Analysis Of Pathological Voices Research Articles

Analysis of pathological voices with a sound spectrograph

Analysis of pathological voices with a sound spectrograph

Scaling the perceptual quality of pathological voice by the use of synthetic speech

In our previous study on the computer analysis of pathological voice, it was shown that acoustical parameters such as the degree of fluctuation in the fundamental frequency, amplitude, and richness of harmonic components observed in sustained utterances of vowels were useful for differentiating among diseases affecting the voice [S. Hiki et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 58, S111(A) (1975)]. It was also ascertained by sound spectrographic analysis that the amount of the noise component in the various frequency ranges and the characteristics of the rise and fall of utterances of vowels were of significant value in differentiating pathological voice from normal voice, and also in differentiating the voice resulting from cancer from that of polyp, nodule and recurrent nerve paralysis [S. Hiki et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 63, S86(A) (1978)]. In this paper, the relationship among these acoustical parameters and the psychoacoustic factors obtained by a subjective discrimination test of pathological voices was investigated, and, based on the results, a scale for the perceptual judgment of the quality of pathological voice was made by use of synthetic speech. [Work supported by Ministry of Education, Japan.]

Analysis of pathological voices with a sound spectrograph

Our previous study demonstrated that some acoustical parameters derived by a computer analysis of pathologic voices were useful to differentiate causative diseases to some extent [S. Hiki, S. Imaizumi, M. Hirano, and H. Matsushita, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 58, S111(A) (1975)]. In this paper, possibility of utilizing a sound‐spectrograph for the same purpose was investigated. Voice materials used were sustained vowels uttered by patients of polyp or nodule (42 cases), sulcus vocalis (20), recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (33) and cancer (15), and normal speakers (20). Acoustical parameters, which were revealed to be valuable in our previous study, such as degree of the fluctuation of fundamental frequency and that of amplitude, declination of the spectral envelope of harmonic components, and amount of noise components in various frequency ranges were measured from the pattern, section and amplitude display of the sound‐spectrograms. The results indicated that sound‐spectrographic analysis was of significant value in differenciating the pathological voice from the normal and also in differentiating the voice of cancer from that of the other pathologies.