• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.67-75
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• 2022

This study compared voice range profiles (VRPs) of modal and falsetto register in 53 dysphonic and 53 non-dysphonic adult women with gliding vowel /a/'. The results shows that maximum fundamental frequency (F0_MAX), maximum intensity (I_MAX), F0 range (F0_RANGE), and intensity range (I_RANGE) are lower in the dysphonic group than in the non-dysphonic group. F0_MAX and F0_RANGE are significantly higher in falsetto register than modal register in both groups. I_MAX and I_RANGE are significantly higher in falsetto register in the non-dysphonic group, but those are not different between two registers in the dysphonic group. There was no statistically significant difference in minimum F0 (F0_MIN) and minimum intensity (I_MIN) between the two groups. Modal-falsetto register transition occurred at 378.86 Hz (F4#) in the dysphonic group and 557.79 Hz (C5#) in the non-dysphonic group, which was significantly lower in the dysphonic group. It can be seen that both modal and falsetto registers in dysphonic adult women are reduced compared to non-dysphoinc adult women, indicating that the vocal folds of dysphonic adult women are not easy to vibrate in high pitches. The results of this study would be the basic data for understanding the acoustic features of voice disorders.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2023

Tube phonation in water has been widely used for voice training among semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises in which the patient bubbles with phonation keeping the tube submerged in water. This study aims to investigate the effect of tube diameter and water depth on bubble height and maximum phonation time (MPT) for patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders. Seventeen patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders were asked to bubble with sustained /u/ at the different inner diameters of tube (5, 7, and 10 mm), water depth (4, 7, and 10 cm). A water resistance phonation biofeedback system using a water height sensor was used for recording bubble height and MPT. The bubble height was significantly changed by the tube diameter while MPT was significantly changed with the tube diameter and water depth. Although the wider tube presented significantly lower bubble height for a given depth, relatively consistent bubble height was maintained. Depending on the water depth, the bubble height did not significantly differ for a given tube diameter. In addtion, MPT significantly decreased with water depth and a wider tube led significantly shorter MPT. A water level-driven water resistance biofeedback system provided useful information on bubble characteristics and vocal fold vibration depending on tube diameter and water depth. It can be useful to monitor the breath support during water resistance phonation for patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.17-25
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• 2023

This study examines the fundamental frequency(f0) distribution of 2,740 Korean speakers in a dialogue speech corpus. Praat and R were used for the collection and analysis of acoustical f0 data after removing extreme values considering the interquartile f0 range of the intonational phrases produced by each individual speaker. Results showed that the average f0 value of all speakers was 185 Hz and the median value was 187 Hz. The f0 data showed a positively skewed distribution of 0.11, and the kurtosis was -0.09, which is close to the normal distribution. The pitch values of daily conversations varied in the range of 238 Hz. Further examination of the male and female groups showed distinct median f0 values: 114 Hz for males and 199 Hz for females. A t-test between the two groups yielded a significant difference. The skewness representing the distribution shape was 1.24 for the male group and 0.58 for the female group. The kurtosis was 5.21 and 3.88 for the male and female groups, and the male group values appeared leptokurtic. A regression analysis between the median f0 and age yielded a slope of 0.15 for the male group and -0.586 for the female group, which indicated a divergent relationship. In conclusion, a normative f0 distribution of different Korean age and sex groups can be examined in the conversational speech corpus recorded by a massive number of participants. However, more rigorous data might be required to define a relation between age and f0 values.