Restoration of voice after laryngeal surgeries

Some aspects of speech deficiency in Japanese-speaking patients who had undergone surgeries for laryngeal malignancy were studied. Surgical procedures included reconstructive surgeries after total laryngectomy and conservation surgeries. A series of listener-judgments and some acoustic analyses of speech were made. The recorded voices of the patients were more or less hoarse. The median speaking pitch varied greatly from patient to patient, and often assumed an unusual value. The average articulation score for five Japanese vowels was computed for each subject. The score varied from patient to patient, and was thought to be useful in quantitatively evaluating speech quality. It was shown that certain glottal consonants such as /h/ can be affected by laryngeal surgeries. It was emphasized that the larynx should be regarded not only as a generator or a vibrator, but also as an articulator which produces consonants. The listening tests also revealed that the intonation pattern of Japanese two-syllable nouns can be influenced by laryngeal surgeries, and that distinction among certain words may become impossible as a result. This type of speech problem may require serious consideration in some language environments.