ABSTRACT
Changes in electromyography (EMG) accompanying changes in voice quality are reported. Audio recordings were obtained from four normal speakers during production of sustained vowels, counting and reading. These were uttered first in a normal voice and then in a voluntarily produced harsh voice. Perceptual ratings of voice quality of these utterances were made and compared to averaged EMG values obtained during the productions. The surface electrode placement remained unchanged over each of the cricothyroid areas for both normal and harsh voice. For one of the speakers, changes in EMG paralleled changes in vocal quality. For the other three, changes in EMG were variable, and sometimes minimal, in comparison to changes in voice. The results are discussed in relation to the clinical use of EMG for voice disorders.
Subject(s)
Biofeedback, Psychology , Electromyography , Voice Quality , Voice , Humans , Voice Disorders/therapyABSTRACT
Direct magnitude estimation was the psychological rating technique for obtaining ratings of severity of the speech of 16 cerebral palsied dysarthric speakers. The ratings of students in training (inexperienced) were compared to those of experienced speech-language pathologists. For this method and this communication disorder, students' ratings were comparable to those of the professionals.
