No description available.

No description available.

This research examined the use of visual feedback provided by electronic instrumentation to reduce air intake times of esophageal speakers during speech management. The subjects were six esophageal speakers from the Portland Metropolitan area. Three subjects made up the experimental group and three were placed in the control group. Prototype instrumentation was used to measure air intake times and give visual feedback to the experimental group during twelve sessions of speech management. The control group participated in traditional speech management procedures to reduce air intake times without benefit of instrumentation. Rate of improvement was measured using the prototype instrumentation without visual feedback for both groups at the end of each session.

The purpose of this study was to determine the judgments by naive listeners of the acceptability of esophageal air intake noise and compare those ratings to their judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency. The primary question this study sought to answer was: Are naive listener judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency significantly correlated with naive listener judgments of esophageal air intake noise acceptability? The secondary question asked was: Are naive listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise significantly correlated with sophisticated listener acceptability judgments of air intake noise?

The literature on esophageal speech has identified the problem of extraneous air intake noise, suggested its possible etiology, and provided practical advice for clinical management. Documentation on the efficacy of specific methodology is lacking in the literature. Such documentation would be simplified if objective criteria were used to rate the severity of intake noise. The present study was prompted by the lack of basic data regarding listener evaluation of intake noise. The purpose of this study was to identify physical and perceptual correlates of acceptability of esophageal air intake noise. A primary and a secondary question were asked: Are selected objective measures of esophageal speech significantly correlated with sophisticated listener judgments of air intake noise acceptability? The measures used were: 1. The mean intensity of air intake noise 2. The mean intensity of speech 3. The ratio of mean speech intensity to mean intake noise intensity 4. The number of syllables uttered per intake 5. The rate of speech (in syllables per second) Secondarily, are sophisticated listener judgments of overall esophageal speech proficiency significantly correlated with sophisticated listener judgments of air intake noise acceptability?

No description available.

No description available.

The general purpose of this investigation was to specify further the activity of the pulmonary tract in esophageal speech. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether pulmonary airflow (PAF) rate varied in continuous speech as a function of manner of production, voicing, syllabic position, and perceived level of stoma noise. PAF rate variation was defined as the frequency and magnitude of changes occurring in association with the variables of this study. Six esophageal speakers utilizing the inhalation method of air intake were classified as high or low stoma (pulmonary) noise speakers on the basis of ratings by three speech pathologists. The /p, b, s, z/ phonemes were placed in arresting and releasing syllabic positions of single syllable words which were combined with other words to comprise two word phrases. The resulting eight phrases were uttered three times in random order by each speaker, while PAF rate was monitored at the tracheastoma, and recorded simultaneously with the phrases on the graphic printout. The graphic printout of the PAF rate curves revealed that air flowed from the stoma continuously throughout the phrase for each phrase and each speaker, but showed no fluctuations in rate within phrases for any of the variables of the study. Additionally, it was noted that PAF rate was not associated with perceived level of stoma noise.

Laryngectomy, as a treatment for malignant laryngeal lesions, requires the patient to seek a substitute method of producing speech. Three types of alaryngeal speech were described: esophageal, Asai, and artificial larynx. One consideration in deciding which mode of speech is best for the patient is how closely each type of alaryngeal speech approximates normal. This investigation was an objective examination of esophageal, Asai, and artificial larynx speech as compared with normal in males and females.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1962. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119).