• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.191-203
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• 2003

This study examined the effect of vocal loudness on nasalance measures, under the conditions of three sentence patterns (i.e., Oral sentences, Mixed sentences, Nasal sentences). The vocal loudness level was classified into soft voice (55 dB), medium voice (65 dB) and loud voice (75 dB). The participants in the present study were 30 normal adults (male: female =1:1). Kay's Nasometer 6200 was used to measure nasalance and Sound level meter was used to adjust the loudness level. The results of the present study are as follows. Firstly, the change in vocal loudness is in the following. In the Oral sentence stimuli, the loud voice for both male and female showed the highest nasalance degree, and the medium voice the lowest level. In the Mixed and Nasal sentence stimuli, however, male participants showed the highest degree of nasalance in the soft voice, and the lowest degree in the loud voice, and female showed the highest degree of nasalance in the soft voice and the lowest in the medium voice. Secondly, when each subject's nasalance scores were ranked in a ordered manner, noticeable tendency. Lowest nasalance score occurred in the loud voice and the highest nasalance score was recorded in the soft voice during participants' reading of the Nasal sentences. However, it was hard to find such pattern in the Oral sentences. It is assumed that velopharyngeal function could be related to these findings. Furthermore, the findings associated with vocal loudness may have diagnostic as well as clinical implications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 1997

Many tools have been used to evaluate the voice abnormalities of velopharyngeal insufficiency(VPI). The aim of study was to obtain the objective evaluation method of VPI by comparing the acoustic and nasalance data of experimentally induced VPI group and those of normal control group. Ten healthy young men were included in this study Mild and severe VPI were experimentally induced by retracting velopharyngeal movement. Using the nasometer, we obtained the nasalance score of the sustained oral vowels and those of three types of nasometer passages and the slope scores of nasogram of nasal words. And we analysed the change of formant frequencies for the sustained oral vowels and the changes of various parameters of hyper-tnasality by the computerized speech analysis system. The nasalance score of sustained /a/ was increased significantly in VPI conditions. There was no changes in the slope score of nasogram. On the acoustic speech analysis, the second formant frequencies of vowel /e/ and /i/ were decreased significantly in VPI conditions. This results suggested that the measurement of nasalance score and formant frequency might be useful in the evaluation of VPI.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2000

Assessment of speech nasality provides important information for the treatment of velopharyngeal incompetence. Objective procedures may be used to assess velopharyngea1 function, in examples Nasometer, Aerodynamics, x-ray, Electromyography, Nasoendoscopy and Videofluoroscopy etc. The aim of this study was to obtain comprehensive nasalance data for Korean adults, aged 20 years and to investigate any gender differences within that age group using Nasometer II. The results were as follow: (1) The nasalance of the vowels(/a/, /i/, /e/, /o/, /u/, /ja/, /je/, /wi/) in the group of adults was higher in females than in males (p<0.05). (2) The nasalance of the plosives (/p/, /$p^h$/, /p'/, /t/, /$t^h$/, /t'/, /k/, /$k^h$/, /k'/) in the group of adults was higher in females than in males (p<0.05). (3) The nasalance of the affricatives (/c/, /$c^h$/, /c'/) in the group of adults was higher in females than in males (p<0.05). (4) The nasalance of the fricatives (/s/, /s'/, /$\int$/) in the group of adults was higher in female than in males (p<0.05). (5) There was no statistically significant effect for the nasalance of nasal consonants (/m/, /n/, /$a{\eta}$/).

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2010

Nasalance is used to evaluate the velopharyngeal incompetence in clinical diagnosis using Nasometer. The aim of this study is to find the nasalance differences between English native speakers and Korean speakers by measuring the nasalance of Oral and Nasal sentences. 20 Americans and 20 Korean students participate to the experimentation. The results are as follows: (1) The nasalance of females for Oral and Nasal sentences is higher than that of males for both native and Korean speakers. (2) The nasalance of Oral sentences in Korean men and females is higher than that of Oral sentences in American men and females, however, the nasalance of Nasal sentences in American men and females is higher than that of Nasal sentences in Korean men and females. (3) The nasalance of stop consonants /p, t, k/ in Korean men and females is higher than that of consonants in American men and females. (4) The nasalance of nasal consonants /m, n, ɧ/ in American men and females is higher than that of consonants in Korean men and females.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.51-60
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• 2000

Assessment of speech nasality provides important information for the treatment of velopharyngeal incompetence. The perceptual judgement of nasality is still used in assessment of velopharyngeal incompetence, but it should not be the sole criterion for speech nasality. Objective procedures may be used to assess velopharyngeal function, in examples nasometer, aerodynamics, x-ray, electromyography, nasoendoscopy and videofluoroscopy etc, The aim of this study was to obtain comprehensive nasalance data for the Korean children, aged 7 years and to investigate any tonsil differences within that age group. The results were as follow: The nasalance of the children in respect of the tonsil was higher in grade III than grade I in vowels (/i/, /u/, /wi/), plosives (/p'/, /t'/, /k'/), affricatives (/c'/) and fricatives (/s/, /∫/). (p<0.05)

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2001

Background and Objectives : With the development of computerized systems, an objective evaluation methods of nasal speech and nasal geometry have become readily available by means of a simple, noninvasive technique. In this study, we assessed the nasality, nasal formant, nasal volume and nasal area in patients with hypertrophic rhinitis before and after turbinate surgery. Material and Method : With the nasometer, we measured nasalance, which reflects the ratio of acoustic energy output of nasal sounds from the nasal and oral cavities. With CSL 4300B, we measured nasal formants. We used acoustic rhinometer to measure nasal area and nasal volume. Postoperative changes of above factors were compared with preoperative values. Paired t-test and Pearson's correlation were used for statistical analysis. Results : The first nasal formant frequency, nasalance scores of three passages(baby, mamma and rabbit passages), minimal cross sectional area(MCA) of narrow side, nasal volume of narrow side and nasal volume of wide side had increased significantly after turbinate surgery (p <0.05). The MCA and nasal volume of narrow side and MCA of wide side showed significant correlation with nasalance score of rabbit passage and baby passage showed significant correlation with nasal volume of narrow side(p<0.05). Conclusion : There were significant increases in nasalance scores, first nasal formant frequency, MCA and nasal volume after turbinate surgery. Thus, we must consider the possibility of voice changes postoperatively in professional voice users.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.123-132
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to obtain normative nasalance scores for adult subjects speaking the Korean language. Additional objectives of the study were to determine if speaker sex played a role in differences in nasalance score and there was significantly correlation of nasalance score with nasalance slope score. The subjects include 75 healthy young Korean adults with normal oral and velopharyngeal resource and function. They had no history of speech problem, were judged as having normal speech and resonance at the time of testing, and had no upper respiratory tract infections or allergies at the time of testing. The Nasometer II 6400 was used to obtain nasalance scores and nasalance slope scores for /a/, /i/, /e/, /o/, /u/, /ja/, /je/, /wi/, /p'ap'i/ and /sasi/. The data of nasalance and nasalance slope were analyzed statistically. The mean nasalance score of the female was significantly higher than that of male at /a/, /i/, /wi/, /p'ap'i/ and /sasi/(p <0.10). The mean nasalance score of /i/ was highest and that of /o/ was the lowest. In this study, we could not and the relationship of the nasalance score and the closing slope score. However, there was negative correlation between the mean nasalance score and the opening slope score at ie/ and /;ai, positive to /sasi/. These normative nasalance scores for normal young adults speaking the Korean language provide important reference information for Korean cleft palate teams. In the future study of velopharygneal activity with the Nasometer, the opening slope score will be able to be the important parameter.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 2011

Background and Objectives : The voice change occurs after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. This study was designed to examine the postoperative nasalance changes using Nasometer. Materials and Method : From April 2009 to February 2010, data of twenty-eight patients who underwent tonsillectomy, tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy were evaluated. 12 males and 16 females were chosen. Nasalance test was performed before, after 1 week, after 1 month from the surgery. Results : Postoperative mean nasalance results statistically significant increased in 1 weeks after surgery, and returned to the preoperative state in 1 month after surgery. Conclusion : Although the nasalance increased immediately after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy temporally, it was recovered 1 month after surgery. Therefore, the voice change that come postoperatively could be considered as no concern, and surgeons need to aware of various facts, which can affect voice changes before the surgery.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.53-62
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• 2005

Submucosal type cleft palate is a kind of cleft palate. A submucosal cleft may result in shortening of the anteroposterior dimension of the hard or soft palates or both. The increased distance along with the lack of muscle connection in the soft palate usually accounts for the lack of palatopharyngeal function in patients with submucosal cleft. Resonance disorders which is found in cleft patients show hypernasality or hyponasality. Many cases of submucosal type cleft palate patients visit our clinics due to hypernasality. In this study, resonance disorders was evaluated through nasalance test. Experimental group was composed of submucosal type cleft palate patients. The patients were treated by a so-called combined therapy, i.e., operation and speech training. To observe the changing pattern by surgery, nasalance test was carried out one time before surgery and three times after surgery. Nasometer II was used as a examination. The questionaire was filled with single vowels & diphthongs. The mean nasalance score of the child was significantly lower than that of the adult at every vowel. An early age at operation (under 10 years) was that a better functional result was achieved with patients. The mean nasalance score of /i/ was highest and that of /a/ was the lowest. The result of corrective surgery in selected cases has achieved improvement in all cases. Hypernasality has been consistently diminished. he operation.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to obtain normative nasalance scores for adult subjects speaking the Korean language and to determine whether significantly different scores exist for female and male speakers. Mean nasalance scores were obtained for normal speaking Korean adults while they are reading vowels, consonants, no nasal sentence, mild nasal sentence, and high nasal sentence. Thirty adults who had lived in Seoul area with normal articulation, resonance, and voice were included. Among the subjects 15 were male aged 24-38 years and 15 were female aged 19-33. Nasometer data were collected and analyzed using the Kay Nasometer 6400. Nasalance scores were evaluated to investigate the effect of gender by using statistical tests. Nasalance data showed that nasalance values varied accroding to speech stimuli, and there was no significant difference in nasalance scores between male and female speakers in most of the language samples.