| Abstract: | A noninvasive pressure-flow technique was used to assess laryngeal airway resistance (Rlaw) in eight young adult women and seven men. Syllable structures used were consonant-vowel (/pi/) and consonant-vowel-consonant (/bip/). The data were obtained from oscillographic records of intraoral air pressure and transglottal airflow over 2 consecutive days. Repetitions of each syllable context were produced at each subject's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of vocal sound pressure level. No significant differences in Rlaw were found across days for the two groups. Women had significantly greater Rlaw than did men for the /pi/ and /bip/ contexts. Men showed a significantly greater average airflow rate than did women for both syllable contexts. Airflow, air pressure, and the ratio Rlaw increased as the sound pressure level of voice increased. The technique appears to be useful for characterizing certain features of laryngeal airway resistance for men and women. |
