Effect of experience on tongue shape complexity in whistlers: An ultrasound study

Complex lingual tasks such as producing North American /ɹ/ require the tongue to assume a relatively high degree of shape complexity [Gick etal., 2007, POMA, 1(1)]. Similarly, whistling has been described as engaging multiple movement components [Belyk et al., 2019, Proc. Royal Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 286(1911)]. Further, a previous ultrasound study identified that whistlers with wider pitch ranges (∼2 octaves) demonstrate tongue shapes that exhibit more diverse tongue shapes than whistlers with narrower ranges (∼1 octave) [Lisiecki et al., 2024, Can. Acoust. 52]. To better understand this human sound production mechanism, the present study tests the hypothesis that greater tongue shape complexity relates to greater whistling experience. This research compares a group of whistlers, predicting a bimodal distribution of pitch ranges, with narrower ranges showing simpler tongue shapes and wider ones demonstrating more complex tongue shapes; we predict that this pattern corresponds with differences in self-reported whistling experience. Participants engaged in whistling tasks (siren and scale), as well as speech tasks for comparison. Ultrasound imaging data is presented based on acoustic and articulatory analyses. Preliminary results support a relationship between whistling experience and pitch ranges with greater precision and complex tongue shapes. [Work supported by NSERC.]