Robustness of lateral tongue bracing under bite block perturbation.

Lateral tongue bracing is a lingual posture in which the sides of the tongue are held against the palate and upper molars, and has been observed cross-linguistically. However, it is unknown whether lateral bracing makes adjustments to external perturbation like other body postures. The present study aims to test the robustness of lateral tongue bracing with three experiments.

F0-related head movement in blind versus sighted speakers.

This study investigated the relationship between head movement and fundamental frequency (F0) during speech by comparing continuous speech of congenitally blind and sighted speakers from YouTube videos. Positive correlations were found between F0 (measured in semitones) and vertical head movement for both speaker groups, with a stronger correlation for blind speakers. In addition, larger head movements and larger head movement per semitone ratios were observed for sighted speakers.

Influence of Altered Auditory Feedback on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

Purpose This study explored the role of auditory feedback in the regulation of oral-nasal balance in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese. Method Twenty typical speakers of Brazilian Portuguese (10 male, 10 female) wore a Nasometer headset and headphones while continuously repeating stimuli with oral and nasal sounds. Oral-nasal balance was quantified with nasalance scores.

Analysis of oral-nasal balance after intensive speech therapy combined with speech bulb in speakers with cleft palate and hypernasality.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the combination of a speech bulb with an intensive speech therapy program in hypernasal participants with cleft palate.

Methods: Twenty hypernasal speakers with cleft palate (12 females and 8 males, median age 28.45 years), who were wearing speech bulbs underwent an intensive speech therapy program of 45 sessions over 3 weeks.

Nasalance-Based Preclassification of Oral-Nasal Balance Disorders Results in Higher Agreement of Expert Listeners' Auditory-Perceptual Assessments: Results of a Retrospective Listening Study.

Objective: Reliable perceptual and instrumental assessment of oral-nasal balance disorders is a persistent problem in speech-language pathology. The goal of the study was to evaluate whether nasalance-based preclassification of oral-nasal balance disorders improves listener agreement.

Design: Retrospective listening study.

Influence of Voice Focus Adjustments on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speech and Song.

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of training backward and forward voice focus adjustments on oral-nasal balance in speech and singing in typical speakers.

Methods: Twenty participants (10M/10F) aged 24.25 (SD 3.

Clinical Application of a New Approach to Identify Oral-Nasal Balance Disorders Based on Nasalance Scores.

Objective: A new approach to classify oral-nasal balance disorders based on instrumental measurements was developed based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of nasalance scores of simulated oral-nasal balance disorders by de Boer and Bressmann. The current study aimed to apply the newly developed functions to clinical data to investigate the applicability of this new approach.

Design: Retrospective diagnostic accuracy study.

Influence of Altered Auditory Feedback on Oral-Nasal Balance in Song.

Objectives: This study explored the role of auditory feedback in the regulation of oral-nasal balance in singing in trained singers and non-singers.

Study Design: Experimental repeated measures study.

Methods: Twenty non-singers (10M/10F) and 10 female professional singers sang a musical stimulus repeatedly while hearing themselves over headphones.

Normative Nasalance Scores for Middle-Aged and Elderly Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

Objectives: This study establishes normative nasalance values for middle-aged and elderly Brazilian Portuguese-speakers and investigates age and gender effects across the life span.

Methods: Nasalance scores were obtained from 62 middle-aged (45-59 years) and 60 elderly (60-79 years) participants with normal speech for 3 nonnasal, 1 phonetically balanced, and 2 nasal-loaded test sentences using the Nasometer II 6400. The data were combined with a published data set of 237 speakers in 4 groups: children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), young adults (20-24 years), and mature adults (25-35 years).

Influence of Altered Auditory Feedback on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speech.

Purpose: This study explored the role of auditory feedback in the regulation of oral-nasal balance in speech.

Method: Twenty typical female speakers wore a Nasometer 6450 (KayPentax) headset and headphones while continuously repeating a sentence with oral and nasal sounds. Oral-nasal balance was quantified with nasalance scores.

Influence of Voice Focus on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese.

Objectives: This study investigates whether a change in speaking voice focus affects the oral-nasal balance. The investigation was undertaken with different phonetic materials in speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, which features phonological and phonetic vowel nasalization.

Methods: Ten females read oral, balanced oral-nasal, and nasal loaded sentences in their normal voice, and with a backward focus and a forward focus.

Influence of voice focus on tongue movement in speech.

The present study evaluated global aspects of lingual movement during sentence production with backward and forward voice focus. Nine female participants read a sentence with a variety of consonants in a normal condition and with backward and forward voice focus. Midsagittal tongue movement was recorded with ultrasound.

Tongue displacement and durational characteristics of normal and disordered Brazilian Portuguese liquids.

The goal of the present study was to characterize normal and disordered Brazilian Portuguese liquids. The research hypotheses were that disordered liquid sounds would be characterized by (1) longer syllable and segment durations, (2) larger and more undifferentiated displacement of the tongue and (3) that the speech errors would show sub-phonemic differences depending on the target sound. The participants of this study were 11 children with phonological disorders and 9 control participants matched for age and educational background.

Influence of Voice Focus on Oral-Nasal Balance in Speech.

Objectives: The concept of voice focus describes the relationship of the vocal tract length on the perceived brightness or darkness of the speaker's voice. The present study explored the impact of adjustments of the voice focus on oral-nasal balance. The vocal tract settings in question were backward focus (retracted tongue, wide pharynx, and lowered larynx) and forward focus (fronted tongue, constricted pharynx, and raised larynx).

Application of Linear Discriminant Analysis to the Long-term Averaged Spectra of Simulated Disorders of Oral-Nasal Balance.

Objective: Acoustic studies of oral-nasal balance disorders to date have focused on hypernasality. However, in patients with cleft palate, nasal obstruction may also be present, so that hypernasality and hyponasality co-occur. In this study, normal speakers simulated different disorders of oral-nasal balance.

Application of linear discriminant analysis to the nasometric assessment of resonance disorders: a pilot study.

Objective : Nasalance scores have traditionally been used to assess hypernasality. However, resonance disorders are often complex, and hypernasality and nasal obstruction may co-occur in patients with cleft palate. In this study, normal speakers simulated different resonance disorders, and linear discriminant analysis was used to create a tentative diagnostic formula based on nasalance scores for nonnasal and nasal speech stimuli.

Application of Linear Discriminant Analysis to the Nasometric Assessment of Resonance Disorders: A Pilot Study.

Objective :  Nasalance scores have traditionally been used to assess hypernasality. However, resonance disorders are often complex, and hypernasality and nasal obstruction may co-occur in patients with cleft palate. In this study, normal speakers simulated different resonance disorders, and linear discriminant analysis was used to create a tentative diagnostic formula based on nasalance scores for nonnasal and nasal speech stimuli.

Comparison of nasalance scores obtained with the nasometers 6200 and 6450.

Objective: The study had the goal of comparing the new Nasometer 6450 to the older model 6200 using synthetic test sounds and control participants. A particular focus of the investigation was on the test-retest variability of the instruments.

Materials And Methods: The Nasometers 6200 and 6450 were compared using square wave test sounds.