IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2009 Dec;45(4):537-45. Epub 2009 Nov 24.
The study was aimed at providing normal data from the spectral analysis of the human voice. This step of the research has a bearing in the field of speech and language retraining. The possibility of providing quantitative data would hasten monitoring of possible improvements along a rehabilitation program.
A cross-sectional, observational design was applied. Thirty-two men, 30 women and 34 children were the healthy volunteers participating to the study. The adult participants had to repeat the 12 words of the ENPA instrument for Italian language. The children repeated words from the Fanzago test. Real Time Pitch Model 5121 manufactured by Kay PENTAX recorded the voice. The following spectral descriptors were obtained for each word: mean frequency, standard deviation, loudness, duration, jitter and shimmer. Test-retest performance was also checked.
As expected, women had a higher mean frequency than men (119+/-3 v. 193+/-5 Hz), but the variation coefficient (CV: SD/mean) was the same, namely 0.1. By contrast, children had a significantly higher mean frequency (245+/-35 Hz) and a lower CV. Under this respect, groups could be statistically divided. Loudness was practically the same among the groups, whereas the children had short time duration in word uttering. Children had also the highest jitter values, whereas shimmer values were higher in men.
Spectral analysis of the human voice is recommended in each laboratory of speech and language rehabilitation. The usual testing is not replaced but can exploit the accurate definition of voice descriptors.
本研究旨在提供人类语音频谱分析的正常数据。这一研究步骤在言语和语言康复领域具有重要意义。提供定量数据的可能性将加快监测康复计划中可能的改善。
采用横断面观察设计。32 名男性、30 名女性和 34 名儿童作为健康志愿者参与了这项研究。成年参与者必须重复意大利语 ENPA 仪器的 12 个单词。儿童重复 Fanzago 测试中的单词。Kay PENTAX 制造的实时音高模型 5121 记录声音。为每个单词获得以下频谱描述符：平均频率、标准差、响度、持续时间、抖动和颤抖。还检查了测试-再测试性能。
正如预期的那样，女性的平均频率高于男性（119+/-3 比 193+/-5 Hz），但变异系数（SD/mean）相同，即 0.1。相比之下，儿童的平均频率（245+/-35 Hz）明显更高，变异系数更低。在这方面，各组可以进行统计学分组。各组的响度几乎相同，但儿童在单词发音时持续时间较短。儿童的抖动值也最高，而男性的颤抖值较高。
建议在每个言语和语言康复实验室进行人类语音频谱分析。常规测试不会被取代，但可以利用语音描述符的精确定义。
