Article
Data-driven evaluation of acoustic quality of phonation (en)
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Introduction: The quality of the produced sound during human phonation is subjected to be the consequence of the tuning parameters of the vocal folds, i.e., the pretension of the vocal folds (VFs) and the flow rate through the larynx. To analyze the parameters’ relation to the sound quality, an experimental model with embedded fibers was developed that allows the control of the fibers’ tension and the flow rate.Methods: The model consists of silicone and includes 3-layer VFs with fibers included. The experiments were performed with varying pretension in the VFs and for an increasing flow-rate. The measuring signals comprised the acoustic signal, the subglottal pressure and the highspeed recordings of the VFs’ oscillations. Voice parameters were calculated with the Glottal-Anaylsis-Tools software.Results: The analysis revealed that the fundamental frequency of the VFs, the quality and the periodicity/regularity of the sound increased with increasing fiber tension and flow-rate each below a respective critical saturation value. Conclusion: All acoustic parameters lied in the physiological range found in data from human subjects. Above the saturation threshold of the fiber tension and flow-rate, the sound quality decreases which is a similar effect as found for pressed phonation in patient with hyperfunctional dysphonia.