Patterns of fundamental frequency for three types of voice samples

The purpose of this study was to determine the variability in speaking fundamental frequency (Fo) associated with sample type in two age groups of normal male and female speakers and a group with vocal-fold paralysis. Young and elderly normal control men and women produced a sustained vowel, read a passage, and spoke extemporaneously in the morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon on three different days. The vocal-fold-paralysis group produced two voice samples at different times on the same day. Two patterns of variability emerged in the normal groups. Young men produced sustained phonation at a significantly lower Fo than their reading or extemporaneous samples. Young and older women and older men produced sustained phonation with a higher Fo than their reading or extemporaneous samples. The eight subjects with unilateral vocal-fold paralysis (seven women, one man) produced samples with a pattern similar to that of the older normal groups but with greater differences between the sustained vowel and speech samples. The use of different sample types resulted in variations in mean speaking Fo in the normal subjects as well as in the vocal-fold-paralysis group. Within-day sampling of all normal subjects resulted in approximately the same variability as across-day sampling. In the vocal-fold-paralysis group, within-day sampling resulted in greater variability of mean Fo for vowels than for connected speech, following a pattern similar to the older normal control subjects and various speech materials for voice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)