PHYSIOLOGICAL-ASPECTS OF A VOCAL EXERCISE

The physiological aim of vocal exercises is mostly understood in intui tive terms only. This article presents an attempt to document the phon atory behavior induced by a vocal exercise. An elevated vertical posit ion of the larynx is frequently associated with hyperfunctional phonat ory habits, presumably because it induces an exaggerated vocal fold ad duction. Using the multichannel electroglottograph (MEGG), the larynge al position was determined in a group of subjects who performed a voic e exercise that contained extremely prolonged versions of the consonan t /b:/. This exercise is used by the coauthor (N,E.) as part of a stan dard vocal exercise program. Two of the seven subjects were dysphonic phonastenic patients, and the rest were normal trained or untrained pe rsons. Different attempts to calibrate the MEGG confirmed a linear rel ationship with larynx height, provided electrode positioning was corre ct. The results showed that the exercise induced substantial vertical displacements of the larynx. Comparison with larynx height during voic ing of other consonants showed that the /b/, in particular, tended to lower the larynx.