Untitled Quiz

Introduction: Speech Science

• Speech science focuses on the physiology, instrumentation, and acoustic analysis of speech production and perception.
• Understanding normal physiology helps in treating speech disorders.
• A wide range of variability in normal speech exists due to cultural differences.
• Real-life analytical skills are crucial in speech science.

Instrumentation

• Auditory-perceptual judgment is a first step, but objective instrumentation is necessary to validate and quantify findings.
• Equipment helps clinicians acquire and analyze physiological and acoustic data objectively.
• Advantages include providing pre and post-therapy data.
• Disadvantages include the higher initial cost and time-consuming analysis.
• Clinicians should combine perceptual judgment and instrumentation for accurate results.

Physiological Systems

• Speech production relies on a series of subsystems, with each affecting the others.
• The respiratory system, laryngeal system, and articulatory system are key components.

Respiratory System

• Provides the driving force for speech with the air needed for sound vibration.
• The mechanical process supporting speech production.
• Responsible for producing voiceless sounds as well.

Laryngeal System

• Is responsible for voicing
• Active during voiced sounds, inactive while voiceless.

Articulatory System

• The tongue, teeth, lips; articulate our speech.
• It is relevant when neutral sounds like /a/ or /h/ as nothing is actively moving.

The Lungs & Thorax: Foundations

• Respiration begins internally and involves the lungs, bronchial tree, and thoracic cavity.
• Lungs have a huge surface area for efficient gas exchange due to the alveoli.
• Branched structures of bronchi and bronchioles allow air to reach all parts of the lungs.

The Lungs & Thorax: The Mechanisms

• Gasses move from high pressure to low pressure areas.
• Alveoli provide the surface for gas exchange during inhalation and exhalation.
• The trachea and bronchial tubes have cartilage/smooth tissue to allow air to flow.
• The trachea and bronchial tubes have structural components to conduct air and clear and filter particles.

Oxygen and the Bloodstream

• Oxygen in the alveoli diffuses into surrounding blood vessels due to pressure differences.
• Oxygenated blood supplies tissues and the respiratory system facilitates oxygen exchange.

CO2 and the Bloodstream

• Carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into alveoli, and the respiratory system expels it.
• Blood pressure differences drive both oxygen and carbon dioxide movement.

Lung Anatomy

• Lungs have different numbers of lobes (two in the left lung, three in the right), related to the positioning of the heart.
• This difference is important clinically since damage is more frequent in the areas more proximal.

Healthy Lungs vs Diseased Lungs

• Toxins inhaled cause inflammation and may lead to permanent or temporary respiratory issues.
• Smoker's lungs are blackened from the accumulation of toxins.

Muscles of the lungs

• The diaphragm is involved in breathing, expanding the chest cavity and decreasing the pressure in the lungs.
• External intercostals raise the ribcage during inspiration.
• Internal intercostals lower the ribcage during expiration
• Abdominal muscles assist in active or forced expiration.

Forces in Respiratory Function

• Passive functions like elasticity and gravity help with lungs' natural recoil and relaxation.
• Active forces involve muscles such as External intercostals and diaphragm.

Pressure/Volume Relationship

• In general, there's an inverse relationship between pressure and volume.
• The pressure gradient is important and a driving force for the movement of gasses.

Pressure during respiration

• Pressure inside the lungs relates to atmospheric pressure and controls air flow
• There is a small gap where pressure between lungs and atmosphere are equal/no net movement.

Test Yourself (9/24)

• Passive and active forces during breathing
• Factors influencing lung capacity, including age, gender and physical condition.
• Difference between normal ventilation and speech breathing.

Subglottal pressure

• Subglottal pressure is positively correlated to intensity
• Subglottal pressure is the drive force for vocal cord vibration

Measurement & Lung Volumes

• Various devices such as pressure transducers, pneumotachographs, and respiratory inductive plethysmography allow for objective measurement of lung volumes and airflow.

Air Pressure

• Air always moves from high pressure areas to low pressure areas.
• Pressure/volume changes are responsible for inhalation and exhalation in the lungs.

Techniques for measuring airflow

• Pressure transducers, pneumotachographs, respiratory inductive plethysmography.

How its done

• Pressure transducers and pneumotachographs measure air pressure and flow in the airway.

10/22 – Laryngeal Anatomy

• Structures of the larynx, including cartilages, bones, and muscles.

10/24 - Laryngeal Imaging/Movement

• Differentiate between healthy and unhealthy vocal production.
• Provide different voice registers
• How to produce these registers?

11/5 - Voice Onset Time

• Different types of voice onset time (VOT) and their relationship to different sounds.
• Explain how aspiration is important
• Voice quality changes that have occurred with age
• Explain how VOT relates to how people speak.

Acoustic and Perceptual Terms

• Pitch: perceived correlate of frequency (Hz)
• Loudness: perceived correlate of intensity (amplitude, sound pressure level)
• Period: time duration in one cycle
• Frequency: number of cycles in one second

Waveforms

• Pure tone (sine wave) vs. complex wave (multiple sine waves)
• Amplitude: magnitude of vibration
• Phase: temporal relationships among waves

Periodic vs aperiodic waveforms

• Periodic: predictable pattern
• Aperiodic: not predictable; perceived as noise

Fourier analysis

• Breaks down complex waves into their component sine waves
• Analysis of frequencies in complex speech including periodic or aperiodic waveforms
• Can analyze acoustic signal to gain insight into acoustic production

Vocal Tract Normalization

• Understanding the relationship between formant frequencies and vocal tract changes
• Vowels and source filter.

Plosives Production

• Steps in producing plosives: create occlusion, build pressure and release pressure.
• Acoustic events of plosive production are seen on spectrograms.

Aspiration vs unaspirated plosives, Voice Onset Time (VOT)

• VOT is the time between the release of the occlusion and the initiation of voicing for the following sound.

Vocal Tract Normalization

• Key relationships between formants (F1 and F2)
• Differences in formant values based on speaker size and age

Vocal Registers

• Modal register: a common speaking register.
• Pulse register (vocal fry): a low-pitched register used at the end of sentences or phrases.
• Falsetto register: a higher register used by males for singing or speaking high notes.

Imaging Technology

• Indirect and direct laryngoscopy, laryngeal endoscopy, laryngeal videostroboscopy, and high-speed videolaryngoscopy.

Laryngeal Airway Resistance

• Measuring airflow resistance: indicates the amount of resistance vocal folds create to airflow using various techniques such as pressure articulation or acoustic measures.

Laryngeal Layers and Aging

• Changes in the superficial (upper), intermediate, and deep (lower) layers of lamina propria tissue.
• Implications for the voice as it changes during aging/pregnancy in females and males, post-menopause, and throughout life.