Oral Airflow and Air Pressure during Speech Production: A Comparative Study of Children, Youths and Adults

Stop consonant voicing and intraoral pressure contours in women and children

“…Although a few studies have reported VOTs for voiced stops in children of this age (Kent and Forner 1980;Ohde, 1985;Whiteside et al, 2004), their data do not clearly indicate the degree of closure voicing, since a positive VOT may indicate a truly voiceless stop as well as one in which voicing dies out before the end of the closure. Based on the current results, it appears that 10 year olds demonstrate essentially mature closure voicing in /b/, despite continuing differences from adults in vocal tract sizes, aerodynamic quantities, speech segment durations, and token-to-token variability (e.g., Bernthal and Beukelman, 1978;Eguchi and Hirsh, 1969;Goldstein, 1980;Kent and Forner, 1980;Netsell et al, 1994;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985;Walsh and Smith, 2002). These older children may thus have mastered methods of vocal-tract pressure management so as achieve adult-like closure voicing.…”

“…Past work has established that children as young as 4 years of age, like adults, produce higher peak P io in voiceless stops than in voiced (Arkebauer et al, 1967;Bernthal and Beukelman, 1978;Brown, 1979;Lisker, 1970;Malécot, 1966;Miller and Daniloff, 1977;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985;Subtelny et al, 1966;Warren and Hall, 1973), thereby demonstrating some aerodynamic differentiation of consonants according to voicing category. At the same time, previous authors (particularly Kewley-Port and Preston, 1974) have attributed limited closure voicing in young children to immature control over intraoral pressure, and Müller and Brown (1980) specifically suggested that P io might rise faster in children than adults.…”

“…Lucero and Koenig (2005) recently observed that scaling a laryngeal model down to a size appropriate for a 5 year old increased the phonation threshold pressure, as a result of less glottal tissue area absorbing the aerodynamic energy that fuels oscillation. Several past studies have found higher subglottal pressures in children compared to adults (Arkebauer et al, 1967;Bernthal and Beukelman, 1978;Brown, 1979;Netsell et al, 1994;Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985;Subtelny et al, 1966). Some researchers have pointed out that the increased resistance afforded by children's smaller airways will, all else being equal, lead to higher pressures (Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985).…”

“…Several past studies have found higher subglottal pressures in children compared to adults (Arkebauer et al, 1967;Bernthal and Beukelman, 1978;Brown, 1979;Netsell et al, 1994;Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985;Subtelny et al, 1966). Some researchers have pointed out that the increased resistance afforded by children's smaller airways will, all else being equal, lead to higher pressures (Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985). Stathopoulos and Weismer (1985) also proposed that children may simply select higher speaking intensities than adults.…”

“…Some researchers have pointed out that the increased resistance afforded by children's smaller airways will, all else being equal, lead to higher pressures (Stathopoulos and Sapienza, 1993;Stathopoulos and Weismer, 1985). Stathopoulos and Weismer (1985) also proposed that children may simply select higher speaking intensities than adults. Whether higher pressures in children arise as a matter of anatomy or choice, they may be, to some extent, necessary in order to generate the requisite transglottal pressures for achieving phonation in a child-sized larynx (Lucero and Koenig, 2005).…”