The first two formants of the back vowels of many languages, such as English, are often close in frequency within the critical 3.5-Bark distance and are phonetically equivalent to a single intermediate formant. This phenomenon is called spectral integration. The integrated spectral peak is related more directly to phonetic quality than to acoustic formants and is therefore an important cue for determining the phonetic quality of vowels. The Chinese vowel /γ/ is a back vowel, but its first two formants are commonly separated by more than the critical distance. What are the perceptual cues for this vowelDoes the spectral integration phenomenon influence its perceptionThis paper describes a series of identification experiments and rating experiments on the influences of the distance, spectral shape, and relative amplitude of the first two formants on the phonetic quality of /γ/. The results show that all stimuli with a two-peaked spectral shape are perceived as /γ/ whenever the first two formants are separated by the critical Bark distance or beyond. When the two formants are separated by roughly the critical distance, only those stimuli with sharp formants are perceived as /γ/, while stimuli with trapezoidal or single-peaked spectral shapes are not perceived as /γ/. Specifically, when the second formant is 10 dB higher than the first, the spectral integration phenomenon influences formant perception, and the stimulus is not perceived as /γ/; on the contrary, when the second formant is 0-20 dB lower than the first, the stimulus is perceived as /γ/, and spectral integration does not occur. That is to say, spectral integration occurs asymmetrically about the relative amplitudes of the first two formants. In a word, the Chinese vowel /γ/ is a back vowel, but spectral integration does not occur in the perception of its first two formants. Two individual formants are necessary for the phonetic color of the Chinese vowel /γ/. This vowel is different from the back vowels of western languages and other Chinese back vowels. The first two formants of the back vowels of many languages, such as English, are often close in frequency within the critical 3.5-Bark distance and are phonetically equivalent to a single intermediate formant. related more directly to phonetic quality than to acoustic formants and is therefore an important cue for determining the phonetic quality of vowels. The Chinese vowel / γ / is a back vowel, but its first two formants are separated by more than the critical distance. What are the perceptual cues for this vowelDoes the spectral integration phenomenon influence its perceptionThis paperA series of identification experiments and rating experiments on the influences of the distance, spectral shape, and relative amplitude of the first two formants on the phonetic quality of / γ The results show that all stimuli with a two-peaked spectral shape are perceived as / γ / whenever whenever first first When the two formants are separated by roughly the critical distance, only those stimuli with sharp formants are perceived as / γ /, while stimuli with trapezoidal or single-peaked spectral shapes are not perceived as / γ /. Specifically, when the second formant is 10 dB higher than the first, the spectral integrationinstance influences formantpercept, and the stimulus is not perceived as / γ /; on the contrary, when the second formant is 0-20 dB lower than the first, the stimulus is perceived as / γ /, and spectral integration does not occur. That is to say, spectral integration occurs asymmetrically about the relative amplitudes of the first two formants. In a word, the Chinese vowel / γ / is a back vowel, but spectral integration does not occur in the perception of its first two formants. Two individual formants are necessary for the phonetic color of the Chinese vowel / γ /. This vowel is different from the back vo wels of weastern languages ​​and other Chinese back vowels.