Imitating dysphonic voice: a suitable technique to create speech stimuli for spoken language processing tasks?

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of imitated dysphonic voice samples for their application in listening tasks investigating the impact of speakers’ voice quality on spoken language processing. Methods: A female voice expert recorded speech samples (sustained vowels and connected speech) in her normal voice and while imitating a dysphonic voice. Voice characteristics, authenticity, and consistency of the two voice qualities were evaluated by means of acoustic measurements (Acoustic Voice Quality Index [AVQI], jitter, shimmer, harmonics-to-noise ratio [HNR]) and perceptual evaluation (GRBAS scale, consistency, and authenticity rated by five speech-language pathologists). Results: Based on acoustic and perceptual assessments, the degree of voice impairment for the imitated dysphonic voice was found to be moderate to severe. Roughness and asthenia were the predominant perceptual features. The perceptual rating indicated a high consistency and acceptable authenticity of the imitated dysphonic voice. Conclusions: Results suggest that an imitation of dysphonic voice quality may resemble the voice characteristics typically found in dysphonic patients. Implications: The voice samples validated here shall be applied in future listening tasks and may promote our understanding of how dysphonic speech is processed.

Keywords:

• Imitation of dysphonia
• mimicking dysphonic voice
• voice quality
• voice assessment
• dysphonic voice
• voice authenticity
• voice naturalness
• speech samples
• listening tasks
• speech perception

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

Audio files of Sample 1, 2, 3, 4, and of pseudo-word lists in healthy versus dysphonic voice are openly available from the NODYS database [42] in Mendeley data.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Université de Liège under grant number RD/DIR-vdu/2016.7166, and by the National Fund for Scientific Research – F.R.S. – FNRS. (Brussels, Belgium).

Notes on contributors

Isabel S. Schiller

Isabel S. Schiller is a PhD student in the Faculty of Psychologie, Speech and Language Therapy, and Educational Sciences at the University of Liège, Belgium. She is attached to the Unit of Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition. Her PhD is funded by the University of Liège and focusses on the effects of dysphonic voice and noise on children's spoken language processing.

Angélique Remacle

Angélique Remacle is a researcher funded by the Fund for Scientific Research – F.R.S. – FNRS. Her research takes place at the Department of Speech Therapy, Université de Liège, Belgium. She is a visiting professor in Speech and Language Therapy at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.

Dominique Morsomme

Dominique Morsomme is a professor in the Faculty of Psychology, Speech and Language Therapy, and Educational Sciences at the University of Liège, Belgium. She is a lecturer in the Department of Speech and Language Therapy and heads the Voice Unit. She also works as a vocologist at the Hospital of Liège. Her clinical activities focus on the evaluation of voice disorders and on voice feminization.