Landmark Detection

Landmark detection is a speech analysis method based on Kenneth Stevens' acoustic model of speech production, which identifies perceptually significant points in the acoustic signal where listeners extract information about underlying distinctive features. Three primary landmark types are recognized: glottis landmarks (transitions between voiced and unvoiced states), sonorant landmarks (consonantal closures and releases of sonorant sounds like nasals), and burst landmarks (stop consonant or affricate release bursts). In accessibility applications, landmark detection has been adapted for automated analysis of infant vocalizations to screen for developmental speech disorders, and serves as a foundation for feature-based speech recognition systems.