Week Two

Question 1

What are the components of human communication?

Answer 1

Voice
- Source of spoken communication
- Phonation (creation of sound) and resonance (how we attenuate sound)

Articulation
- shaping the vocal tone
- Consonants and vowels

Language
- Making communication meaningful
- Syntax, semantics and pragmatics

Fluency
- expression is easy and articulate

Hearing
- Allows communication exchange

Question 2

What interplay of systems is required for a healthy voice?

Answer 2

Respiration
- Air supply (also dependent on ‘whole body’ context)

Phonation
- Source of sound

Resonance
- Modification of sound

Question 3

What are the four passive forces that work to result in expiration?

Answer 3

Elastic recoil
- Stretched lung tissue

Torque
- Rotated ribs

Intra-abdominal pressure
- Contracted diaphragm

Gravity
- On ribs

For most expiration, it only requires these passive forces

Question 4

How and why can we prolong expiration?

Answer 4

For speech we need to prolong expiration by:

• greater intake of air compared to rest breathing
• Vocal cord resistance to prolong breathing
• Oral cavity resistance to prolong airflow
• Crossover of inspiratory muscles into exhalation

Question 5

True/False: most often problems with respiratory support for speech is not about having enough air, but it is about the use and control of breath support

Answer 5

True

Question 6

What are the laryngeal adductors?

Answer 6

• Lateral cricoarytenoid
• Transverse arytenoid
• Oblique arytenoid

Question 7

What are the laryngeal abductors?

Answer 7

• posterior cricoarytenoid

Question 8

What are the glottal tensors (increase pitch)?

Answer 8

Cricothyroid

Question 9

What are the glottal relaxers (decrease pitch)?

Answer 9

Thyroarytenoid

Question 10

What are the extrinsic laryngeal depressors?

Answer 10

Thyrohyoid
Sternohyoid
omohyoid
Sternothyroid

Question 11

What are the extrinsic laryngeal elevators?

Answer 11

Digastric
Mylohyoid
Geniohyoid
Stylohyoid
Hyoglossus

Question 12

How is the larynx innervated?

Answer 12

Superior laryngeal nerve
- motor: cricothyroid
- Sensory: glottis and supraglottic region of larynx

Recurrent laryngeal nerve
- Motor: innervates all intrinsic laryngeal muscles
- Sensory: subglottic region of larynx

Question 13

Describe the structure of the vocal fold

Answer 13

Cover
- Epithelium and superficial layer of mucosa

Transition
- Deep layers of mucosa

Body
- Thyroarytenoid muscle

The anterior 2/3 of the VFs are membranous, while the posterior 1/3 is cartilaginous

The structure of the VFs is very important for VF vibration

Question 14

What things affect one’s fundamental frequency?

Answer 14

length of the VFs
Mass of the VFs
Tension of the VFs

Question 15

How do we change the pitch of our voices?

Answer 15

We change the longitudinal tension of the VFs

Increased tension = higher frequency

Question 16

How do we change the volume of our voice?

Answer 16

We chnage the medial compression of the vocal folds (how tightly the VFs are closed)

Greater air release = higher volume

Question 17

What is the cover body model

Question 18

Lung capaticy diagram thing

Question 19

What are the 9 voiceless sounds?

Answer 19

p, t, k, f, s, sh, th, h, tch

Question 20

What is the purpose of resonance within speech?

Answer 20

The respiratory and phonatory systems work together to produce vocal tone

This vocal tone is then shaped and molded into human speech by the vocal tract

Question 21

What are multiple harmonics?

Question 22

Source filter theory

Question 23

What is a vocal register?

Answer 23

A vocal register reflects the different modes of vocal fold vibration. There are three registers:

Fry (pulse): low frequency register

Modal (chest): the middle range and typical speaking range

Falsetto (loft): The highest register