Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed Research Articles

"Lombard Effect" and Voice Changes in Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia: A Pilot Study.

The aim was to describe the acoustic, auditory-perceptive, and subjective voice changes under the Lombard effect (LE) in adductor laryngeal dystonia (AdLD) patients. Subjective perception of vocal effort (OMNI Vocal Effort Scale OMNI-VES), Maximum Phonation Time (MPT), and the perceptual severity of dysphonia (GRBAS scale) were assessed in condition of stillness and under LE in 10 AdLD patients and in 10 patients with typical voice. Speakers were asked to produce the sustained vowel /a/ and to read a phonetically balanced text aloud. Using the PRAAT software, the following acoustic parameters were analyzed: Mean Pitch (Hz), Minimum and Maximum Intensity (dB), the Fraction of Locally Unvoiced Frames, the Number of Voice Breaks, the Degree of Voice Breaks (%), the Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed (CPPS) (dB). Under LE, the AdLD group showed a decrease of both G and S parameters of GRBAS and subjective effort, mean MPT increased significantly; in the controls there were no significant changes. In both groups under LE, pitch and intensity of the sustained vowel /a/ significantly increased consistently with LE. In the AdLD group the mean gain of OMNI-VES score and the mean gain of each parameter of the speech analysis were significantly greater than the controls' ones. Auditory feedback deprivation obtained under LE improves subjective, perceptual-auditory, and acoustics parameters of AdLD patients. These findings encourage further research to provide new knowledge into the role of the auditory system in the pathogenesis of AdLD and to develop new therapeutic strategies. 4 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Accuracy and Cut-Off Values of Cepstral Measures in the Clinical Evaluation of Brazilian Portuguese Speakers

OBJECTIVETo identify the accuracy and cut-off values of the Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) and Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed (CPPS) obtained from different speech tasks, to identify dysphonic voices in Brazilian Portuguese speakers, and to verify the correlation between these measures and the overall severity of dysphonia (OS). METHODIn a study with 376 subjects—277 with dysphonia and 99 controls—we recorded four speech tasks and assessed OS with a visual analog scale (VAS). We extracted CPP and CPPS from these recordings and analyzed them using receive operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine cut-off values and other performance metrics (area under curve, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios). RESULTSCPP values below 28.15 dB (sustained vowel [Ɛ]), 28.77 dB (sustained vowel [a]), 28.58 dB (all CAPE-V sentences), and CPPS values below 16.42 dB (sustained vowel [Ɛ]), 17.02 dB (sustained vowel [a]), and 11.30 dB (all CAPE-V sentences) are indicative of the presence of dysphonia. CPPVE, CPPVA, CPPCAPE-V, CPPVS, CPPSVE, CPPSVA, CPPSCount, CPPSCAPE-V e CPPSVS, and CPPSVS can explain the variability of OS from 19% to 57.9%. CONCLUSIONThe cut-off values for CPPVE, CPPVA, CPPCAPE-V, CPPSVE, CPPSCAPE-V, and CPPSVA obtained from Praat software can be used as a reference for the clinical voice assessment of Brazilian Portuguese speakers in the respective speech tasks. Analysis of the correlation coefficients of the cepstral measures investigated provided us with a predictive model of OS perception based on each measure/speech task.

Cepstral Analysis of Voice in School-Aged Children

Dysphonia in school-aged children is attributed primarily to hyperfunctional use of voice. These can be identified through effective protocols using both acoustic and auditory-perceptual analyses. The current study aimed to investigate voice characteristics in school children aged 4-17years using auditory-perceptual rating and cepstral measures of voice. This is a descriptive cross-sectional observational study. Four hundred and fifty-seven recordings of sustained phonation of /a/ in children and adolescents obtained in a quiet room using Zoom h1 voice recorder were analyzed using auditory-perceptual evaluation by three speech-language pathologists using Grade of overall dysphonia, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain(GRBAS) rating scale. The samples were classified based on age into five groups: 1) 4 to 6; 11 years 2) 7-8; 11 years, 3) 9-11; 11years 4) 12-13; 11years and 5) 14-16; 11 years. PRAAT software was used to extract Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) and Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed (CPPS). Inter-rater reliability was assessed for both auditory-perceptual and acoustic analysis. Auditory-perceptual analysis revealed dysphonia in 7.8% of samples with higher rate in males than females. Inter-rater reliability for auditory-perceptual rating was found to be good (Intraclass Corelation Coefficient-0.83). Independent t test revealed statistically significant difference (P<0.001) in both cepstral measures and mean values were lower in dysphonic than normal group. Gender effect was present for CPP in group 5(14-16;11 years) and CPPS in group 4 (12-13; 11years). One-way analysis of variance within groups in males (P<0.005) revealed statistical difference in both cepstral measures but not in females. Statistically significant difference was not found between ratings of both speech language pathologists for both CPP (P=0.929) and CPPS (P=0.965) values indicating the ratings to be reliable. Pediatric dysphonia has received less attention when compared to adults. Assessing school-aged children for dysphonia using both auditory-perceptual and acoustic measures would aid in identifying those at risk to make appropriate referrals and plan further intervention.

Laryngeal Vibrotactile Stimulation as a Non-Invasive Adjunctive Treatment for Spasmodic Dysphonia: A Preliminary Study

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a debilitating condition characterized by involuntary closure of the vocal folds, leading to strained and choked speech. Current treatment options have limitations and require repeated interventions. However, recent studies have shown that high-frequency peripheral somatosensory stimulation is able to modulate neuronal discharge at the somatomotor cortical level and positively influence motor output and therefore SD symptoms. This study investigates the potential of laryngeal vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) as a non-invasive treatment for SD. A custom device was used to apply high-frequency vibrations to the larynx of three female patients with adductor-type SD. The patients underwent VTS treatment once a day for four weeks. Four parameters were used to assess vocal quality: Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed (CPPS), number of voice interruptions (Voice Breaks), and perceptual evaluation using the GIRBAS scale. The results showed improvements in all parameters following VTS treatment, indicating enhanced phonatory function quality and speech stability. These findings highlight the potential of VTS to alleviate symptoms in individuals diagnosed with adductor-type SD.

Medidas espectrais e cepstrais em mulheres com disfonia comportamental

ABSTRACT Purpose To investigate whether there are differences in cepstral and spectral acoustic measures between women with behavioral dysphonia with and without laryngeal lesions and verify whether there is a correlation between such measures and the auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice quality. Methods The sample comprised 78 women with behavioral dysphonia without laryngeal lesions (BDWOL) and 68 with behavioral dysphonia with laryngeal lesions (vocal nodules) (BDWL). Cepstral peak prominence (CPP), cepstral peak prominence-smoothed (CPPS), spectral decrease, and H1-H2 (difference between the amplitude of the first and second harmonics) were extracted. They were submitted to the auditory-perceptual evaluation (APE) of the grade of hoarseness (GH), roughness (RO), breathiness (BR), and strain (ST). Results BDWL women had higher H1-H2 values and lower CPP and CPPS values than BDWOL women. More deviant voices had lower CPP and CPPS values. Breathy voices had lower CPP and CPPS values and higher H1-H2 values than rough ones. There was a weak negative correlation between CPP and RO, a moderate negative correlation with GH, and a strong negative correlation with BR. CPPS had a moderate negative correlation with GH, RO, and BR. H1-H2 had a weak positive correlation with BR. There was a weak positive correlation between spectral decrease and ST. Conclusion H1-H2, CPP, and CPPS were different between BDWOL and BDWL women. Furthermore, cepstral and spectral measures were correlated with the different APE parameters.

Efeito imediato de exercício inspiratório com exercitador e incentivador respiratório em mulheres sem queixas vocais

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate the immediate effect of the inspiratory exercise with a booster and a respiratory exerciser on the voice of women without vocal complaints. Methods 25 women with no vocal complaints, between 18 and 34 years old, with a score of 1 on the Vocal Disorder Screening Index (ITDV) participated. Data collection was performed before and after performing the inspiratory exercise and consisted of recording the sustained vowel /a/, connected speech and maximum phonatory times (MPT) of vowels, fricative phonemes and counting numbers. In the auditory-perceptual judgment, the Vocal Deviation Scale (VSD) was used to verify the general degree of vocal deviation. Acoustic evaluation was performed using the PRAAT software and the parameters fundamental frequency (f0), jitter, shimmer, harmonium-to-noise ratio (HNR), Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed (CPPS), Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI). To measure the aerodynamic measurements, the time of each emission was extracted in the Audacity program. Data were statistically analyzed using the Statistica for Windows software and normality was tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test. To compare the results, Student's and Wilcoxon's t tests were applied, adopting a significance level of 5%. Results There were no significant differences between the results of the JPA and the acoustic measures, in the pre and post inspiratory exercise moments. As for the aerodynamic measures, it was possible to observe a significant increase in the value of the TMF /s/ (p=0.008). Conclusion There was no change in vocal quality after the inspiratory exercise with stimulator and respiratory exerciser, but an increase in the MPT of the phoneme /s/ was observed after the exercise.

Screening of Voice Pathologies: Identifying the Predictive Value of Voice Acoustic Parameters for Common Voice Pathologies

Voice acoustic analysis is important for objectively assessing voice production and diagnosing voice disorders. This study aimed to investigate the sensitivity of various voice acoustic parameters in differentiating common voice pathology types. Data from the publicly available Perceptual Voice Qualities Database were analyzed; the database includes recordings of participants with and without voice disorders. A wide range of acoustic parameters was estimated from the recordings, such as alpha ratio, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS), pitch period entropy (PPE), fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and sound pressure levels. The predictive capabilities of the parameters were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. Linear regression analysis determined the associations between parameters and voice disorders. Principal component analysis was conducted to identify important parameters for distinguishing voice disorders. This study has identified significant differences in acoustic parameters between those with and without voice disorders. Notably, the combination of five parameters-namely, PPE, shimmer, jitter, CPPS, and HNR-was identified as a strong predictor in voice disorder screening. These findings contribute substantially to the field of voice disorders, offering valuable insights for screening and diagnosis.

Spectrographic Voice Analysis Protocol (SAP): Convergent, Concurrent, and Accuracy Validity

To verify the convergent and concurrent validity of the Spectrographic Voice Analysis Protocol (SAP) and its accuracy to discriminate dysphonic from nondysphonic patients. The study used 82 vowel /Ɛ/ samples and their respective narrowband spectrograms, analyzed with SAP. Cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS) verified the convergent validity of the SAP total score, while the general grade of vocal deviation (GG) verified the concurrent validity of the SAP total score. The ROC (receive operator curve) curve and its accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values, positive predictive value(PPV) and negative predictive value(NPV), and positivelikelihood ratio (LR+) and negative likelihood ratio(LR-) verified the accuracy of the SAP score to discriminate dysphonic from nondysphonic individuals. Dysphonic and nondysphonic had different SAP total scores. In the convergent validity, the SAP score had a weak and moderate negative correlation, respectively, with CPP and CPPS, as well as a moderate positive correlation with GG. SAP performed well in discriminating dysphonic from nondysphonic individuals (area under the curve=82.0%; sensitivity=91.7%; specificity=51.7%; PPV=93.7%; NPV=44.0%; LR+=6.21; LR-=0.53) based on the 8-point cutoff score. SAP has convergent validity with CPP and CPPS and concurrent validity with GG. The SAP total score performed well in discriminating dysphonic from nondysphonic individuals. However, the specificity, NPV, and LR- values justify cautiously using SAP, always in combination with other information in clinical voice assessment.

Relationship among five-factor personality traits and psychological distress with acoustic analysis.

The relationship between personality traits and psychological distress with acoustic characteristics was investigated in the present study, regarding the existence of dysphonia, abnormal overall voice quality (AOVQ), and dysphonia type. Fifty-five participants with dysphonia and 64 participants without dysphonia completed NEO Five-Factor Inventory and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), cepstral peak prominence (CPP), and cepstral peak prominence-smoothed (CPPS) were calculated in sustained vowel /a/ by Praat. Three expert speech and language pathologists divided participants with dysphonia into mild, moderate, and severe, based on the AOVQ. Pearson and Spearman correlation tests were performed by IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings were indicative of large correlations between agreeableness with CPP, conscientiousness with shimmer, depression with jitter and shimmer, and anxiety with shimmer in patients with functional dysphonia (p < 0.05). The results showed small to medium significant correlations between agreeableness with jitter and NHR, conscientiousness with CPP in participants without dysphonia, and depression with jitter in the participants with dysphonia (p < 0.05). Lastly, no significant correlation was observed between personality traits and psychological distress with acoustic characteristics in mild, moderate, and severe AOVQ groups (p > 0.05). In participants with functional dysphonia, personality traits and psychological distress can provide some information about acoustic characteristics and vice versa. 3.

Voice Acoustic Instability During Spontaneous Speech in Parkinson’s Disease

In people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD), both motor and cognitive deficits influence voice and other aspects of communication. PwPD demonstrate vocal instability, but acoustic declines over the course of speaking are not well characterized and the role of cognition on these declines is unknown. We examined voice acoustics related to speech motor instability by comparing the first and the last utterances within a speech task. Our objective was to determine if mild cognitive impairment (MCI) status was associated with different patterns of acoustic change during these tasks. Participants with PD (n=44) were enrolled at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and classified by gold-standard criteria as normal cognition (PD-NC) or mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI). The speech was recorded during the Rainbow Passage and a picture description task (Cookie Theft). We calculated the difference between first and last utterances in fo mean and standardized semitones (STSD), cepstral peak prominence-smoothed (CPPS), and low to high ratio (LH). We used t-tests to compare the declines in acoustic parameters between the task types and between participants with PD-NC versus PD-MCI. Mean fo, fo variability (STSD) and CPPS declined from the first to the last utterance in both tasks, but there was no significant difference in these declines between the PD-NC and PD-MCI groups. Those with PD-MCI demonstrated lower fo variability on the whole in both tasks and lower CPPS in the picture description task, compared to those with PD-NC. Mean and STSD fo as well as CPPS may be sensitive to PD-MCI status in reading and spontaneous speech tasks. Speech motor instability can be observed in these voice acoustic parameters over brief speech tasks, but the degree of decline does not depend on cognitive status. These findings will inform the ongoing development of algorithms to monitor speech and cognitive function in PD.

Associations of acoustic parameters and gender dysphoria in transmasculine individuals

Gender dysphoria refers to a feeling of discomfort due to a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and gender identity. Voice is a secondary sex marker, and it may contribute to feelings of unease or dissatisfaction if the voice does not match a person’s gender identity. The Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale—Gender Spectrum (UGDS-GS) was designed to measure a person's degree of gender dysphoria. Transmasculine individuals were assigned female at birth and identify as male or masculine non-binary, and acoustic studies focusing on transmasculine voices are notably sparse. In a study including 20 transmasculine individuals, we compared UGDS-GS results to the following acoustic parameters: vocal tract length (VTL) estimates, fundamental frequency (f0), standard deviation of f0, and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS). We found a significant positive correlation between each acoustic measure and gender dysphoria. We also found robust associations between each of these measures and a voice-related quality of life measure. These findings indicate that the sound of one’s voice may be a strong predictor of gender dysphoria.

Acoustic measurements of CPPS and AVQI pre and post speech therapy.

To compare the acoustic measurements of Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed (CPPS) and Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) at pre- and post-voice therapy times. This is a before and after intervention study, with retrospective data collection. Twenty-two subjects with a mean age of 49.9 years participated in the study. The vocal therapy occurred between the years 2016 to 2019 in a teaching clinic, and the subjects had vocal samples collected before and after the therapeutic processes. CPPS and AVQI data extractions were performed during pre- and post-therapy. In order to characterize the sample, auditory-perceptual evaluation (APE) regarding the overall degree of vocal deviation at pre- and post-therapy moments was performed. The data were analyzed statistically. The APE data indicated a decrease in the median values of overall vocal deviation degree at the post-therapy stage for both the vowel (p=0.00) and number (p=0.00) samples. The average CPPS for the vowel was 14.53 pre-therapy and 16.37 post-therapy (p=0.01); for the number emission, it was 8.22 pre-therapy and 9.06 post-therapy (p=0.02), there was a difference in the CPPS of the vowel and numbers indicating vocal improvement at post-therapy. The average AVQI was 2.27 pre-therapy and 1.54 post-therapy (p=0.05). There was an improvement in the AVQI results, with borderline p-value. Vocal therapy produced changes in the general degree of vocal deviation, as well as in CPPS and AVQI measurements, and the results at the post-therapy moment are similar to those of vocally healthy individuals.

Medidas acústicas de CPPS e AVQI pré e pós terapia fonoaudiológica

ABSTRACT Purpose To compare the acoustic measurements of Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed (CPPS) and Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) at pre- and post-voice therapy times. Methods This is a before and after intervention study, with retrospective data collection. Twenty-two subjects with a mean age of 49.9 years participated in the study. The vocal therapy occurred between the years 2016 to 2019 in a teaching clinic, and the subjects had vocal samples collected before and after the therapeutic processes. CPPS and AVQI data extractions were performed during pre- and post-therapy. In order to characterize the sample, auditory-perceptual evaluation (APE) regarding the overall degree of vocal deviation at pre- and post-therapy moments was performed. The data were analyzed statistically. Results The APE data indicated a decrease in the median values of overall vocal deviation degree at the post-therapy stage for both the vowel (p=0.00) and number (p=0.00) samples. The average CPPS for the vowel was 14.53 pre-therapy and 16.37 post-therapy (p=0.01); for the number emission, it was 8.22 pre-therapy and 9.06 post-therapy (p=0.02), there was a difference in the CPPS of the vowel and numbers indicating vocal improvement at post-therapy. The average AVQI was 2.27 pre-therapy and 1.54 post-therapy (p=0.05). There was an improvement in the AVQI results, with borderline p-value. Conclusion Vocal therapy produced changes in the general degree of vocal deviation, as well as in CPPS and AVQI measurements, and the results at the post-therapy moment are similar to those of vocally healthy individuals.

Voice Biofeedback via Bone Conduction Headphones: Effects on Acoustic Voice Parameters and Self-Reported Vocal Effort in Individuals With Voice Disorders

This study explores sidetone amplification (amplified playback of one's own voice) provided via bone conduction in participants with voice disorders. The effects of bone conduction feedback on acoustic voice parameters and vocal effort ratings are examined. Speech samples of 47 participants with voice disorders were recorded in three auditory feedback conditions: two with sidetone amplification delivered via bone conduction and one condition with no alteration of the feedback. After each task, the participants rated their vocal effort on a visual analog scale. The voice recordings were evaluated by a speech-language pathologist through the GRBAS scale and processed to calculate the within-participant centered sound pressure level (SPL) values, the mean pitch strength (PS), the time dose (Dt%), and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS). The effects of the feedback conditions on these acoustic parameters and vocal effort ratings were analyzed. The high sidetone amplification condition resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the within-participant centered SPL values and mean pitch strength across all participants. The feedback conditions had no statistically significant effects on the vocal effort ratings, time dose (Dt%), or CPPS. This study provides an evidence that bone conduction sidetone amplification contributes to a consistent adaptation in the within-participant centered SPL values (ΔSPL) in patients with vocal hyperfunction, glottal insufficiency, and organic/neurological laryngeal pathologies compared to conditions with no feedback.

An Efficacy Study of Voice Quality Using Cepstral Analyses of Phonation in Parkinson’s Disease before and after SPEAK-OUT!®

Introduction: SPEAK-OUT!® is a behavioral treatment for hypokinetic dysarthria in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) that has become an alternative to the gold-standard Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) in recent years. Acoustic evaluation of the efficacy of SPEAK-OUT!® therapy has focused on prosody. The purpose of this study was to investigate SPEAK-OUT!® efficacy in terms of vocal quality and its impact on quality of life. Vocal quality was measured acoustically using cepstral peak prominence (CPP) analysis and the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and perceptually using clinical ratings of speech performance. Impact on quality of life was measured with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL). An additional goal of this study was to investigate whether dysarthria severity and disease duration were predictive of changes in voice quality due to SPEAK-OUT!®. Methods: Pre- and post-therapy data included PD participants’ acoustic and perceptual ratings of audio recordings. Demographic data included age, sex, diagnosis, duration of PD, and severity of dysarthria. Results: Participants achieved significant improvement in the vowel and sentence CPP smoothed (CPPS) mean score as well as in their AVQI score post SPEAK-OUT!® treatment. Improvements in AVQI correlated negatively with disease duration and positively with dysarthria severity. Discussion/Conclusion: SPEAK-OUT!® is effective in improving voice quality in patients with hypokinetic dysarthria due to idiopathic PD. Patients with more severe dysarthria and with a shorter disease duration may benefit the most, supporting earlier intervention. As for the type of measurement, AVQI combines acoustics from both vowel and sentence contexts and may therefore be the measure of choice over CPPS (vowel) or CPPS (sentence).

Cepstral Measurements: A Comparison of Results Between Singing and Non-Singing Individuals

<h2>SUMMARY</h2><h3>Objective</h3> To analyze and compare cepstral measurements in singing and non-singing men and women to understand if vocal adaptations of singers reflect greater cepstral measurement results. <h3>Method</h3> The study included 91 vocally healthy individuals, consisting of 60 erudite or popular singers (30 males, 30 females) and 31 non-singers (16 males, 15 females). The Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) and Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed (CPPS) measures were carried out using the sustained /a/ vowel recorded with a unidirectional condenser microphone associated with a sound card on the computer. The Praat software (version 6.1.16) was used to extract the CPP and CPPS measurements. The intra and intergroup values obtained for each sex were compared using the t-test with a 5% significance level. <h3>Results</h3> There was a CPP (<i>P</i> = 0,000) and CPPS (<i>P</i> = 0,000 and <i>P</i> = 0,001) value difference between the sexes in both groups. Cepstral measurements showed no statistically significant difference between singing and non-singing participants (male: <i>P</i> = 0,778 and <i>P</i> = 0,622; female: <i>P</i> = 0,622 and <i>P</i> = 0,460). <h3>Conclusion</h3> Men presented higher CPP and CPPS values than women, which may be related to the presence of the physiological posterior glottic cleft in women. The knowledge of the cepstral values of singers shows that singing specificities may not reflect in all vocal evaluations.

Bilingualism and Voice Production. Differences Between Bilingual Latin-American Spanish- English Female Speakers and Monolingual Spanish Female Speakers During Spanish Productions

BackgroundSpeaking a second language influences jitter and shimmer when comparing monolingual English speakers with bilingual English-Spanish speakers. However, there is little information about differences on voice acoustic parameters when comparing monolingual Spanish speakers with bilingual Spanish-English speakers during their productions in Spanish. AimDetermine differences in five voice acoustic parameters commonly used in voice assessments (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, Harmonics-to-Noise Ratio and Cepstral Peak Prominence Smoothed) which may be influenced by bilingualism. MethodsExploratory cross-sectional study with two groups of female participants: monolingual Spanish speakers (n = 17), and bilingual Spanish-English speakers (n = 11). Participants filled out a questionnaire and recorded two voice samples (sustained vowel /a/ and reading). For this study, all the participants reported that their native language was Spanish. ResultsBeing a female bilingual speaker had a significant effect on Shimmer (%) with a Beta = -0.7. Similar tendency was found on harmonics-to-noise ratio (B = 0.2) and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (B = 0.2). ConclusionsOur results indicate that being a native Spanish female speaker, speaking English as a second language, has significant small effects on voice acoustic parameters, such as shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio and cepstral peak prominence smoothed, during their productions in Spanish. This information is of interest for assessment and intervention plans of bilingual speakers at clinical and work-related settings.

The Significant Influence of Hoarseness Levels in Connected Speech on the Voice-Related Disability Evaluated Using Voice Handicap Index-10

This retrospective study examines the influence of voice quality in connected speech (CS) and sustained vowels (SV) on the voice-related disability in patients' daily living documented by Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10). A total of 500 voice recordings of CS and SV samples from 338 patients with voice disturbances were included, along with the patients' age, diagnoses, maximum phonation time, and VHI-10. Dataset-1 comprised of 338 untreated patients, whereas Dataset-2 included 162 patients before and after phonosurgeries. As a preliminary study, the concurrent and diagnostic validities based on auditory-perceptual judgments were examined for cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and CPP smoothed (CPPS) for CS and SV tasks. Next, simple correlations and multivariate regression analyses (MRA) were performed to identify which of the acoustic measures for the CS or SV tasks significantly influenced the total score or improvement of VHI-10. The preliminary study confirmed high correlations with hoarseness levels as well as the excellent diagnostic accuracy of CPP and CPPS for both CS and SV tasks. In Dataset-1, the simple correlations and MRA results showed that cepstral measures in both tasks demonstrated moderate correlations with, and significant contribution to the total score of VHI-10, respectively. However, in Dataset-2, the changes of cepstral measures, as well as the median pitch after phonosurgeries in the CS tasks only, showed significant contributions to the improvement of VHI-10. The study demonstrated that the hoarseness levels in both the CS and SV tasks equivalently influenced the VHI-10 scores, and that the post-surgical change of voice quality only in the CS tasks influenced the improvement of voice-related disability in daily living.

Relationship of Cepstral Peak Prominence-Smoothed and Long-Term Average Spectrum with Auditory–Perceptual Analysis

Cepstral peak prominence-smoothed (CPPs) and long-term average spectrum (LTAS) are robust measures that represent the glottal source and source-filter interactions, respectively. Until now, little has been known about how physiological events impact auditory–perceptual characteristics in the objective measures of CPPs and LTAS (alpha ratio; L1–L0). Thus, this paper aims to analyze the relationship between such acoustic measures and auditory–perceptual analysis and then determine which acoustic measure best represents voice quality. We analyzed 53 voice samples of vocally healthy participants (vocally healthy group-VHG) and 49 voice samples of participants with behavioral dysphonia (dysphonic group-DG). Each voice sample was composed of sustained vowel /a/ and connected speech. CPPs seem to be the best predictor of voice deviation in both studied populations because there was moderate to strong negative correlations with general degree, breathiness, roughness, and strain (auditory–perceptual parameters). Regarding L1–L0, this measure is related to breathiness (moderate negative correlations). Hence, L1–L0 provides information about air leak through closed glottis, assisting the phonatory efficiency analysis.

Cepstral Measures in the Fado Voice: Gender, Age and Phonatory Tasks

This study aimed to characterize cepstral peak prominence (CPP) and cepstral peak prominence smoothed (CPPS) in the Fado singing voice and to determine if there were significant differences in CPP and CPPS measures between spoken and sung tasks, as well as due to singers' gender and age. Forty seven males and 57 females Fado singers, ranging from 18 to 70 years participated in this study. Spoken voice tasks were sustained [a] and reading aloud the phonetically balanced text "O Sol". Sung tasks were sustained [a] of the word [ɐfinaɫ] and the Fado chorus song "Nem às paredes confesso". Acoustic measures included CPP and CPPS. CPP was measured using Analyses of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice software, of Multi-Speech program, Model 3700, by KayPENTAX. CPPS was measured using Praat software (4.2.1/2003). Statistical analysis was performed with an IBM SPSS Statistics version 22 program. CPP and CPPS mean differences of spoken and sung tasks were analyzed using paired samples t-test, with α at .05. CPP and CPPS values of singers' voice changed according to the gender, age and phonatory tasks. There were significant differences between CPP and CPPS measures (P < 0.05). Generally, young male singers, in their sung task, presented the highest CPP and CPPS values. The highest CPP mean was obtained by older males in sustained spoken [a] and the lowest was obtained by younger males in their reading aloud task. For CPPS, the highest mean value was obtained by younger males during sung [a] and the lowest was by younger males in the reading aloud task. Males presented higher cepstral measures than females. Young singers presented higher cepstral measures than older. Sung tasks had higher cepstral measures than spoken tasks. CPPS means are overall higher than CPP means. This study reinforces the need for a clinical prevention approach directed at potential vocal disorders in Fado singers.