National Center for Voice and Speech, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2019 Apr;18(2):453-462. doi: 10.1007/s10237-018-1095-7. Epub 2018 Nov 16.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender differences in voice simulation using a sensitivity analysis approach. A global, Monte Carlo-based approach was employed, and the relationships between biomechanical inputs (lung pressure and muscle activation levels) and acoustic outputs (fundamental frequency, f, and sound pressure level, SPL) were investigated for male and female versions of a voice simulator model. The gender distinction in the model was based on an anatomical scaling of the laryngeal structures. Results showed strong relationships for f and SPL as functions of lung pressure, as well as for f as a function of cricothyroid and thyroarytenoid muscle activity, in agreement with previous literature. Also expected was a systematic shift in f range between the genders. It was found that the female model exhibited greater pitch strength (saliency) than the male model, which might equate to a perceptually more periodic or higher-quality voice for females. In addition, the female model required slightly higher lung pressures than the male model to achieve the same SPL, suggesting a possibly greater phonatory effort and predisposition for fatigue in the female voice. The methods and results of this study lay the groundwork for a complete mapping of simulator sound signal characteristics as a function of simulator input parameters and a better understanding of gender-specific voice production and vocal health.
本研究旨在采用敏感性分析方法研究语音模拟中的性别差异。采用基于全局、蒙特卡罗的方法，研究了生物力学输入（肺压和肌肉激活水平）与声学输出（基频 f 和声压级 SPL）之间的关系，其中包括男性和女性语音模拟器模型版本。模型中的性别差异基于喉部结构的解剖学缩放。研究结果表明，f 和 SPL 与肺压之间存在较强的关系，f 与环甲肌和杓状软骨肌活动之间也存在较强的关系，这与先前的文献一致。此外，还预期在性别之间存在 f 范围的系统偏移。结果发现，女性模型表现出比男性模型更大的音高强度（显著度），这可能意味着女性的声音听起来更有周期性或更高质量。此外，女性模型需要比男性模型略高的肺压才能达到相同的 SPL，这表明女性的发音可能需要更大的努力，并且更容易疲劳。本研究的方法和结果为全面映射模拟器声音信号特征奠定了基础，这些特征是作为模拟器输入参数的函数，并且更好地理解了特定于性别的发声和嗓音健康。
