Estimating glottal voicing source characteristics by measuring and modeling the acceleration of the skin on the neck

Quantifying vocal function is becoming increasingly important both for corroborating clinicians’ subjective impressions during a voice evaluation and for assessing the effectiveness of surgery or voice therapy. This work investigated the extent to which measures of the acceleration of the skin on the neck (near the larynx) could be used to estimate important vocal function parameters. Simultaneous acceleration, acoustic and aerodynamic recordings from one male subject with a normal voice were made to examine relationships between the acceleration signal and the acoustic or aerodynamic signals. A vocal system model was also developed to provide insights into these relationships. The model’s acceleration-derived measures of Maximum Flow Declination Rate (MFDR) and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) were compared to the same measures obtained from the airflow (MFDR) and acoustic (SPL) signals at the lips. Results showed high correlations between the two MFDR (r2=0.89) and SPL (r2=0.75) measures, suggesting that acceleration-based measures have the potential to provide quantitative data on vocal function. [Funding for this research was provided by funding from NIDCD Grant No. R21 DC05397 and SBIR Grant No. R44 DC02917.]