Marylou Pausewang Gelfer

Comparison of acoustic and perceptual measures of voice in male-to-female transsexuals perceived as female versus those perceived as male

The present study explored significant differences between male-to-female transgendered speakers perceived as male and those perceived as female in terms of speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and its variability, vowel formants for /a/ and /i/, and intonation measures. Fifteen individuals who identified themselves as male-to-female transsexuals served as speaker subjects, in addition to 6 biological female control subjects and 3 biological male control subjects. Each subject was recorded reading the Rainbow Passage and producing the isolated vowels /a/ and /i/. Twenty undergraduate psychology students served as listeners. Results indicated that subjects perceived as female had a higher mean SFF and higher upper limit of SFF than subjects perceived as male. A significant correlation between upper limit of SFF and ratings of femininity was achieved.

Voice Treatment for the Male-to-Female Transgendered Client

Male-to-female transsexuals are sometimes a part of a speech-language pathologist’s voice caseload. This article is intended to provide information and a suggested treatment approach to speech-lang...

Comparisons of Jitter, Shimmer, and Signal-to-Noise Ratio from Directly Digitized Versus Taped Voice Samples

The purpose of this study was to compare jitter, shimmer, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measures obtained from tape-recorded samples with the same measures made on directly digitized voice samples, with use of the CSpeech acoustic analysis program. Subjects included 30 young women who phonated the vowel /a/ at a comfortable pitch and loudness level. Voice samples were simultaneously recorded and digitized, and the resulting perturbation measures for the two conditions were compared. Results indicated that there were small but statistically significant differences between percent jitter, percent shimmer, and SNR calculated from taped samples compared with the same measures calculated from directly digitized samples. It was concluded that direct digitization for clinical measures of vocal perturbation was most desirable, but that taped samples could be used, if necessary, with some caution.

Documenting laryngeal change following prolonged loud reading: A videostroboscopic study

This study investigated the effects of prolonged loud reading on trained and untrained subjects. Subjects were eight young women singers, and eight young women with limited musical experience. Each subject underwent videostroboscopic examination prior to and following 1 h of prolonged loud reading. The pretest and posttest videotaped samples were randomized and presented to three experienced judges, who evaluated various aspects of laryngeal appearance and vibratory characteristics. Analyses of group data revealed that untrained subjects showed a small but significant increase in amplitude of vocal fold excursion following the experimental task. No significant differences were noted in the trained singer group. When individual variation was analyzed, it was found that most subjects did not show many changes from pretest to posttest. It was concluded that a l-h loud-reading task was not sufficient to induce notable laryngeal alterations.

Comparisons of intensity measures and their stability in male and female sneakers

The purpose of the present study was to provide data on the intensity characteristics of young adult speakers in terms of conversational intensity level, conversational intensity range, and available intensity range. Subjects included 20 males and 20 females, ages 20-30 years. Each subject was asked to read the Rainbow Passage at a conversational intensity level, as softly as possible without whispering, and as loudly as possible, on 2 separate days 1 week apart. The second and third sentences of the three readings on both days were analyzed for various intensity parameters. Results revealed a conversational intensity level of 70.42 dB for males and 68.15 dB for females. When male and female intensity measures were compared, few statistically significant differences were found. Further, when intensity measures for the first and second readings were compared, few significant differences were found.

Speaking Fundamental Frequency and Individual Variability in Caucasian and African American School-Age Children

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and pitch sigma (individual SFF variability) of African American and Caucasian children ages 6 through 8 years. METHOD Participants in this study included 63 Caucasian and African American children recruited from 6 urban schools and 1 day care center. All participants passed hearing and speech-language screenings. Spontaneous speech samples for SFF measurement were elicited from each child in a quiet room in the school he or she attended. RESULTS Results of this study found that there were no significant differences in SFF or pitch sigma as a function of the races or ages studied. It appeared that a single value for each variable could reasonably characterize African American and Caucasian children at ages 6, 7, or 8: 244.8 Hz for SFF (SD = 30.0 Hz) and 2.06 semitones (STs) for pitch sigma (SD = 0.82 ST). CONCLUSIONS This study is the most comprehensive to date on SFF and pitch sigma for African American and Caucasian children ages 6 to 8 years. Results supported previous observations that SFF is stable throughout the prepubescent years. Furthermore, findings also suggest that pitch sigma is stable across the ages of 6 to 8 years, regardless of race.