| 释义 |
formant|ˈfɔːmənt|
[a. G. formant (Hermann and Matthias 1894, in Arch. f. d. ges. Physiol. LVIII. 262), f. L. formant-, -ans pres. pple. of formāre to form: see -ant1.]
1. Phonetics. The characteristic pitch of a vowel-sound; spec. one of several characteristic bands of resonance, a combination of which determines the distinctive sound-quality of a vowel (or transf., of a musical instrument).
1901Nature 26 Dec. 187/2 A vowel, according to him [sc. Hermann], is a special acoustic phenomenon, depending on the intermittent production of a special partial, or ‘formant’ or ‘characteristique’. The pitch of the ‘formant’ may vary a little without altering the character of the vowel. 1930Times Lit. Suppl. 3 July 545/1 Later investigators have developed a theory of the vowel as a formant, which, though occupying a definite region of pitch, nevertheless manages somehow to affect the whole sound-complex. 1952Electronic Engin. XXIV. 368 The peaks of the transmission curve are the resonant frequencies, and generate formants, which have been defined as the frequencies of energy concentration of the speech signal. 1956Jakobson & Halle in Saporta & Bastian Psycholinguistics (1961) 349/1 The clear-cut formant structure of a vowel. 1957A. C. Baines Woodwind Instrum. 34 Harmonics that fall within certain zones of pitch (‘formants’) tend to dominate. 1964J. B. Carroll Lang. & Thought ii. 12 Vowel quality is directly correlated with the relative positions, on the frequency scale, of two or three formants, or bands of strong resonance overtones, present in the frequency spectrum of a sound. 1968J. Lyons Introd. Theoret. Ling. iii. 110 The acoustic analysis of vowels in terms of their constituent formants..correlates quite well with their description in terms of the articulatory dimensions.
2. Philol. An affix to a root or stem, forming a longer root or stem. (Sometimes used more loosely.)
1935G. K. Zipf Psycho-Biol. Lang. (1965) iv. 144 The stem (root plus formant) to which endings are added. 1956J. Whatmough Language viii. 136 Some morphemes occur only as parts of words, e.g. English -ing in loving, or -nt- in Latin amantis.., and these are known as ‘formants’. |