You are right that some vowels have what is called “intrinsic pitch” (which should really be “intrinsic F0”). The effect is small.

This article by Ohala & Eukel lays out some explanations for this in terms of vocal tract physiology:

I’m not sure how perceptually relevant this effect is. In a unit selection system, the effect will implicitly be taken care of because the system uses natural recordings of speech.

[Author]

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