The aim of the present study was to use electroglottography (EGG) to explore the effects of age and pitch level on sustained vowel phonation. Thirty female individuals (10 young, 10 middle-aged, and 10 older speakers) without voice disorders or training in singing participated in this study. Eight EGG parameters were measured during sustained vowel production with a high, mid, or low pitch: fundamental frequency, contact quotient, contacting-time quotient, decontacting-time quotient, speed quotient with a midslope criterion (SQ-mid), jitter, shimmer, and the harmonics-to-noise ratio. Age was found to be a significant factor in fundamental frequency, contact quotient, contacting-time quotient, decontacting-time quotient, and SQ-mid. With increasing age, the mean fundamental frequency decreased while the contact quotient increased. The middle-aged and older speakers had more asymmetrical vocal fold vibratory patterns than the young speakers. As for pitch level, the high pitch had a significantly less decontacting-time quotient and greater SQ-mid than low and mid pitches. The lack of significant interaction between age and pitch level indicates that the effects of age and pitch level could be additive. Finally, the discriminant analyses show that contact quotient is an important factor in predicting the age of a voice.

1.
Aronson
,
A. E.
(
1990
).
Clinical Voice Disorders: An Interdisciplinary Approach
, 3rd ed. (
Thieme Inc
.,
New York
).
2.
Awan
,
S. N.
, and
Mueller
,
P. B.
(
1992
). “
Speaking fundamental frequency characteristics of centenarian females
,”
Clin. Ling. Phonetics
6
(
3
),
249
254
.
3.
Baken
,
R.
(
1992
). “
Electroglottography
,”
J. Voice
6
,
98
110
.
4.
Bier
,
S. D.
,
Watson
,
C. I.
, and
McCann
,
C. M.
(
2014
). “
Using the perturbation of the contact quotient of the EGG waveform to analyze age differences in adult speech
,”
J. Voice
28
(
3
),
267
273
.
5.
Bier
,
S. D.
,
Watson
,
C. I.
, and
McCann
,
C. M.
(
2016
). “
Dynamic measures of voice stability in young and old adults
,”
Logopedics Phon. Vocol.
42
(
2
),
51
61
.
6.
Brown
,
W. S.
,
Morris
,
R. J.
,
Hollien
,
H.
, and
Howell
,
E.
(
1991
). “
Speaking fundamental frequency characteristics as a function of age and professional singing
,”
J. Voice
5
(
4
),
310
315
.
7.
Brown
,
W. S.
,
Morris
,
R. J.
, and
Michel
,
J. F.
(
1989
). “
Vocal jitter in young adult and aged female voices
,”
J. Voice
3
(
2
),
113
119
.
8.
Caffier
,
P. P.
,
Nasr
,
A. I.
,
Ropero Rendon
,
M. D. M.
,
Wienhausen
,
S.
,
Forbes
,
E.
,
Seidner
,
W.
, and
Nawka
,
T.
(
2018
). “
Common vocal effects and partial glottal vibration in professional nonclassical singers
,”
J. Voice
32
(
3
),
340
346
.
9.
Chen
,
Y.
,
Robb
,
M. P.
, and
Gilbert
,
H. R.
(
2002
). “
Electroglottographic evaluation of gender and vowel effects during modal and vocal fry phonation
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
45
(
5
),
821
829
.
10.
Chhetri
,
D. K.
,
Neubauer
,
J.
, and
Berry
,
D. A.
(
2012
). “
Neuromuscular control of fundamental frequency and glottal posture at phonation onset
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
131
(
2
),
1401
1412
.
11.
Childers
,
D. G.
,
Hicks
,
D. M.
,
Moore
,
G. P.
, and
Alsaka
,
Y. A.
(
1986
). “
A model for vocal fold vibratory motion, contact area, and the electroglottogram
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
80
,
1309
1320
.
12.
Childers
,
D. G.
,
Hicks
,
D. M.
,
Moore
,
G. P.
,
Eskenazi
,
L.
, and
Lalwani
,
A. L.
(
1990
). “
Electroglottography and vocal fold physiology
,”
J. Speech Hear. Res.
33
,
245
254
.
13.
Childers
,
D. G.
, and
Krishnamurthy
,
A.
(
1985
). “
A critical review of electroglottography
,”
Crit. Rev. Biomed. Eng.
12
(
2
),
131
161
.
14.
Colton
,
R.
, and
Conture
,
E.
(
1990
). “
Problems and pitfalls of electroglottography
,”
J. Voice
4
,
10
24
.
15.
Colton
,
R. H.
,
Casper
,
J. K.
, and
Leonard
,
R.
(
2006
).
Understanding Voice Problems: A Physiological Perspective for Diagnosis and Treatment
, 3rd ed. (
Lippincott
,
Williams, and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD
).
16.
Decoster
,
W.
, and
Debruyne
,
F.
(
1997
). “
Changes in spectral measures and voice-onset time with age: A cross-sectional and a longitudinal study
,”
Folia Phoniatrica Logopaedica
49
(
6
),
269
280
.
17.
Dehqan
,
A.
,
Scherer
,
R. C.
,
Dashti
,
G.
,
Ansari-Moghaddam
,
A.
, and
Fanaie
,
S.
(
2012
). “
The effects of aging on acoustic parameters of voice
,”
Folia Phoniatrica Logopaedica
64
(
6
),
265
270
.
18.
Dormey
,
A.
,
Holmes
,
S. O.
,
Hopkin
,
J. A.
, and
Tanner
,
K.
(
2015
). “
The effects of emotional expression on vibrato
,”
J. Voice
29
(
2
),
170
181
.
19.
Esling
,
J. H.
(
1984
). “
Laryngographic study of phonation type and laryngeal configuration
,”
J. Int. Phon. Assoc.
14
(
2
),
56
73
.
20.
Fabre
,
P.
(
1957
). “
Un procédé électrique percuntané d'inscription de l'accolement glottique au cours de la phonation: Glottographie de haute fréquence; premiers résultats
” (“A non-invasive electric method for measuring glottal closure during phonation: High frequency glottography; first results”),
Bull. Acad. Nat. Med.
141
,
66
69
.
21.
Fabre
,
P.
(
1958
). “
Etude comparée des glottogrammes et des phonogrammes de la voix humaine
” (“Comparative study of glottograms and phonograms of the human voice”)
Ann. d'Otolaryng
75
,
767
775
.
22.
Ferrand
,
C. T.
(
2002
). “
Harmonics-to-noise ratio: An index of vocal aging
,”
J. Voice
16
(
4
),
480
487
.
23.
Fisher
,
H. B.
, and
Linville
,
S. E.
(
1985
). “
Acoustic characteristics of women's voices with advancing age
,”
J. Gerontol.
40
(3),
324
330
.
24.
Fisher
,
R. A.
(
1936
). “
The use of multiple measurements in taxonomic problems
,”
Annals Eugenics
7
,
179
188
.
25.
Gracco
,
C.
, and
Kahane
,
J. C.
(
1989
). “
Age-related changes in the vestibular folds of the human larynx: A histomorphometric study
,”
J. Voice
3
(
3
),
204
212
.
26.
Hampala
,
V.
,
Garcia
,
M.
,
Svec
,
J. G.
,
Scherer
,
R. C.
, and
Herbst
,
C. T.
(
2016
). “
Relationship between the electroglottographic signal and vocal fold contact area
,”
J. Voice
30
(
2
),
161
171
.
27.
Henrich
,
N.
,
d'Alessandro
,
C.
,
Doval
,
B.
, and
Castellengo
,
M.
(
2004
). “
On the use of the derivative of electroglottographic signals for characterization of nonpathological phonation
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
115
(
3
),
1321
1332
.
28.
Herbst
,
C. T.
(
2018
). “
Electroglottography—An update
,”
J. Voice
(in press).
29.
Higgins
,
M. B.
, and
Saxman
,
J. H.
(
1991
). “
A comparison of selected phonatory behaviors of healthy aged and young adults
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
34
(
5
),
1000
1010
.
30.
Higgins
,
M. B.
, and
Schulte
,
L.
(
2002
). “
Gender differences in vocal fold contact computed from electroglottographic signals: The influence of measurement criteria
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
111
(
4
),
1865
1871
.
31.
Honjo
,
I.
, and
Isshiki
,
N.
(
1980
). “
Laryngoscopic and voice characteristics of aged persons
,”
Archives Otolaryn.
106
,
149
150
.
32.
Huang
,
D. Z.
,
Minifie
,
F. D.
,
Kasuya
,
H.
, and
Lin
,
S. X.
(
1995
). “
Measures of vocal function during changes in vocal effort level
,”
J. Voice
9
(
4
),
429
438
.
33.
Hui
,
L.
,
Ting
,
L. H.
,
See
,
S. L.
, and
Chan
,
P. Y.
(
2015
). “
Use of electroglottograph (EGG) to find a relationship between pitch, emotion and personality
,”
Proc. Manufac.
3
,
1926
1931
.
34.
Kahane
,
J. C.
(
1981
). “
Anatomic and physiologic changes in the aging peripherial speech mechanism
,” in
Aging, Communication Process and Disorders
, edited by
D. S.
Beasley
and
G. A.
Davis
(
Grune & Stratton
,
New York
), pp.
22
45
.
35.
Kahane
,
J. C.
(
1983a
). “
Postnatal development and aging of the human larynx
,”
Seminars Speech Lang.
4
(
3
),
189
203
.
36.
Kahane
,
J. C.
(
1983b
). “
A survey of age-related changes in the connective tissues of the human adult larynx
,” in
Vocal Fold Physiology: Contemporary Research and Clinical Issues
, edited by
D. M.
Bless
and
J. H.
Abbs
(
College Hill Press
,
San Diego, CA
), pp.
44
49
.
37.
Kahane
,
J. C.
(
1987
). “
Connective tissue changes in the larynx and their effects on voice
,”
J. Voice
1
(
1
),
27
30
.
38.
Kania
,
R. E.
,
Hans
,
S.
,
Hartl
,
D. M.
,
Clement
,
P.
,
Crevier-Buchman
,
L.
, and
Brasnu
,
D. F.
(
2004
). “
Variability of electroglottographic glottal closed quotients: Necessity of standardization to obtain normative values
,”
Archives Otolaryn.
130
(
3
),
349
352
.
39.
Kiliç
,
M. A.
,
Öğüt
,
F.
,
Dursun
,
G.
,
Okur
,
E.
,
Yildirim
,
I.
, and
Midilli
,
R.
(
2004
). “
The effects of vowels on voice perturbation measures
,”
J. Voice
18
,
318
324
.
40.
Kochis-Jennings
,
K. A.
,
Finnegan
,
E. M.
,
Hoffman
,
H. T.
, and
Jaiswal
,
S.
(
2012
). “
Laryngeal muscle activity and vocal fold adduction during chest, chestmix, headmix, and head registers in females
,”
J. Voice
26
(
2
),
182
193
.
41.
Linville
,
S. E.
(
1996
). “
The sound of sentence
,”
J. Voice
10
(
2
),
190
200
.
42.
Linville
,
S. E.
(
2001
).
Vocal Aging
(
Singular Thomson Learning
,
San Diego, CA
).
43.
Linville
,
S. E.
,
Skarin
,
B. D.
, and
Fornatto
,
E.
(
1989
). “
The interrelationship of measures related to vocal function, speech rate, and laryngeal appearance in elderly women
,”
J. Speech Hear. Res.
32
,
323
330
.
44.
Lubischew
,
A. A.
(
1962
). “
On the use of discriminant functions in taxonomy
,”
Biometrics
18
,
455
477
.
45.
Ma
,
E. P.-M.
, and
Love
,
A. L.
(
2010
). “
Electroglottographic evaluation of age and gender effects during sustained phonation and connected speech
,”
J. Voice
24
(
2
),
146
152
.
46.
Mautner
,
H. D.
(
2015
). “
An acoustic and electroglottographic study of the aging voice with and without an open jaw posture
,”
J. Voice
29
(
4
),
518.e1
518.e11
.
47.
Morrison
,
D. F.
(
2004
).
Multivariate Statistical Methods
, 4th ed. (
Duxbury Press
,
Pacific Grove, CA
).
48.
Mueller
,
P. B.
(
1997
). “
The aging voice
,”
Seminals Speech Lang.
18
(
2
),
159
169
.
49.
Murphy
,
P. J.
, and
Laukkanen
,
A.-M.
(
2010
). “
Analysis of emotional voice using electroglottogram-based temporal measures of vocal fold opening
,” in
Development of Multimodal Interface: Active Listening and Synchrony
, edited by
A.
Esposito
,
N.
Campbell
,
C.
Vogel
,
A.
Hussain
, and
A.
Nijholt
(
Springer
,
Berlin, Heidelberg
), pp.
286
293
.
50.
Orlikoff
,
R. F.
(
1990a
). “
The atherosclerotic voice
,”
Ear, Nose Throat J.
69
(
12
),
833
837
.
51.
Orlikoff
,
R. F.
(
1990b
). “
The relationship of age and cardiovascular health to certain acoustic characteristics of male voices
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
33
(
3
),
450
457
.
52.
Orlikoff
,
R. F.
(
1991
). “
Assessment of the dynamics of vocal fold contact from the electroglottogram: Data from normal male subjects
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
34
(
5
),
1066
1072
.
53.
Orlikoff
,
R. F.
(
1995
). “
Vocal stability and vocal tract configuration: An acoustic and electroglottographic investigation
,”
J. Voice
9
,
173
181
.
54.
Pontes
,
P.
,
Brasolotto
,
A.
, and
Behlau
,
M.
(
2005
). “
Glottic characteristics and voice complaint in the elderly
,”
J. Voice
19
(
1
),
84
94
.
55.
Ramig
,
L. A.
(
1983
). “
Effects of physiological aging on vowel spectral noise
,”
J. Gerontol.
38
(
2
),
223
225
.
56.
Ramig
,
L. A.
, and
Ringel
,
R. L.
(
1983
). “
Effects of physiological aging on selected acoustic characteristics of voice
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
26
(
1
),
22
30
.
57.
Ringel
,
R. L.
, and
Chodzko-Zajko
,
W. J.
(
1987
). “
Vocal indices of biological age
,”
J. Voice
1
(
1
),
31
37
.
58.
Rothenberg
,
M.
, and
Mahshie
,
J. J.
(
1988
). “
Monitoring vocal fold abduction through vocal fold contact area
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
31
(
3
),
338
351
.
59.
Russell
,
A.
,
Penny
,
L.
, and
Pemberton
,
C.
(
1995
). “
Speaking fundamental frequency changes over time in women: A longitudinal study
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
38
(
1
),
101
109
.
60.
Sapienza
,
C. M.
,
Stathopoulos
,
E. T.
, and
Dromey
,
C.
(
1998
). “
Approximations of open quotient and speed quotient from glottal airflow and EGG waveforms: Effects of measurement criteria and sound pressure level
,”
J. Voice
12
(
1
),
31
43
.
61.
Scherer
,
R. C.
,
Druker
,
D. G.
, and
Titze
,
I. R.
(
1988
). “
Electroglottography and direct measurement of vocal fold contact area
,” in
Vocal Fold Physiology, Vol. 2: Voice Production, Mechanisms and Functions
, edited by
O.
Fujimura
(
Raven Press
,
New York
), pp.
279
290
.
62.
Scherer
,
R. C.
,
Vail
,
V. J.
, and
Rockwell
,
B.
(
1995
). “
Examination of the laryngeal adduction measure EGGW
,” in
Producing Speech: Contemporary Issues: For Katherine Safford Harris
, edited by
F.
Bell-Berti
and
R. J.
Lawrence
(
American Institute of Physics
,
Woodbury, NY
), pp.
269
290
.
63.
Shipp
,
T.
, and
Hollien
,
H.
(
1969
). “
Perception of the aging male voice
,”
J. Speech, Lang., Hear. Res.
12
(
4
),
703
710
.
64.
Tan
,
K. G. O.
(
2017
). “
Contact quotient of female singers singing four pitches for five vowels in normal and pressed phonations
,”
J. Voice
31
(
5
),
645.e15
645.e22
.
65.
van Mersbergen
,
M.
,
Lyons
,
P.
, and
Riegler
,
D.
(
2017
). “
Vocal responses in heighted states of arousal
,”
J. Voice
31
(
1
),
127.e13
127.e19
.
66.
Verdolini
,
K.
,
Druker
,
D. G.
,
Palmer
,
P. M.
, and
Samawi
,
H.
(
1998
). “
Laryngeal adduction in resonant voice
,”
J. Voice
12
(
3
),
315
327
.
67.
Wilcox
,
K. A.
, and
Horii
,
Y.
(
1980
). “
Age and changes in vocal jitter
,”
J. Gerontol.
35
(
2
),
194
198
.
68.
Winkler
,
R.
, and
Sendlmeier
,
W.
(
2006
). “
EGG open quotient in aging voices—Changes with increasing chronological age and its perception
,”
Logoped. Phoniatr. Vocol.
31
(
2
),
51
56
.
69.
Xue
,
S. A.
, and
Deliyski
,
D.
(
2001
). “
Effects of aging on selected acoustic voice parameters: Preliminary normative data and educational implications
,”
Educat. Gerontol.
27
(
2
),
159
168
.
70.
Zhang
,
Z.
(
2016
). “
Cause-effect relationship between vocal fold physiology and voice production in a three-dimensional phonation model
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
139
(
4
),
1493
1507
.
You do not currently have access to this content.