Speech and Hearing Science Exam 2

How many bones and cartilages are in the larynx?

One bone: hyoid
Three paired cartilages
Three unpaired cartilages

Phonation is the process of sound generation by ________________.

opening and closing of glottis

When the vocal folds are closed they are __________.

adducted

When the vocal folds are open, they are _____________.

abducted

Name the three positions of the larynx and their primary functions.

Open: breathing
Partially open: phonation
Closed: Protection of respiratory system

What is the role of the lungs & the respiratory musculature in speech production?

Provide energy (or air pressure)

TRUE OR FALSE: The diaphragm is a small muscle that plays a minor role in respiration.

FALSE

What is the definition of Boyle's law?

If the volume of a gas is increased (given a constant temperature), the pressure will decrease.

If the volume of a gas is decreased, the pressure will increase.

Tidal breathing means ________.

Breathing at rest

Define Tidal Volume.

Volume of air that is exchanged in one cycle of tidal/quiet breathing.

Why is it important for Speech Pathologists to understand how breathing works?

Amount of breath support relates to the amount of vocal effort

Weak breathing = weak vocal effort

How can an increase in subglottal pressure lead to a change in fundamental frequency?

Intensity of voice is primarily controlled by subglottal pressure

When intensity increases, there is typically rise in fundamental frequency

What three features of the vocal folds influence fundamental frequency?

Length, size, and tension

Which feature is the principal factor in the regulation of the fundamental frequency?

Vocal fold tension is the principal factor as it regulares stiffness of layers

Airway resistance is due mainly to what anatomical feature of the vocal tract?

Diameter of airway structures

TRUE OR FALSE: The Bernoulli Effect has a critical role in vocal fold vibration.

TRUE

In simple terms, define the Bernoulli Effect.

the pressure in a fluid (remember that gas is a fluid) decreases as velocity increases

critical role in vocal fold vibration and voice production

When discussing the Myoelastic-Aerodynamic Theory of Voice Production, what do the following terms mean?

Myo =

Elastic =

Aero =

Dynamic =

Myo = muscle

Elastic = stretchiness

Aero = air

Dynamic = a force that stimulates change

The basis of the Myoelastic-Aerodynamic Theory is:

the elasticity of the vocal folds allows them to be set into vibration by the aerodynamic forces

What is the major weakness of the Myoelastic-Aerodynamic Theory?

overstatement of the contribution of Bernoulli Effect

What is the Mucosal Wave?

the travelling wave of mucosa from the inferior to the superior margin

TRUE OR FALSE: As the vocal folds are blown apart during phonation, the inferior margins separate before the superior margins.

TRUE

During breathing, the vocal folds are ______.

abducted

In preparation for phonation, the vocal folds are ______.

adducted

Convergent shape of the vocal tract during phonation

Occurs while the vocal folds are opening, facilitating a relatively high lung pressure that forces the vocal folds laterally

Divergent shape of the vocal tract during phonation

Occurs as the vocal folds are closing, causing a lowering of the transglottal pressure which pulls the vocal folds inward

What are the three types of the onset of phonation?

1. Simultaneous
2. Breathy
3. Glottal attack

TRUE OR FALSE: Vocal folds vibrate faster when they are tense than when they are slack.

TRUE

Which onset type is most often associated with voice disorders?

Glottal Attack

Increasing lung pressure will have what effect on the fundamental frequency?

Increases fundamental frequency

TRUE OR FALSE: A vowel is a vocal sound produced by relatively free passage of the airstream through the larynx and the oral cavity.

TRUE

What are three resonating cavities of the vocal tract?

1. Nasal cavity
2. Pharyngeal cavity
3. Oral cavity

Which will have the lower resonant frequency?

A. The female vocal tract
B. The male vocal tract
C. The child's vocal tract

B. The male vocal tract

A Fourier analysis allows us to do what?

Breaks complex wave into spectral components

In the Power-Source-Filter Model of Vowel Production?

Power refers to ________.

Source refers to ______.

Filter refers to _______.

Power refers to lungs.

Source refers to vocal fold vibration.

Filter refers to vocal tract.

TRUE OR FALSE: The vocal tract adds energy to the source.

FALSE

If a child's vocal tract is 9cm, what will be the wavelength of the fundamental frequency?

9cm x 4 = 36 cm.

In the vocal tract, an antinode is located on the _____.

lips

Constriction at the antinode will raise or lower the formant frequency.

Raise

On a spectrogram, intensity is represented by what visual feature?

the darkness of the formant band

What feature or movement of the articulators allows us to differentiate one vowel from another?

Tongue and lips which in turn alters the size of the resonating cavities

Which formant correlates closely with the constriction in the lower area of the pharyngeal cavity and the degree of mouth opening at the lips?

Higher F1 = constriction at lips
Lower F1 = constriction of pharynx

TRUE OR FALSE: Consonants are produced with just one area of constriction.

FALSE

What is a common or layman's name for the velum?

soft palate

What is coarticulation?

simultaneously articulating more than one phoneme

What are the four acoustic cues of a stop consonant?

Silence

Burst Noise

Voice Onset Time

Post-Stop Vowel Formant Transition

What is Voice Onset Time and in what unit of time is it measured?

time from release of stop closure to onset of voicing

measured in milliseconds (ms)

Which speech sound is created in the vocal tract by sending either voiced or unvoiced airflow through tight constrictions in the tract?

fricatives

Which two consonants are the only ones that have both voiced and unvoiced correlates?

stops and fricatives

Which consonant sound is a stop immediately followed by a fricative produced at the same location?

affricates

TRUE OR FALSE: The stop and fricative pair that make up an affricate must have the same voicing.

TRUE

List the three prosodic features.

1. Intonation
2. Timing
3. Stress

In American English the pitch of the voice typically ______, at the start of an utterance and_____ at the end.

rises, falls

What are the two types of timing features?

duration and juncture

TRUE OR FALSE: Stress can tell us the difference between a noun and a verb.

TRUE

TRUE OR FALSE: Speech rhythm is a language-dependent phenomenon.

TRUE

The lungs and the ________ provide the _____ or air _____ that is converted to air ______ and in turn into ______.

respiratory muscles

energy

pressure

flow

sound sources

Paralysis

the loss or the ability to move in part or most of the body

Paresis

a condition of muscular weakness caused by nerve damage or disease

Paradoxically (medical term)

not being the normal or usual kind

Dyspnea

difficult or labored breathing

Inspiration or Inhalation

moving air INTO the upper and lower airways

Expiration or Exhalation

forcing air to EXIT or move out of the upper and lower airways

Passive Forces During Breathing

gravity & elastic recoil forces of the ribcage and lungs

together these passive forces represent the relaxation pressure

Active Forces During Breathing

muscle contractions

Air flows in the respiratory system because of ______.

a pressure between two points: atmosphere and lungs

The air moves from a ______ pressure to a _____ pressure.

greater, lesser

The difference in pressure between two points is the _______.

driving pressure

Forced Inhalation: Occurs when a _____ or volume of air is _____ during tidal breathing.

Generally supports:

inhalation, inspired

increased physical activity or effortful activity

Forced Exhalation: Occurs when the volume of air in the lungs is ___________ than tidal breathing.

moved out at a rate faster

Airflow is ______ proportional to ______. Increase the diameter of the airway (______ volume) will ______ the resistance.

inversely

resistance

increasing volume

decrease

Turbulent Flow is the ________ of air in the system due to the _______ of the airflow and the _________ of the respiratory tract.

disorganized flow

high velocity

irregular surfaces

Elastic Resistance is the work that is required to ____________.

prevent the tissue from springing back to its original shape

Maximum Phonation Time

the maximum time (in seconds) for which a person can sustain a vowel sound when produced on one deep breath at a relatively comfortable pitch and loudness

The respiratory mechanism supplies the _______ needed to raise the fundamental frequency and _______ of vocal fold vibration that is needed to _______________.

increase in air

amplitude

signal stressed syllables

Running Speech Activities

reading aloud

extemporaneous or conversational speaking

Speech Breathing

the breathing demands for running speech

Phonation is the creation of a _____ by the rapid opening and closing of the ______.

nearly periodic sound

glottis

The continuous flow of air from the lungs is broken into a _________.

discontinuous series of tiny audible puffs of air

Venturi Effect

describes the acceleration of fluid (air) through a narrowed area

Myoelastic

physical properties of the vocal folds particularly:

elasticity, mass per unit length, and tension

Tension

force used to elongate the vocal folds

the result of the pulling force exerted upon the vocal folds and their resistance to that force (stiffness)

Self-Oscillation Vibration

the vibration is not dependent upon neural input but rather a steady external oscillating driving source

The Myoelastic-Aerodynamic Theory emphasizes that vocal fold vibration is a ________ event that results from an interaction of coupling of the glottis opening, the physical properties of the ______ and ______ pressure.

passive

vocal folds

lung

Viscoelasticity = the ___________ of the vocal fold tissues and the ease with which the vocal folds _________.

elastic resistance

return to their original shape

As the rush of air through ________ forces the vocal folds apart, _______ helps the vocal folds stretch laterally beyond their resting position.


The vocal folds build up __________, which ultimately cause them to _______ and ____________.

the glottis

momentum

restorative forces

snapback to midline

collide into each other

Vertical Phase Difference:

When the vocal folds are blown apart, the _________ separate before the _________.


When the vocal folds come together, the ________ precede the _________.

inferior margins, superior margins

What forces the vocal folds apart?

airflow

Lung pressure MUST be ______ than ________ for airflow to occur.

greater

supraglottal pressure

Transglottal Pressure is the relative difference between the pressure ___________ the vocal folds.

just above and just below

Phonatory Threshold Pressure

the minimum subglottal (lung) pressure needed to set the vocal folds into vibration

The subglottal air pressure pushes the folds ________ and __________ to initiate the first cycle of vibration.

In this first phase, the ________ border separates before the _______ border.

laterally, superiorly

inferior, superior

By movement of the ______ cartilages via the ________ joint, the vocal folds are _________, in preparation for phonation.

arytenoid

cricoarytenoid

adducted

The opening & closing of the vocal folds occurs through the coupling of the __________ & the biomechanical properties of the tissues in a ________ event.

aerodynamic forces

passive

The arytenoid cartilages ________ rock the vocal folds open and closed during phonation.

DO NOT

Aerodynamic forces (lung pressure & Bernoulli effect) work primarily on the _________ of the vocal folds due to the _________ shapes of the glottis during vibrations.

lower margins

convergent and divergent

The original Myoelastic Theory depended on _________ glottal closure.

complete

Onset of Phonation: Simultaneous (gentle)

initiated by simultaneous exhalation and adduction of the vocal folds

Onset of Phonation: Breathy (aspirate)

the exhalation & airflow through the glottis is initiated before the vocal folds are adducted

Onset of Phonation: Glottal Attack (hard)

the vocal folds are firmly approximated prior to initiating phonation