Phonation Characteristics in the Voices of Adults with Profound Hearing-Impairment: Reference to H1-H2 and Spectral Tilt of the Source Spectrum

Choi, Eunah; Park, Hansang

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Commun Sci Disord. 2010;15(4): 494-505.

Eunah Choi^` , and Hansang Park^`

최은아(Eunah Choi)|박한상(Hansang Park)

ABSTRACT

Background & Objectives
The present study investigates the differences in H1-H2 and spectral tilt of the source spectrum among adult speakers by handicap (impaired or normal hearing), gender, and vowels.
Methods
Twenty hearing-impaired adults (HL: Hearing Loss) and 20 normal-hearing adults (NH: Normal Hearing) were asked to read 7 Korean vowels (/ɑ, ʌ, o, u, ɯ, i, ɛ/). Subjects’ readings were recorded by NasalView and analyzed by Praat.
Results
Results showed that H1-H2 was significantly higher in the HL group than in the NH group for male adults but opposite for the female adults. The results also showed spectral tilt was significantly steeper in the HL group than in the NH group for the male adults but opposite for the female adults.
Discussion & Conclusion
The results from the present study are in agreement with the findings of previous studies. For the NH group, the female speakers had a breathier voice than the male speakers. However, the HL group showed an opposite pattern, suggesting the HL group failed to control the phonation mechanism properly.