• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.77-84
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the acoustic characteristics of Parkinsonian speech, with respect to different utterance conditions, by employing acoustic/auditory-perceptual analysis. The subjects of the study were 15 patients (M=7, F=8) with Parkinson's disease who were asked to read out sentences under different utterance conditions (clear/casual). The sentences read out by each subject were recorded, and the recorded speech was subjected to cepstrum and spectrum analysis using Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV). Additionally, auditory-perceptual evaluation of the recorded speech was conducted with respect to breathiness and loudness. Results indicate that in the case of clear speech, there was a statistically significant increase in the cepstral peak prominence (CPP), and a decrease in the L/H ratio SD (ratio of low to high frequency spectral energy SD) and CPP F0 SD values. In the auditory-perceptual evaluation, a decrease in breathiness and an increase in loudness were noted. Furthermore, CPP was found to be highly correlated to breathiness and loudness. This provides objective evidence of the immediate usefulness of clear speech intervention in improving the voice quality of Parkinsonian speech.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.41-48
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• 2014

This study investigated the differences between emotional parameters BDI, VHI, STAI-X-I and STAI-X-II according to the menstrual cycles of the female and the relation between changes of the depression index and voice characteristics (jitter, shimmer, CPP, HNR, $pF0{\cdot}F1{\cdot}F2{\cdot}F3$, sF0, sF4, sB1, $H1_{c/u}$, $A1_u$, $A3_c$, $H1A3_{c/u}$, $H1A1_u$). Twenty three females ($30{\pm}4.4$ years old) living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province were participated in this study to answer the questionnaires and record their voice. The participants prolonged /a/ vowel for 5 seconds in a natural condition for their voice recording. Voice data were analyzed using the Matlab and Praat program. A t-test and a correlation analysis were conducted by using SPSS for the statistical analysis. The results are as follows. First, the BDI is significantly higher in group I (lurear phase contrast the menstrual period) and group II (follicular phase against the menstrual period) than group III (luteal phase for follicular phase) (p<.05). Second, shimmer, CPP, pF0 showed a statistically high correlation regarding the BDI in group I (lurear phase contrast the menstrual period). Voice parameters may be useful as supplement in evaluating the emotional change in the phase of menstrual cycle.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제4권4호
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• pp.71-77
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• 2012

Sasang constitution experts utilize voice characteristics as an auxiliary measure for deciding a person's constitutional group. This study aims at establishing a relationship between speech features and the constitutional groups by subjective listening evaluation of voice characteristics. A speech database of 841 speakers whose constitutional groups have been already diagnosed by Sasang constitution experts was constructed. Speech features related to speech source and vocal tract filter were extracted from five vowels and one sentence. Statistically significant speech features for classifying the groups were analyzed using SPSS. The features contributed to constitution classification were speaking rate, Energy, A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, H4, CPP for males in their 20s, F0_mean, CPP, SPI, HNR, Shimmer, Energy, A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, H4 for females in their 20s, Energy, A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, H4, CPP for male in the 60s, and Jitter, HNR, CPP, SPI for females in their 60s. Experimental results show that speech technology is useful in classifying constitutional groups.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.77-83
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• 2015

Voice complication without the laryngeal nerve injury can occur after thyroidectomy. The purpose of this study is to investigate voice changes according to extent of thyroidectomy with acoustic analysis. Thirty-five female patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma took voice evaluation at before and 1 month, and 3 months after thyroidectomy. Acoustic analysis parameters were speaking fundamental frequency(SFF), min $F_0$, max $F_0$, dynamic range $F_0$, jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio(NHR), and Cepstral prominence peak(CPP). Repeated-measured analysis of variance was applied. Time-related voice changes showed significant differences in all parameters except NHR. At 1 month after surgery, voice quality was worse and pitch was decreasing, but voice quality and pitch were improving at 3-month follow-up. Voice changes according to the extent of surgery were in SFF, max $F_0$, and dynamic range $F_0$. Time by surgery-related voice change existed only in min $F_0$. The result showed that the severity of voice complication depended on the extend of thyroidectomy which had a negative impact on $F_0$-related parameters. The deterioration of voice quality at 1 month after thyroidectomy may be affected by the loss of thyroid hormone in the blood. The descent of $F_0$-related parameters may be impacted by laryngeal fixation of surgical site adhesion.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.51-57
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• 2017

The current study compared the acoustic features of the two phonation types for Korean fricatives (plain: /s/, fortis : /s'/) and the three types for affricates (aspirated : /$ts^h$/, lenis : /ts/, and fortis : /ts'/) in order to determine the phonetic status of the plain fricative /s/. Considering the different manners of articulation between fricatives and affricates, we examined four acoustic parameters (rise time, intensity, fundamental frequency, and Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) values) of the 20 Korean native speakers' productions. The results showed that unlike Korean affricates, F0 cannot distinguish two fricatives, and voice quality (CPP values) only distinguishes phonation types of Korean fricatives and affricates by grouping non-fortis sibilants together. Therefore, based on the similarity found in /$ts^h$/ and /ts/ and the idiosyncratic pattern found in /s/, this research concludes that non-fortis fricative /s/ cannot be categorized as belonging to either phonation type.

• 대한후두음성언어의학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.48-52
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• 2019

Background and Objectives : Functional aphonia is characterized by incomplete closure of the vocal folds. Semi-occluded vocal tract exercise (SOVTE) allows smoothly vocal folds collision without damage to the vocal folds tissues to produce normal vocal intensity. The purpose of this study is to report the effect of SOVTE in patients with functional aphonia. Materials and Method : Seven patients diagnosed with functional aphonia were treated with 1-3 voice therapy sessions using voiced lip-trill, humming, Lax Vox in SOVTE. To assess the effectiveness of semi-occluded vocal tract exercise, cepstral analysis and auditory perceptual assessment were performed before and after voice therapy. Results : F0 (fundamental frequency), CPP (cepstral peak prominence) and L/H ratio (low/high spectral ratio) were significantly increased, while CPP Standard deviation, L/H ratio Standard deviation were decreased. In addition, 'Grade', 'Breathiness' and 'Asthenia' were significantly decreased in the GRBAS scale after SOVTE (p<0.05). Conclusion : In our study, SOVTE seemed to be effective to elicit voice quickly and promote vocal folds vibration without muscular effort in patients with functional aphonia.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.33-41
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• 2013

This study investigated the perceptual and cepstral/spectral characteristics of phonation and their relationships in dysarthria in connected speech. Twenty-two participants were divided into two groups; the eleven dysarthric speakers were paired with matching age and gender healthy control participants. A perceptual evaluation was performed by three speech pathologists using the GRBAS scale to measure the cepstrual/spectral characteristics of phonation between the two groups' connected speech. Correlations showed dysarthric speakers scored significantly worse (with a higher rating) with severities in G (overall dysphonia grade), B (breathiness), and S (strain), while the smoothed prominence of the cepstral peak (CPPs) was significantly lower. The CPPs were significantly correlated with the perceptual ratings, including G, B, and S. The utility of CPPs is supported by its high relationship with perceptually rated dysphonia severity in dysarthric speakers. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the threshold of 5.08 dB for the CPPs achieved a good classification for dysarthria, with 63.6% sensitivity and the perfect specificity (100%). Those results indicate the CPPs reliably distinguished between healthy controls and dysarthric speakers. However, the CPP frequency (CPP F0) and low-high spectral ratio (L/H ratio) were not significantly different between the two groups.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.17-24
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• 2024

The Korean three-way stop contrast (lenis, aspirated, fortis) is currently undergoing a sound change, such that the primary cue distinguishing lenis and aspirated stops is shifting from voice onset time (VOT) to F0. Despite recent discussions of this shift, research on voice quality, traditionally considered an additional cue signaling the contrast, remains sparse. This study investigated the extent to which the associated voice quality [as reflected in the acoustic measurements of H1^*-H2^*, H1^*- A1^*, and cepstral peak prominence (CPP)] contributes to the three-way stop contrast, and how the realization is conditioned by prominence- vs. boundary-induced prosodic strengthening amid the ongoing sound change. Results for 12 native Korean speakers indicate that there was a substantial distinction in voice quality among the three stop categories with the breathiness of the vowel being the greatest after the lenis, intermediate after the aspirated, and least after the fortis stops, indicating the role of voice quality in the maintenance of the three-way stop contrast. Furthermore, prosodic strengthening has different effects on the contrast and contributes to the enhancement of the phonological contrast contingent on whether it is induced by prominence or boundary.