Respiratory responses to sudden pressure venting during stop consonant production

Twenty healthy adults, age range 20-55 years, participated in a study to assess the responses of the upper airway to sudden, unanticipated pressure venting during speech production. A computer was used to open or close a valve in a random fashion during one of two productions of the word 'hamper'. The SAR System (Microtronics Corp., Chapel Hill, N.C., USA) was used to collect and monitor respiratory variables associated with speech production. Results indicated no significant changes in duration between vented and unvented conditions. Although intraoral pressure was reduced under vented conditions, the magnitude was sufficient for sound generation. Respiratory effort increased when the airway was suddenly vented, suggesting a compensatory response to experimental perturbation. However, the response contrasted somewhat from what has been observed in patients with velopharyngeal inadequacy, indicating that the strategy used may be different.