An Acoustic Analysis of Formants between Frequently Smoking Subjects and Non-smoking Subjects

Smoking is one of the factors that affect the respiratory health of human. A system of respiratory health indicators is needed to prevent the negative effects of smoking at an early stage. The relation between respiratory and vocal coordination can be analysed by measuring the formant frequencies, which indicate the spectral shaping of the human vocal tract. In this study, two groups of subjects with and without smoking habits were studied in terms of their formant frequencies. The results showed that there were statistical significance differences in the four formant frequencies between the two groups. The differences might be due to the changes in the elasticity of the oral cavity, which were affected by the smoke produced from cigarettes. Therefore, we conclude that a smoking person can be identified by the characteristics of their formant frequencies.