Pitch Elevation Research Articles

Effects of electrical stimulation of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles on voice fundamental frequency

Voice pitch depends on the interaction of several variables, including contraction of laryngeal muscles and respiratory events. It is difficult to parcel out the contributions made by specific laryngeal muscles, since muscles normally co-contract. Moreover, the contraction speed of human laryngeal muscles has not been determined. In order to better understand these phenomena, stainless steel electrode wires were inserted into the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles of normal subjects, and during phonation, single, low-voltage shocks were delivered to one muscle. The frequency of shock presentation was varied from 1 to 90/s. The results show that both muscles cause elevation of voice pitch. The thyroarytenoid has a faster contraction speed than the cricothyroid Voice pitch depends on the interaction of several variables, including contraction of laryngeal muscles and respiratory events. It is difficult to parcel out the contributions made by specific laryngeal muscles, since muscles normally co-contract. Moreover, the contraction speed of human laryngeal muscles has not been determined. In order to better understand these phenomena, stainless steel electrode wires were inserted into the cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscles of normal subjects, and during phonation, single, low-voltage shocks were delivered to one muscle. The frequency of shock presentation was varied from 1 to 90/s. The results show that both muscles cause elevation of voice pitch. The thyroarytenoid has a faster contraction speed than the cricothyroid

Acoustic characteristics of emphasis

The fundamental frequency, intensity, and duration of the stressed syllable nucleus are three of the principal cues used to convey the amount of emphasis intended on a particular word in English. In this study we examined how these three characteristics covaried in a set of 800 utterances produced by eight speakers. The sentences, which were designed and collected for another experiment [Steele, 1986], each contain one disyllabic name spoken with contrastive stress and another which is post‐nuclear and deaccented. The speakers were asked, in effect, to vary the degree of emphasis on the name with contrastive stress over a wide range. Measurements of the f0, intensity, and duration of the stressed syllables in both positions suggest that individual speakers chose different “strategies” for employing these cues in combination. Pitch elevation was used most consistently over the entire range.

Voice change surgery in the transsexual.

Sexual reassignment surgery for individuals with gender identity confusion has been highly successful, especially in the male-to-female transformation. A troublesome problem for some of these individuals is the retention of their male voice. Although castration and estrogen therapy may produce minor elevations of pitch and the assumption of a falsetto voice produces a more typical but contrived female tone, the basic male anatomic structure of the larynx must be altered to effect a physiological transformation. In three transsexuals, an attempt was made to effect a more female tonal quality by shortening the vibrating length of the vocal folds. Through a laryngofissure, the anterior one third of each cord was denuded and the raw edges approximated. This produced an anterior web that successfully resulted in pitch elevation in all three cases.