Comparison of plosive sounds in monolingual and bilingual children, using the voice onset time acoustic parameter: cases report

ABSTRACT The purpose was to compare differences in production of plosive phonemes through the voice onset time (VOT) measurement in the speech of monolingual children, speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and bilingual children, speakers of both Brazilian Portuguese and English. The sample consisted of three monolingual children and three bilingual children; average age was 7 years. A speech emission was recorded for the investigation, which had the following vehicle phrase: “Diga ‘papa’ baixinho” (“Say ‘papa’ quietly”). Papa was then replaced by “baba”, “tata”, “dada”, “caca” and “gaga”. The measurements of the acoustic signals were performed through broadband spectrograms, and VOT was descriptively analyzed for the non-voiced sounds [p, t, k] and voiced [b, d, g] plosive sounds. Monolingual children presented higher average VOT values for [p, t, k] compared to bilingual children. For the [b, d, g] sounds, monolingual children had lower average VOT values, as compared to bilingual children. It was concluded that in the comparison of VOT measures of the speech samples, the monolingual children of Brazilian Portuguese presented higher values for the non voiced ones and lower for the voiced ones in relation to the bilingual children speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and English

Influence of anabolic steroid treatment associated to physical exercise in the ultrasonic vocalization of rats

Unlike humans, who communicate in frequency bands between 250 Hz and 6 kHz, rats can communicate in frequencies above 18 kHz. Their vocalization types depend on the context and are normally associated to subjective or emotional states. It was reported significant vocal changes due to administration of replacement testosterone in a trained tenor singer with hypogonadism. Speech-Language Pathology clinical practices are being sought by singers who sporadically use anabolic steroids associated with physical exercise. They report difficulties in reaching and keeping high notes, ""breakage"" in the passage of musical notes and post singing vocal fatigue. Those abnormalities could be raised by the association of anabolic steroids and physical exercise. Thus, in order to verify if this association could promote vocal changes, maximum, minimum and fundamental frequencies and call duration in rats treated with anabolic steroids and physically trained (10 weeks duration) were evaluated. The vocalizations were obtained by handling the animals. At the end of that period, rats treated and trained showed significant decrease in call duration, but not in other parameters. The decrease in call duration could be associated to functional alterations in the vocal folds of treated and trained animals due to a synergism between anabolic steroids and physical training. (C) 2010 Acoustical Society of America. [DOI: 10.1121/1.3488350]CAPES/PROSUPPIBIC-CNP

Distúrbio de voz em professores: autorreferência, avaliação perceptiva da voz e das pregas vocais Voice disorders in teachers: self-report, auditory-perceptive assessment of voice and vocal fold assessment

OBJETIVO: Analisar a presença do distúrbio de voz em professores na concordância entre autorreferência, avaliação perceptiva da voz e das pregas vocais. MÉTODOS: Deste estudo transversal, participaram 60 professores de duas escolas públicas de ensino fundamental e médio. Após responderem questionário de autopercepção (Condição de Produção Vocal do Professor - CPV-P) para caracterização da amostra e levantamento de dados sobre autorreferência ao distúrbio de voz, foram submetidos à coleta de amostra de fala e exame nasofibrolaringoscópico. Para classificar as vozes, três juízes fonoaudiólogos utilizaram à escala GRBASI e, para pregas vocais (PPVV), um otorrinolaringologista descreveu as alterações encontradas. Os dados foram analisados descritivamente, e a seguir submetidos a testes de associação. RESULTADOS: No questionário, 63,3% dos participantes referiram ter ou ter tido distúrbio de voz. Do total, 43,3% foram diagnosticados com alteração em voz e 46,7%, em prega vocal. Não houve associação entre autorreferência e avaliação da voz, nem entre autorreferência e avaliação de PPVV, com registro de concordância baixa entre as três avaliações. Porém, houve associação entre a avaliação da voz e de PPVV, com concordância intermediária entre elas. CONCLUSÃO: Há maior autorreferência a distúrbio de voz do que o constatado pela avaliação perceptiva da voz e das pregas vocais. A concordância intermediária entre as duas avaliações prediz a necessidade da realização de pelo menos uma delas por ocasião da triagem em professores.<br>PURPOSE: To analyze the presence of voice disorders in teachers in agreement between self-report, auditory-perceptive assessment of voice quality and vocal fold assessment. METHODS: The subjects of this cross-sectional study were 60 public elementary, middle and high-school teachers. After answering a self-awareness questionnaire (Voice Production Conditions of Teachers - CPV-P) used to characterize the sample and collect self-report data regarding voice disorders, the teachers were submitted to speech sample collection procedures and laryngoscopic examination. In order to classify the voices, three speech-language pathologist judges used the GRBASI scale, and an otorhynolaryngologist described the alterations seen in the vocal folds. Data were descriptively analyzed and then submitted to association tests. RESULTS: In the questionnaire, 63.3% of the subjects reported having or having had a voice disorder, while 43.3% were diagnosed with a vocal quality deviation and 46.7% with vocal fold alteration. There was no association between self-report and voice quality assessment, or between self-report and vocal fold evaluation, with low levels of agreement between the three assessments. However, there was association between voice quality and vocal fold assessment, with intermediate level of agreement between them. CONCLUSION: There were more self-reported voice disorders than what was found in the auditory-perceptive and vocal fold assessments. The intermediate agreement between the two assessments predicts the need for the use of at least one of these techniques when performing screening procedures in teachers

Caracterização vocal de pacientes com hipertireoidismo e hipotireoidismo Vocal characterization of patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar a qualidade vocal, por meio de análise computadorizada e perceptivo-auditiva, de pacientes com hipertireoidismo (grupo A) e hipotireoidismo (grupo B). MÉTODOS: Vinte mulheres não fumantes, com idades entre 18 e 55 anos, atendidas no Ambulatório de Endocrinologia da instituição, foram avaliadas após o diagnóstico clínico e laboratorial de hipertireoidismo ou hipotireoidismo. Os parâmetros investigados foram: tempo da doença, presença de queixa vocal, tempos máximos de fonação /a/, /s/ e /z/, freqüência fundamental (F0), ruído glótico (GNE). Os aspectos avaliados na análise perceptivo-auditiva, foram: coordenação pneumo-fonoarticulatória (coordenada ou incoordenada), pitch, loudness, ataque vocal, ressonância, velocidade de fala e qualidade vocal, que poderia ter até duas das seguintes classificações: neutra, rouca, soprosa, áspera ou tensa, e grau: leve, moderado ou severo. Os dados foram tabulados e analisados estatisticamente através do programa EPI-INFO 6.04b, método qualitativo Fisher, com nível de significância menor do que 0.05. RESULTADOS: A análise perceptivo-auditiva mostrou que sete pacientes hipotireoideos e nove pacientes hipertireoideos apresentaram alteração na qualidade vocal. Oito pacientes em ambos os grupos apresentaram incoordenação pneumo-fonoarticulatória. Oito pacientes do grupo A e seis pacientes do grupo B referiam queixas vocais como rouquidão e voz grossa, respectivamente. Na análise acústica, nove pacientes apresentaram o ruído glótico alterado. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados evidenciaram grande incidência de alteração vocal nos grupos estudados (grupos dos pacientes com hipertireoidismo e com hipotireoidismo), o que demonstra a relação entre disfonia e disfunções tireoideanas.<br>PURPOSE: To characterize the vocal quality of subjects with hyperthyroidism (group A), and hypothyroidism (group B) through a computer-aided and auditory-perceptive analysis. METHODS: Twenty non-smoking women with ages between 18 and 55 years from the Endocrinology Ambulatory of the institution were evaluated after clinical and lab diagnosis for hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The parameters investigated were: period bearing the disease, vocal complaint, maximum phonation time /a/, /s/, and /z/, fundamental frequency (F0), glottal noise (GNE). The aspects evaluated in the auditory-perceptive analysis were: pneumo-phono-articulatory coordination (coordinated or uncoordinated), pitch, loudness, vocal attack, resonance, speech speed and vocal quality, that could be classified as one or two of the following: neutral, hoarse, whispered, coarse, or tense, and degree: light, moderate or severe. Data were statistically analyzed through the EPI-INFO 6.04b software, Fisher qualitative method, considering a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: The auditory-perceptive analysis showed that seven patients with hypothyroidism and nine with hyperthyroidism presented changes in vocal quality. Eight subjects from both groups presented pneumo-phono-articulatory incoordination. Eight subjects from group A and six from group B referred vocal complaints, such as hoarseness and thick voice, respectively. In the acoustic analysis, nine subjects presented change in glottal noise. CONCLUSION: The results showed great incidence of vocal changes on the studied groups (both hyper and hypothyroidism groups), which evidences the relation between dysphonia and thyroidal dysfunctions