Speech Breathing Flashcards
How are rest breathing and speech breathing different from one another?
(example: different patterns of muscle activation)
Rest breathing:
Inspiratory and expiratory cycles are about the same duration
Speech Breathing:
Quick inspiration and long, slow expiration
What is subglottal pressure?
The pressure below the vocal folds
If varying subglottal pressure, then voice will vary in loudness and pitch
When is “checking action” required and what muscle(s) are important for it?
Used when lung volume is high to slow the descent of the rib cage
Prolongs expiration by working against the recoil pressures Ensures recoil pressures are not higher than the subglottal
pressure demand
External Intercostals
What is the role of inspiratory and abdominal muscles in speech breathing?
Without inspiratory: can’t produce a long, slow expiration for speech purposes
Without abdominal muscles: can’t forcefully expire below end expiratory level or produce a long, slow expiration for speech purposes
What happens to lung volume, subglottal pressure, airflow, and recoil pressures during speech?
Lung volume decreases
Recoil pressures change
However, subglottal pressure maintained at a constant level
What happens when subglottal pressure demand exceeds or is less than the recoil pressure available?
When recoil pressure is greater than subglottal pressure demand, use expanding muscular force to prevent lung-thorax unit from collapsing so fast
When recoil pressure is less than subglottal pressure demand, use compressing muscular force to increase rate of collapse of lung-thorax unit
Why do we use the mid-lung volume range for speech, and why it is efficient?
It’s efficient!
Mid-lung volume range used for speech at comfortable intensity level
Mid-lung volume range = 35-60%VC:
Initiate speech at about 45-60% VC
Terminate at or slightly below EEL (35% VC)
Maximum efficiency with minimum effort
Mechanism takes advantage of positive recoil pressures Little checking action required
Expiratory passive force working in same direction as
active force
Lung-thorax unit wants to compress to move toward rest
What happens when we want to talk loudly and why?
High intensity speech (loud): Higher subglottal pressure required
Inhale to a higher lung volume before speaking
Provides larger recoil pressure
Recoil pressures increase the farther the lung-thorax unit is displaced from rest
Because of the larger recoil pressures, less muscular effort is required to produce higher subglottal pressures required for loud speech
