Analysis of acoustic factors contributing to poor quality of electrolaryngeal speech
Geoffrey S. Meltzner, Robert E. Hillman, Kenneth Noble Stevens · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2001
A large percentage of patients who have undergone laryngectomy to treat advanced laryngeal cancer rely on an electrolarynx (EL) to communicate orally. While serviceable, EL speech is plagued by shortcomings in both quality and intelligibility. As part of a larger ongoing effort to improve the oral communication of EL users, this study seeks to better quantify the sources and impacts of abnormal acoustic properties typically found in EL speech. Two EL characteristics, altered voicing source location and directly radiated self-noise, were investigated by recording EL speech tokens in two recording conditions: (1) in an acoustic chamber (self-noise present) and (2) through a specially constructed port into an acoustic chamber (self-noise absent). An analysis of several vowels reveals that one or more of the first three formants are often masked by the direct noise and that their amplitudes are affected by EL location on the neck. Results are discussed relative to a comprehensive comparative analysis of pre-laryngectomy versus post-laryngectomy EL speech, and with respect to a model of EL speech production. [Work supported by W. M. Keck Foundation and VA Grant C2243-2DC.]