Speech midterm stuff

Trachea size

10-16 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide

3 functions of all breathing muscles

1. Breathing

2. Posture

3. Movement

The internal intercostals…

are only used for active expiration

Steps of tidal breathing

1. Diaphragm contracts

2. Pleural membrane stretches

3. Abdomen protrudes outwards

4. External intercostals pull ribs up and out

5. Lung volume increases and pressure decreases

6. Air rushes into lungs

7. Elastic recoil forces increase

8. Diaphragm and external intercostals relax

9. Lung volume decreases and pressure increases

10. Air rushes out

Rate of quiet respiration

12-20 breaths per minute

Lung pressure terms

• Subglottal pressure: same as LP, used specifically for phonation

  • P_sub must be > than vocal fold resistance

• Alveolar pressure: air pressure inside individual alveoli, used for respiratory mechanics

  • P_alv drops below atmospheric pressure during inhalation and rises above atmospheric pressure during exhalation

• Transthoracic pressure: the pressure gradient between alveolar pressure inside the lungs and atmospheric pressure outside (P_alv -- P_atmos)

  • Amount needed to make chest and lungs expand simultaneously

Resting expiratory level

• P_alv = P_atmos

• 38-40% vital capacity

• Inward elastic recoil force of the lungs = outward expansion force of the chest wall/thorax

At any point during the breathing cycle…

active forces can counteract passive relaxation forces

Speech is…

always active

Fat and skinny

Fat = endomorphs

Skinny = ectomorphs

Chest breathing

Activiation of the abdominal muscles limits downward contraction of the diaphragm, so expansion is found primarily in the thorax. Can be good for vocal tasks that demand increased breath support.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Abdomen protrudes outwards due to the antagonist muscles of the abdomen and thorax being minimized. This allows the diaphragm to move freely, creating the optimal breathing style.

During exercise…

rate of speech is unaltered

Airflow

• volume of air moving through a given cross section of tube per unit of time

• directly proportional to driving pressure assuming no change in resistance

• = driving pressure / resistance

Driving pressure

The pressure difference between 2 points

Vestibules vs. ventricles

• Vestibules: supraglottic space, contains mucus glands that secrete the mucoserous blanket over the epithelium to minimize friction during tissue vibration

• Ventricles: the narrow pocket between the false and true vocal folds, contains mucus glands that lubricate the true vocal folds

Lateral cricothyroid ligament

Top portion (free superior boarder) forms the vocal ligament

Transglottal pressure

• The pressure difference across the glottis

• P_sub - P_supra

• Must be positive for the vocal folds to open

Increasing the fundamental frequency…

decreases the amount of harmonics, creating a thinner quality of voice

Vocal folds open…

posterior (bulbs (arytenoids)) to anterior

Glottal volume velocity

Volume of air flowing through the glottis

Vocal rise time

Duration from the onset of sound to the moment at which the amplitude of the acoustic wave reaches a steady state

Voice quality

A perceptual attribute that describes the sound of a voice beyond its pitch or intensity

Breathy quality

• Incomplete glottal closure

• “Noisy” voice

• Reduced intensity

Pressed quality

• Reduced open phase

• Too much contraction of TA muscle

Rough/hoarse quality

• Irregular mucousal wave vibration

Habitual voice use

• Mean Fo and intensity

• Influenced by speech context

• Can be measured via sustained vowel, reading, running speech

Stress

Force exerted per unit area

Strain

Percentage change in length from resting position