• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.145-155
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• 2003

This study compared $F_{0}$ and the first three formants of eight Korean monophthongs produced by nine transgenders (male to female) to those of eighteen normal adults. Voice analysis was done by Praat (version 4.049). A one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post hoc tests were performed to determine statistical differences in $F_{0}$ and formant values obtained from transgenders, and normal male and female subjects. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in $F_{1}$ of /u/, /$\Lambda$/, and /o/, $F_{2}$ of /u/, /$\Lambda$/, and /i/ and $F_{3}$ of /u/ among the 3 groups (transgenders, normal males and normal females). However, in the comparison of transgenders vs. males, a significant difference was observed in $F_{0}$ of /o/, and $F_{2}$ of /i/, /a/, /e/, and /${\ae}$/ and $F_{3}$ of /e/. Furthermore, in the comparison of transgenders vs. females, a significant difference was also observed in $F_{0}$ of all vowels, $F_{1}$ of /i/, /$\alpha$/, /e/, /${\ae}$/, and /i/. $F_{2}$ of /i/, and /${\ae}$/, and $F_{3}$ of /i/, /$\alpha$/, /$\Lambda$/, /e/, /${\ae}$/, /i/, and /o/. Also, perceptual judgment of the transgenders' voice came out somewhat correlated strongly with their $F_{0}$ values but not much with the formant values. It was concluded that the transgenders' acoustic parameters are placed in between those of the normal males and females in. terms of fundamental and formant frequency analyses of vowels. Thus, it was assumed that those differences might stem from the transgenders' original big resonating cavities.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.69-76
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• 2019

This study aimed to investigate the effects of vocal aerobic treatment (VAT) on the improvement of voice in patients with voice disorders. Twenty patients (13 males, 7 females) were diagnosed with voice disorders on the basis of videostroboscopy and voice evaluations. Acoustic evaluation was performed with the Multidimensional voice program (MDVP) and Voice Range Profile (VRP) of Computerized Speech Lab (CSL), and aerodynamic evaluation with PAS (Phonatory Aerodynamic System). The changes in F0, Jitter, Shimmer, and NHR before and after treatment were measured by MDVP. F0 range and Energy range were measured with VRP before and after treatment, and the changes in Expiratory Volume (FVC), Phonation Time (PHOT), Mean Expiratory Airflow (MEAF), Mean Peak Air Pressure (MPAP), and Aerodynamic Efficiency (AEFF) with PAS. Videostroboscopy was performed to evaluate the regularity, symmetry, mucosal wave, and amplitude changes of both vocal cords before and after treatment. Voice therapy was performed once a week for each patient using the VAT program in a holistic voice therapy approach. The average number of treatments per patient was 6.5. In the MDVP, Jitter, Shimmer, and NHR showed statistically significant decreases (p < .001, p < .01, p < .05). VRP results showed that Hz and semitones in the frequency range improved significantly after treatment (p < .01, p < .05), as did PAS, FVC, and PHOT (p < .01, p < .001). The results for videostroboscopy, functional voice disorder, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and benign vocal fold lesions were normal. Thus, the VAT program was found to be effective in improving the acoustic and aerodynamic aspects of the voice of patients with voice disorders. In future studies, the effect of VAT on the same group of voice disorders should be studied. It is also necessary to investigate subjective voice improvement and objective voice improvement. Furthermore, it is necessary to examine the effects of VAT in professional voice users.

• Journal of Clinical Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.212-222
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• 2018

Background and Objectives : The purpose of this study was to compare the measured values of acoustic and auditory perceptual assessments between normal and functional dysphonia (FD) groups. Materials and Methods : 102 subjects with FD and 59 normal voice groups were participated in this study. Mid-vowel portion of the sustained vowel /a/ and two sentences of 'Sanchaek' were edited, concatenated, and analyzed by Praat script. And then auditory-perceptual (AP) rating was completed by three listeners. Results : The FD group showed higher acoustic voice quality index version 2.02 and version 3.01 (AVQIv2 and AVQIv3), slope, Hammarberg index (HAM), grade (G) and overall severity (OS), values than normal group. Additionally, smoothed cepstral peak prominence in Praat (PraatCPPS), tilt, low-to high spectral band energies (L/H ratio), long-term average spectrum (LTAS) in FD group were lower than normal voice group. And the correlation among measured values ranged from -0.250 to 0.960. In ROC curve analysis, cutoff values of AVQIv2, AVQIv3, PraatCPPS, slope, tilt, L/H ratio, HAM, and LTAS were 3.270, 2.013, 13.838, -22.286, -9.754, 369.043, 27.912, and 34.523, respectively, and the AUC of each analysis was over .890 in AVQIv2, AVQIv3, and PraatCPPS, over 0.731 in HAM, tilt, and slope, over 0.605 in LTAS and L/H ratio. Conclusions : In conclusion, AVQI and CPPS showed the highest predictive power for distinguishing between normal and FD groups. Acoustic analyses and AP rating as noninvasive examination can reinforce the screening capability of FD and help to establish efficient diagnosis and treatment process plan for FD.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.49-55
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• 2019

This study sought to investigate whether mean speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) can be predicted by parameters of voice and speech range profile (VRP and SRP) in Korean normal adults. Moreover, it explored whether gender differences exist in the absolute differences between the SFF and estimated SFF (ESFF) predicted by the VRP and SRP. A total of 85 native Korean speakers with normal voice participated in the study. Each participant was asked to perform the VRP task using the vowel /a/ and the SRP task using the first sentence of a Korean standard passage "Ga-eul". In addition, the SFF was measured with electroglottography during a passage reading task. Predictive factors of the SFF were explored and the absolute difference between the SFF and the ESFF (DSFF) was compared between gender groups. Results indicated that predictive factors were age, gender, minimum pitch and pitch range for the VRP (adjusted $R^2=.931$), and pitch range (in semi-tones) and maximum pitch for the SRP (adjusted $R^2=.963$), respectively. The SFF and ESFF predicted by the VRP and SRP showed a strong positive correlation. The DSFF of the VRP and SRP, as well as their sum did not differ by gender. In conclusion, the SFF during a passage reading task could be successfully predicted by the parameters of the VRP and SRP tasks. In further studies, clinical implications need to be explored in patients who may exhibit deviations in SFF.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2009

Background and Objectives: In patients with asthma, increased obstruction and resistance of airway result in impairment in the generation of voice. Allergy and nasal polyposis, which are frequently observed in patients with asthma, are other factors that affect the vocal performance. Bronchodilators and steroids are commonly used in the treatment of asthma, and these agents also have been reported to be associated with voice changes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the voice quality in patients with mild to-moderate asthma by subjective and objective methods. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 patients with asthma established in the Department of Respiratory Medicine were included in this study. 23 were women and 13 were men, with a mean age of 51.7 years. The average duration of asthma was 77.0 months. All patients had mild-to moderate asthma. Acoustic and aerodynamic analyses were performed and the movements of the vocal cords were examined by videolaryngostroboscopy (VLS). Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and GRABS scales were used for subjective evaluations. Results: 50% of patients suffered from dysphonia and FO was 119.3${\pm}$23.7 Hz in male and 198.2${\pm}$18.4 Hz in female patients. There were no significant differences in average shimmer and NHR between females (4.90${\pm}$2.95% ; 0.1O${\pm}$0.04 dB) and males (4.64${\pm}$2.45% ; 0.20${\pm}$0.15 dB). However, the value of jitter was greater for females (2.60${\pm}$1.92%) than for males (1.21${\pm}$0.84%). The VHI score was above the normal limit in 35%, and VLS findings were shown diverse abnormality in 89% asthmatics from mucosal change to hyperfunction of supragottis and contact granuloma. But duration of illness and steroid dose did not correlate with these findings. Conclusion: Subjective and objective abnormality was shown in more than 50% of asthmatic patients. We suggest that persons who suffer from asthma should be examined for possible voice disorders by laryngologist. Additionally, appropriate medical care and voice therapy should be provided for those who have voice disorders associated with asthma.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2005

Purpose : To evaluate the voices of irradiated patients with early glottic carcinoma and to compare these with the voices of healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods : The voice samples (sustained vowel) of seventeen male patients who had been irradiated for T1a glottic squamous carcinoma at least 1 year prior to the study were analyzed with objective voice analyzer (acoustic voice analysis, aerodynamic test, and videostroboscopic analysis) and compared with those of a normal group of twenty age- and sex-matched volunteers. Average fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio were obtained for acoustic voice analysis. Maximal phonation time, mean flow rate, intensity, subglottic pressure, glottal resistance, glottal efficiency, and glottal power were obtained for aerodynamic test. Results : The irradiated group presented higher values of shimmer in acoustic voice analysis. There was no significant difference between two groups in other parameters. Conclusion : In this study all the objective voice parameters except shimmer were no4 significantly different between the irradiated group and the control group. These results suggest that the voice quality is minimally affected by radiation therapy for 71 a glottic carcinoma.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate how deaf parents influence the speech sounds of their normal-hearing children. Twenty four normal hearing children of deaf adults (CODA) and normal hearing parents (NORMAL) aged 3 to 4 participated in the study. The F1, F2, and the vowel triangle area in 7 vowels and the voice onset times (VOTs) and closure durations in 9 stops were measured. The results of the study are as follows. First, the F1 and F2 for all vowels were higher and the vowel triangle area was larger in CODA than in NORMAL although they were not statistically significant. Second, VOTs in $C_{stop}V$ for $/t^*/$ and in $VC_{stop}V$ for $/t^*/$, $/t^h/$, and $/k^h/$ were longer in CODA than in NORMAL. Most stops in CODA appeared to be longer VOTs for most phonemes. Third, the manner and place of articulation in stops did not make a difference between CODA and NORMAL in VOTs and closed durations. CODA does not demonstrate the speech characteristics of deaf people, however, they seem to speak differently than NORMAL, which means CODA might be influenced by a different linguistic environment created by deaf parents in some way.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.159-170
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out the ability of coordination of the articulatory motor and the ability of control of the respiration and laryngeal for spastic dysarthria by acoustic analysis. The sustained of vowel /a/ and repetition of syllable /pa/ in 15 normal and 10 spastic dysarthria were measured. Multi-Speech, MDVP, and MSP were used for data recording and analysis. As a result, the mean DDK rate in the spastic group was significantly slower than in the normal. The maximum phonation time in the spastic group ($4.80{\pm}1.94$) was shorter than in the normal ($11.20{\pm}3.72$). The DDKjit in the spastic group was significantly higher than in the normal. The DDKsla was reduced in the spastic group. The mean syllable duration in the spastic group (146.2ms) was significantly longer than in the normal (75.8ms). The mean energy was reduced in the spastic group. The range of Fo was greater than in the normal. The frequency perturbation (jitter, vFo) and amplitude perturbation (shimmer, vAm) were higher than in the normal group. The NHR was higher than in the normal group. The parameters of this were significantly difference between the spastic dysarthria and the normal (p<0.05). Finally, the spastic dysarthria has short respiration, slow speech rate, and voice quality problem. The these results will help to establish a plan and the intervention of treatment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.431-437
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of voice disorders on changes in stress among people with damaged larynxes. To accomplish this, physiological changes and reductions in the stress of Sprague-Dawley rats whose larynx had been damaged were investigated after the laboratory animals were administered kudzu leaf extracts with sedative effects. Methods: In the experiment, a total of 24 rats were divided into four groups of six rats, including the normal group, control group, experimental group 1, and experimental group 2. After orally administering to the subjects a predetermined amount of the extract at a specific time (once per day over five weeks), changes in physiological functions, internal organ weight, cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone in the subjects were examined, and an immunological test was conducted on their brain tissues. Results: Statistical significance was seen in the experimental group as opposed to the control group and the results were similar to those of the normal group. Conclusions: In consideration of these results, it is deemed that there are severe effects on stress due to voice disorders and that the administration of kudzu leaf extracts results in improvement in stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 1999

A study to get the data of normal stop consonants production as preliminary study for cleft palate patients was performed. Normal Korean native 21 speakers were pronounced $VCV(V=/a/,C=/P/,/{P^1}/,/P^h/,/t/,/{t^1}/,/{t^h}/,/k/,/{k^1}/,/{k^h}/)$ syllables with natural speech rate and intensity. With intrapharyngeal pressure waveforms by pressure sensor in oropharyngeal cavity, amplitude and time duration of intrapharyngeal pressure were analyzed, and with acoustic waveforms and spectrograms, closure duration and VOT were analyzed. As results, the highest amplitude of intrapharyngeal pressure showed in alveolars and heavily aspirated consonants. Velars and unaspirated consonants were higher than bilabials and slightly aspirated ones each, in intrapharyngeal pressure. Bilabilas, alveolars and velars showed similar rise time of intrapharyngeal pressure build-up, but in decay time and total duration time, bilabials were slightly shorter than alveolars and velars, with no statistic significance. In the aspects of tensity, unaspirated consonants showed the longest rise time, heavily aspirated, the second, and slightly aspirated consonants, the shortest, which were also seen in decay time and total duration time. In closure duration, slightly aspirated consonants had the shortest closure duration, and the heavily aspirated ones, the second, and unaspirated consonants showed the longest. In VOT, heavily aspirated consonants showed the longest, slightly aspirated ones, the second and unaspirated ones showed the shortest.