consonant/vowel characterization

[Franck Ramus <ramus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear list,

I'm looking for any information and references relevant to the following
question:
    When listening to the speech signal, how do you distinguish between
consonants and vowels? Are there any acoustical features that allow a fai=
r
discrimination?
    I am aware that there is no direct acoustic characterization of
phonemes, at least language- and speaker-independent. However, the
distinction between consonant and vowel might be broad enough to be
universal and readily retrievable from the signal.
    Do you know of any work on that (C/V characterization, discrimination
algorithm, simulation...)?

Franck Ramus (http://www.ehess.fr/centres/lscp/persons/ramus.htm)
Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et Psycholinguistique
54 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris
FRANCE
tel: (33)(0)1 49 54 24 98
     (33)(0)1 43 29 80 22 (maternit=E9)
fax: (33)(0)1 45 44 98 35