Magnitude of Neck-Surface Vibration as an Estimate of Subglottal Pressure During Modulations of Vocal Effort and Intensity in Healthy Speakers

Purpose

This study examined the relationship between the magnitude of neck-surface vibration (NSV_Mag; transduced with an accelerometer) and intraoral estimates of subglottal pressure (P′_sg) during variations in vocal effort at 3 intensity levels.

Method

Twelve vocally healthy adults produced strings of /pɑ/ syllables in 3 vocal intensity conditions, while increasing vocal effort during each condition. Measures were made of P′_sg (estimated during stop-consonant closure), NSV_Mag (measured during the following vowel), sound pressure level, and respiratory kinematics. Mixed linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between NSV_Mag and P′_sg with respect to total lung volume excursion, levels of lung volume initiation and termination, airflow, laryngeal resistance, and vocal efficiency across intensity conditions.

Results

NSV_Mag was significantly related to P′_sg (p < .001), and there was a significant, although small, interaction between NSV_Mag and intensity condition. Total lung excursion was the only additional variable contributing to predicting the NSV_Mag–P′_sg relationship.

Conclusions

NSV_Mag closely reflects P′_sg during variations of vocal effort; however, the relationship changes across different intensities in some individuals. Future research should explore additional NSV-based measures (e.g., glottal airflow features) to improve estimation accuracy during voice production.

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