Can the Energy Costs of Speech Movements be Measured\ulcorner A Preliminary Feasibility Study

The main question addressed in this research was whether an adaptation of a standard exercise Physiology Procedure would be sensitive enough to record excess oxygen uptake associated with speech activity. Oxygen consumption was recorded for a single subject during 7-minute rest periods and an automatic speech task, also 7-minutes long and performed at three different vocal efforts. The data show measurable and systematic speech-induced modifications of breathing and oxygen uptake patterns. The subject was found to use less power for normal than for soft and loud speech. This result is similar to findings reported by experimental biologists on the energetics of locomotion. However, more comprehensive feasibility studies need to be undertaken on a larger population before solid and detailed conclusions about speech energy costs are possible. However, it appears clear that, for experimental tasks like the present one, i.e., variations in vocal effort, standard exercise physiology methods may indeed offer a viable approach to recording excess oxygen uptake associated with speech movements.