Acoustic Characteristics of Female Tracheoesophageal Speech

Abstract

An acoustical description of speech and voice produced by 10 female tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers is provided. In light of results from earlier descriptions based on male TE speakers, and based on t-test comparisons, the female speakers produced generally more perturbation in fundamental frequency. Potential factors affecting this increase were elapsed time since the laryngectomy and extent of the laryngectomy surgery. The data from this investigation, however, indicate that in oral reading the characteristics of TE speech, including F0, may be highly similar regardless of speaker gender.