• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.59-67
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• 2023

This study aimed to propose an appropriate evaluation method for the perceived level of speech disfluency based on sound prolongation (i.e., increased duration of segments). To this end, 34 Korean-speaking adults (9 males, 25 females, average age: 32.9 yrs.) participated as raters in this study. The participants listened to sentences containing a total of 25 stimuli with the Korean voiceless fricative /s/ extended by 80-ms increments up to 2,000 ms (i.e., 285 ms, 365 ms., ..., 2,125 ms, 2,205 ms), and evaluated them using an equal-appearing interval scale (EAI, 1-7 points, where 1 represents "normal" and 7 represents "severe"). Subsequently, based on the interval-scale results, the sentence stimuli with the prolonged voiceless fricative corresponding to the mild-to-moderate level (rated as 4 points) were selected as the reference modulus for direct magnitude estimation (DME). After scatter plots were created for the two evaluation results, the relationship between the two measured mean values was analyzed using a curve estimation method for the observed data with the highest R²-value to determine whether a linear or curvilinear approximation fit the data better. A curvilinear relationship between the two evaluation results was indicated, suggesting that DME is a more appropriate evaluation method than the EAI scale for assessing the perceived level of disfluency based on sound prolongation.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2022

This study aimed to examine Korean listeners' mode of perceiving sound duration as prolongation, whether dichotomous or continuous. Thirty-five Korean participants (17 men and 18 women) listened to the Korean segment /s/, which was lengthened by 0-980ms in 20-ms increments. Then, the participants were asked to rate each version of the sound based on a rating of one to 100 (the closer to 100, the more disfluent). To examine whether listeners perceived durational variations for the fricative segment dichotomously or continuously, a curve was estimated using the best-fitting regression model for the observed data with the highest adjusted R-squared value. The mode of perceiving durational variations for the segment was continuous (or gradient) rather than discontinuous (or dichotomous). No gender difference was found in the mode of perceiving prolongation. However, there was a significant gender difference in that men rated the most disfluent sounds higher than women. The findings of this study were further discussed in relation to the existing literature, and clinical implications for the assessment of stuttering were presented.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.75-80
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• 2010

The present research investigated the characteristics of voice between genders and nationalities by measuring the acoustic parameter values of Korean and Chinese students. Sound Forge was used to collect voice samples and Praat was used to measure and analyze jitter, shimmer, NHR, $sF_0$, and pitch range. The results of this research are a follows. First, during prolongation of the vowels, there was no significant difference in $F_0$ between Korean and Chinese males and Korean and Chinese females. Korean males and females had higher $F_0$ values than Chinese males and females. Secondly, during sentence reading, there was no significant difference between Korean and Chinese males in $sF_0$. But between female groups, there was a significant difference in $sF_0$. Thirdly, during sentence reading, the pitch range in Korean males was found to be narrower compared to Korean and Chinese females who had wider pitch range, showing a significant difference. Fourthly, jitter in the five vowels /a, i, u, e, o/ was found to be higher in Chinese than Korean subjects. In the vowels /a, e, u/ females were higher than males showing a significant difference. Fifthly, shimmer in the vowels /a, e, u/ was found to be higher in Chinese than Korean subjects showing a significant difference. Finally, NHR in the vowels /a, u, o/ was found to be higher in Chinese than Korean subjects showing a significant difference.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 2000

Submucous cleft palate is a relatively uncommon congenital anomaly accompanying velopharyngeal incompetence(VPI). Double opposing Z-plasty has many advantages including prolongation of soft palate, normal midfacial growth, midline scar. We analyzed postoperative results comparing with those of preoperative evaluation by several variables(nasometer, endoscopy, satisfactory scale) in 14 patients treated with double opposing Z-plasty due to submcous cleft palate. Nasalance score in Ah sound, Ma phrase, and Pa phrase decreased 20.23%, 3.25%, and 23.26% in the average, respectively. As a result, hypernasality improved significantly. Closure rate in velum evaluated by endoscopy was increased from 0.44 to 0.76. In objective satisfactory scale checked by each patient's guardian at the postoperative period, much improved in 3, improved in 6, minimally improved in 1, and no difference in 1 was reported. (n=11 patients) Double opposing B-plasty is a good surgical modality in patients accompanying VPI with submucous cleft palate or incomplete cleft palate and will be used more usefully and widely.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.224-230
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• 2006

Up to now, there have been rare clinical studies on leaders and aerobics athletes. To get the useful data for protecting from auditory disorder, we selected 15 female aerobics leaders (experimental group) and 15 females (control group) unexperienced in aerobics and a without neurological and octolaryngological disorder. The average age was $34.87{\pm}8.80$ (experimental group) and $34.07{\pm}8.45$ (control group) years, and the average career of an aerobics leader (experimental group) was $8.33{\pm}4.73$ years. We measured the auditory evoked potential (AEP) of the two groups treated with 70, 75 and 85 dB intensity from January 2006 to May 2006 and analyzed the absolute latency (AL) and interpeak latency (IPL) by the SPSS/pc+ 12.0 program. In the comparison of the AL between the experimental group and the control group according to intensity, both ears treated with 70 and 75 dB had a significant difference (p<0.05) in the I, III, V wave and in the I, V wave respectively, and the experimental group treated with 85 dB showed a difference in the I, III, V wave (left ear) and in the I wave (right ear) respectively. The IPL of the two groups treated with various intensities had no prolongation. In the comparison of the AL between the experimental group and the control group according to ages, the experimental group in their 20s treated with 70 dB showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in the V wave (left ear) and in the I, III, V wave (right ear), and the experimental group in their 20s treated with 75 dB in the I, III wave (left ear) and in I, III, V wave (right ear), and experimental group in their 20s treated with 85 dB in the V wave (left ear) and in the III, V wave (right ear). The experimental group in their 30s treated with 70 dB had a significant difference (p<0.05) only in the V wave (right ear). Only in the IPL of subjects in their 20s treated with 85 dB, III-V and I-V of both ears was extended. In the comparison of the AL and IPL according to career, there was no significant difference between the two groups. From this results, we concluded that the lower sound intensity (70 dB) showed a more significant difference in the experimental group than the control group. We concluded that the leader of aerobics exposed to louder sounds than normal people are affected by auditory neurological and octolaryngological disorders. So we think that the leaders of aerobics need to control the noise level for protecting themselves against a disease.