Vowel Formant Mapper
Years ago, I was intrigued by the vowel worm. It was a simple JavaScript web app (before the term "web apps" existed) that accessed the microphone to map vowels on a chart reminiscent of the IPA vowel diagram.
![IPA vowel chart for Wikimedia Commons](<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPA_vowel_symbols.png">Aucassin</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons)
I looked for it online and only came across the GitHub repo belonging to BYU's Office of Digital Humanities. It had long been abandoned and didn't work anymore. So, I did what anyone would do. I employed AI to rework the code. The new version lets you choose one of three languages (more might be added). Zones are marked that are representative of where a native speaker may find their formants.
Which reminds me . . . what are formants? Well they are several prominent bands of frequency that determine the phonetic quality of a vowel. The Vowel Formant Mapper looks at F1 and F2.
You can hop on over to https://vfm.humanfluency.work and see what happens. Remember, the quality of the microphone you use and the environment in which you use it will have an impact on the mapping of your vowel sounds, so find a good mic and a quiet place and have fun. (This is what linguists call fun.)
