Measuring Voice under Teachers’ Working Circumstances: F₀and Perturbation Features in Maximally Sustained Phonation

Abstract

This study is part of a larger project, the aim of which is to develop a method for collecting voice data in working places. In this part, maximally sustained phonation was studied to assess its stability in this kind of uncontrolled circumstances. The subjects were 11 female schoolteachers. Different portions of a sustained /a/ and two consecutively produced samples were measured. The acoustic variables measured were fundamental frequency (F₀), jitter and shimmer. The results showed that two consecutively produced phonations were quite similar, but the place of the sample within the sustained vowel had a very small but statistically significant effect on the values of F₀ and shimmer. Jitter varied quite a lot, and could perhaps be considered to be dependent on the recording circumstances.

Voice Problems at Work: A Challenge for Occupational Safety and Health Arrangement

“…Using the term vocoergonomics in this context seems relevant. In recent field and laboratory studies such aspects as voice changes due to vocal loading and some ergonomic factors have been addressed [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. No doubt, however, more research is needed in this field to reach the level of development of occupational and ergonomic arrangements and status of many other professions.…”

Occupational Safety and Health Aspects of Voice and Speech Professions

“…There were 10-12 female primary and secondary schoolteachers in the studies by Rantala et al [32,33] and Rantala and Vilkman [34] and 33 female teachers in Rantala et al [35]. The teachers participated voluntarily.…”

“…The spectral characteristics were determined from stressed /a/ vowels in teaching speech [32]. (2) Maximally sustained /a/ vowel phonation: F 0 , its standard deviation, jitter and shimmer using the Intelligent Speech Analyser developed by R. Toivonen [33].…”

Child Voice and Noise: A Pilot Study of Noise in Day Cares and the Effects on 10 Children's Voice Quality According to Perceptual Evaluation

“…14 It has been proposed that this structural difference may cause children to be more prone to tissue reactions because of vocal abuse. [15] and [16] In adult voices, high background noise levels have been found to influence several vocal parameters such as loudness, subglottal pressure, 17 fundamental frequency, [18], [19], [20], [21], [22] and [23] and voice quality. 24 Does the same pattern apply also for children?…”