• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.163-171
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• 2009

This study attempted to investigate vocal characteristics and differences in gender and voice classification among classical singers. Twenty-three female singers (M = 23.1 yrs, SD = 3.6 yrs, average 6.3 yrs singing experience, all classified as sopranos) and twenty male singers (M = 25.2 yrs, SD= 3.6 yrs, average 6. 3 yrs singing experience, 8 tenors, 12 baritones) were recruited to participate in the present study. Speaking fundamental frequency (FO), closed quotient (CQ), MPT (Maximum Phonation Time), breathing types, maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and singers' formants were measured. In addition, vibratory patterns were observed using stroboscopy. Sfo, singing CQ, breathing types, formant frequency in singers' formants, MIP, MEP, and MPT were significantly different from gender to gender. Generally, singers' formants were observed in male singers and also the pattern of singers' formants was different between tenors and baritones. Lower singing CQ values were observed than speaking CQ values in the female singers (P<.001). Furthermore, MEP, MIP, and singing CQ were significantly lower for female singers than for males singers (P<.001). MPT and speaking FO, however, were not significantly different between tenors and baritones.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2009

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of the management program known as vocal function exercise (VFE) on voice quality. Typical VFE was modified and applied to patients with vocal nodules by controlling intensity of voice and relieving the vocal fold to solve hyperfunctional problems in VFE. Eight female subjects aged between 28 and 54 who had been diagnosed with vocal nodules took part in the study. The patients performed VFEs once a week for eight weeks. Vocal function exercises consist of voice hygiene, respiratory training, phonation training, and glide training. The subjects' voices were analyzed pre and post therapy on the aspects of acoustics, maximum phonation time (MPT), GRBAS, and voice handicap index (VHI). As a result, it was found that fundamental frequency ($F_o$) was significant increased, shimmer decreased remarkably and that noise to harmonic ratio (NHR) lowered obviously in the acoustic parameter. In addition, MPT was increased significantly. The scale of GRBAS indicated significant improvement in grade, roughness, and strained voice. VHI indicated significant improvement in an emotional part. In conclusion, VFE was effective in improving voice quality for patients with vocal nodules.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2009

We investigated the perceptual structure of Korean consonants by analyzing the confusion among consonants in various vowel contexts. The 36 CV syllable types combined by 18 consonants and 2 vowels (/i/ and /u/) were presented with masking noises or in degraded intensity. The confusion data were analyzed by the INDSCAL (Individual Difference Scaling), ADCLUS (Additive Clustering) and the probability of the transmitted information. The results were compared with those of a previous study with /a/ vowel context (Bae and Kim, 2002). The overall results showed that the laryngeal features-aspiration, lax and tense-are the most salient features in the perception of Korean consonant regardless of vowel contexts, but the perceptual saliency of place features varies across vowel conditions. In high vowel (front and back vowel) contexts, sibilant consonants were perceptually salient compared to in low vowel contexts. In back vowel contexts, grave (labial and velar) consonants were perceptually salient. These findings imply that place features and vowel features strongly interact in speech perception as well as in speech production. All statistical measures from our confusion data ensured that the perceptual structure of Korean consonants correspond to the hierarchical structure suggested in the feature geometry (Clements, 1991). We discuss the link between speech perception and production as the basis of phonology.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Esthetic Dentistry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.96-103
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• 1999

Restoration of missing oral tissues by using implant therapy is one of viable options in prosthodontic treatment. The purpose of oral rehabilitation are function, esthetics and phonetics. Recently, with the increasing esthetic demand of the patient, dentists and laboratory technicians are more concern ed about natural appearance of implant prostheses. There are so many factors which affect final esthetic results of treatment such a shape, color, proportion, gingival contour etc. To provide natural and vivid looking artificial prostheses to a patient, the careful diagnosis, treatment plan and laboratory Support is crucial. Several cases will be reviewed and discussed in terms of material, gingival shape, contour, speech and connection mode etc. to fabricate natural looking implant prostheses.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.185-195
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• 2002

Purpose This article describes the historic and clinical aspects of the determination of the vertical dimension of occlusion and the synoptic procedure of the determination of the vertical dimension of occlusion in complete denture. The determining procedure of the susceptible vertical dimension of occlusion is one of the most important steps in construction of complete denture and prosthodontic treatment. It is considered essential for the improvement and the recovery of facial esthetics and stomatognathic functions. Results Several methods have been suggested for measurement of the vertical dimension of occlusion in the construction of complete denture and the prosthodontic rehabilitation. These range from pre-extraction records to the use of physiologic rest position, swallowing, phonetics, esthetics and facial proportion, etc. But, there is no universally accepted or completely accurate method. There seems to be no significant advantages of one technique other than those of cost, time and equipment requirements, and seems to be in controversial in determining the vertical dimension. Conclusion The vertical dimension of occlusion should be determined and reinspected carefully by dentist for a successful prosthesis with several methods. The more investigations are necessary for more objective and scientific techniques in determining the vertical dimension of occlusion.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2007

This paper attempts to investigate phonetic substances of the stress patterns of English compounds and noun phrases, showing that the theoretically derived stress structures are not consistent with the accentual patterns in real utterances. Even though it has been long claimed that compounds have the stress pattern [1 3] and that noun phrases, [2 1] as in Chomsky & Halle (1968), their difference has not been yet explored empirically or phonetically. I present a phonetic experiment conducted to see if there is any difference along the tonal contours, mostly focusing on their pitch accent distribution. 36 different compounds and 36 different noun phrases included in carrier sentences were examined, and they were varied in position within a sentence. Results showed that various accentual patterns were produced, and among them, [H* X] predominantly occurs in all three positions in both compounds and noun phrases, whereas the patterns [X H*] and [X X] appear relatively more frequently in final position than in initial and medial position. Furthermore, the pattern [Ac + No], in which the preceding element is pitch-accented with no accent on the following one, is the major stress pattern in both compounds and noun phrases and in all three sentence positions. This suggests that there seems to be no difference in accentual patterns between compounds and noun phrases, which is not consistent with the hypothesis. The results are interpreted as saying that the preceding element alone tends to be prominent with no accent following it both in compounds and noun phrases, and that therefore, theoretically speculated phonological claims are not always phonetically supported.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.71-81
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• 2011

This paper investigated how prosodic position and word type affect the phonetic structure of Korean coronal stops. Initial segments of prosodic domains were known to be more strongly articulated and longer relative to prosodic domain-medial segments. However, there are few studies examining whether the properties of prosodic domain-initial segments are affected by the information content of words (real vs. nonsense words). In addition, since the scope of domain-initial effect was known to be local to the initial consonant and the effects on the following vowel have been found to be limited, it is thus worth examining whether the prosodic domain-initial effect extends into the vowel after the initial consonant in a systematic way across different prosodic domains. The acoustic properties of Korean coronal stops (lenis /t/, aspirated /$t^h$/, and tense /t'/) were compared across Intonational Phrase, Phonological Phrase and Word-initial positions both in real and nonsense words. The durational intervals such as VOT and CV duration were cumulatively lengthened for /t/ and /$t^h$/ in the higher prosodic domain-initial positions. However, tense stop /t'/ did not show any variation as a function of prosodic position and word type. The domain-initial lenis stop showed significantly longer duration in nonsense words than in real words. But the prosodic domain-initial effect was not found in the properties of F0 and [H1-H2] of the vowel after initial stops. The present study provided evidence that speakers tend to enhance speech clarity when there is less contextual information as in prosodic domain-initial position and in nonsense words.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.109-115
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• 2011

The purposes of this study were to identify acoustic parameters of connected speech and to contribute to acoustic analysis of dysphonic voice about patient's natural speech voice as well as sustained phonation of vowels. Acoustic parameters of sentences included LTAS (long-term average spectrum) mean and spectral slope over frequence ranges such as 0-4kHz, 0-6kHz, 0-8kHz, 0-12.5kHz as well as HNR. Acoustic parameters of the vowel 'a' included jitter, RAP, shimmer, NHR, and HNR. Based on 'G' of GRBAS for the severity of dysphonia, two experienced raters judged and classified as four groups including controls, mild, moderate and severe dysphonic group. Connected speech was two sentences extracted from 'stroll' passage. Parameters of the vowel and LTAS mean of the sentences were measured by CSL. The spectral slope of the sentences and HNR of the vowel and the sentences were measured by Praat. Data were statistically analyzed by Spearman correlation and Kruskal-Wallis test using SPSS 12.0. The results of this study are as follows: First, jitter, RAP, shimmer and NHR were significantly different between the groups. Second, for several frequencies, LTAS mean and spectral slope of the sentences were significantly different between the groups. Third, the HNR of the sentences were significantly different between the groups. Forth, there was a presence of correlation between HNR and NHR of the vowel and HNR of the sentences. Accordingly, this study concluded that LTAS, spectral slope, and HNR were predictive parameters of connected speech voice for dysphonic voice.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.95-102
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of the phonological discrimination ability and phonological working memory of 10 typically developing children aged 4, and 10 other children with Specific Language Impairments whose language age is similar. In orders to compare their phonological discrimination ability among phonological awareness, discrimination tasks were conducted at the syllable and phoneme levels. Also, in order to compare their phonological working memory, the subjects repeated nonsense syllables. The research results may be summarized as follows: First, the children with Specific Language Impairments demonstrated a lower performance than the typically developing children in phonological discrimination ability at both syllable and phoneme levels, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant. Second, the children with Specific Language Impairments exhibited a lower phonological working memory performance in all syllables compared with normal children. Although there was no significant difference in 2 and 3 syllables, a significant difference appeared as the length of the syllables became longer from 4 to 6 syllables. It is deemed necessary to conduct research into qualitative and quantitative differences through an formal assessment of the phonological awareness and phonological working memory of children with Specific Language Impairments.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.3-9
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• 2009

Acoustically English vowels are defined primarily by formant values. The measurements of the values have been usually made at a few time points of the vowel segment despite the fact that the majority of English vowel formants vary dynamically throughout the segment. This study attempts to collect acoustic data of the nine English vowels published by Hillenbrand et al. (1995) online and to examine the acoustic features of the English vowels for phoneticians and English teachers. The author used Praat to obtain the data systematically at six equidistant timepoints over the vowel segment. Obvious errors were corrected based on the spectrographic display of each vowel. Results show that the first two formant trajectories are important to separate the nine vowels within the front- or back-vowel groups. The third formant trajectories appear comparable except those of the high vowels. Second, the back vowels leave longer traces on the vowel space toward the locus of the following consonant /d/. Third, each vowel has inherent duration, pitch, and intensity patterns. The results match the findings of Yang (2009). From the results, the author concludes that dynamic spectral changes are important in specifying acoustic characteristics of English vowels. Further studies on the application of the vowel trajectories to English pronunciation lessons or on perceptual experiment of synthesized vowels are desirable.