JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Voice of Frida Kahlo? An Acoustic–Phonetic Approach to the Case.

  • Published In: International Journal of Speech, Language & the Law, 2025, v. 32, n. 1. P. 86 1 of 3

  • Database: Communication Source 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Lopez-Escobedo, Fernanda; Huerta-Pacheco, Sofia; Meza Ruiz, Ivan 3 of 3

Abstract

This study investigates the identity of the speaker in a 1950s voice recording attributed to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, which was discovered in Mexico's National Audio Archives (MNAA). Actress Amparo Garrido claimed the voice was hers, prompting a forensic voice comparison using an acoustic–phonetic approach focused on vowel formant frequencies and a multivariate likelihood ratio (MVLR) framework. Analysis of the first four vowel formants from the questioned recording and Garrido's known voice yielded a log10 likelihood ratio of −2.2, indicating moderate evidence against Garrido being the speaker. The study concludes that Garrido is highly unlikely to be the voice in the recording, supporting the original attribution to Kahlo, and demonstrates the effectiveness of formant analysis in forensic voice comparison.

Additional Information

  • Source:International Journal of Speech, Language & the Law. 2025/01, Vol. 32, Issue 1, p86
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1748-8885
  • DOI:10.3138/ijsll-2024-0028
  • Accession Number:190406018
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of International Journal of Speech, Language & the Law is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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