PHONETOVOX: A novel prototype device for alaryngeal speech

Objective@#To describe a prototype improvised hand held device for alaryngeal speech.@*Methods@#Design: Instrument Innovation. Setting: Tertiary Private Hospital. Participants: Four listeners with normal hearing, were native Tagalog-speakers and had no previous experience with alaryngeal speech types participated in initial trials.@*Results@#The prototype PHONETOVOX was fabricated using a soundproofed cellphone casing with an intra-oral sound port attachment and a cellphone was loaded with Pocket Talkbox v. 1.4.0 software. The device was tested for its ability to produce intelligible speech by using the cellphone as a substitute for the larynx using oral cavity resonators and articulators, producing a synthesized sound mimicking the human voice. The PHONETOVOX produced intelligible words. Initial testing using a C-V-C Tagalog Word List had 4 listeners identify 34, 35, 47, and 54 out of 93 words (37 to 58%), with an overall average intelligibility of 46%.@*Conclusion@#Despite its restrictions in articulation and the wide range of results from the four listeners, our initial results may suggest the potential of PHONETOVOX as another modality for alaryngeal speech comparable to the 36 – 38 % intelligibility of commercially-available devices. Further trials with actual laryngectomees are needed to further establish intelligibility and acceptability.

Phonation Assessment for Alaryngeal Speakers with Different Vowels / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective To compare the alaryngeal speakers'voice acoustic parameters and intra-tracheal pressure when they spoke different vowels.Methods 24 patients after tracheo-esophageal shunt phonation by the anastomosis of the membranous portion of the tracheal section with the anterior wall of esophagus after total laryngectomy and 16 esophageal speakers enrolled in this study. The voice acoustic parameters were measured when they spoke soft /a/ and soft /i/. The intra-tracheal pressure of 20 TE speakers was measured when spoke /a/ and /i/.Results There were no significant differences between vowel /a/ and /i/ in the two alaryngeal speaker group. The pressure of TE speakers after Shang's procedrue for comfortable /i/ was higher than that for /a/, and there was significant difference.Conclusion There were the same clinical meanings in evaluating alaryngeal voice acoustic aspect. when using vowel /a/ and /i/. However when using different vowel, the intrtracheal pressure was different in TE speakers.

Acoustic and Electromyographic Characteristics of Fluent Alaryngeal Speech / 대한이비인후과학회지

Alaryngeal speech(esophageal, neoglottal, shunt, and electrolaryngeal speech) differ from normal laryngeal speech primarily with regard to the sound or source of voicing. Theoretically, esophageal, tracheoesophageal, neoglottal and electrolaryngeal speech have difficulty in accomplishing the voiceless consonants. But perceptual studies often reveal that there is a clear production of voiceless consonants resulting good articulation scores in skilled alaryngeal speakers except electrolaryngeal speech. The purpose of the present study was to relate the three-way distinction of Korean voiceless stops in manner of articulation with normal speakers and skilled alaryngeal speakers in terms of the voicing distinction in consonants. Acoustic analysis were performed to investigate the acoustic characteristics of alaryngeal speech compared to the normal speech with special reference to the voiceless distinction. Electromyographic studies were performed to clarify the adjustment of neck muscle during normal and alaryngeal speech.