[Functionally determined area changes in the oro-pharyngo-laryngeal vocal tract of singers as shown by magnetic resonance tomography]

Morphometric Differences of Vocal Tract Articulators in Different Loudness Conditions in Singing

Introduction

Dynamic MRI analysis of phonation has gathered interest in voice and speech physiology. However, there are limited data addressing the extent to which articulation is dependent on loudness.

Material and Methods

12 professional singer subjects of different voice classifications were analysed concerning the vocal tract profiles recorded with dynamic real-time MRI with 25fps in different pitch and loudness conditions. The subjects were asked to sing ascending scales on the vowel /a/ in three loudness conditions (comfortable = mf, very soft = pp, very loud = ff, respectively). Furthermore, fundamental frequency and sound pressure level were analysed from the simultaneously recorded optical audio signal after noise cancellation.

Results

The data show articulatory differences with respect to changes of both pitch and loudness. Here, lip opening and pharynx width were increased. While the vertical larynx position was rising with pitch it was lower for greater loudness. Especially, the lip opening and pharynx width were more strongly correlated with the sound pressure level than with pitch.

Conclusion

For the vowel /a/ loudness has an effect on articulation during singing which should be considered when articulatory vocal tract data are interpreted.

Quantitative analysis of the velopharyngeal sphincter function during speech

OBJECTIVE

This study reports a new concept for quantitative analysis of velopharyngeal function using electromagnetic articulography and simultaneous transoral video endoscopy.

PARTICIPANTS

The velopharyngeal closure mechanism was studied in 16 healthy German subjects during production of the vowel-consonant-vowel sequences /afa/ and /apa/.

DESIGN

Velar movements in the sagittal and vertical direction were measured by electromagnetic articulography (EMA) while video endoscopy was used for recording in the sagittal and transverse directions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

A transverse sagittal quotient (TSQ) was defined after the measurement of sagittal and transverse diameters of the velopharyngeal port (VPP) in the video-endoscopic pictures on the basis of a frame-by-frame analysis.

RESULTS

The sphincter morphology was objectively determined with the TSQ base value. A terminal sphincter deformation (TSD) for closure phases of articulatory movement was revealed by a qualitative shape analysis of the TSQ curves.

CONCLUSIONS

The assessment of the TSQ of velopharyngeal port diameters and the TSD in the terminal closure period lead to a new dynamic interpretation of velopharyngeal closure patterns.