ELECTROLARYNGOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF INCOMPLETE MUTATION (PUBERPHONIA) IN ADULTS

Puberphonia, or incomplete mutation, of the adult voice, is a conditio n which causes the sufferer considerable distress and which carries a powerful social stigma. It can usually be treated successfully by a fe w sessions of speech therapy. This paper describes how these sessions may be made more effective by using laryngography to provide immediate visual feedback to the speaker in the form of the Lx waveform. Fundam ental frequency distributions, measured from conversational and formal ly read passages, are also presented. These demonstrate the substantia l lowering of pitch and reduction of pitch irregularity achieved after voice therapy. It is demonstrated that the perception of normal male voice quality is not only a matter of pitch but also involves a shift towards a longer closed quotient of the male chest register Lx wavefor m pattern.