Signal Interpretation Considerations When Estimating Subglottal Pressure From Oral Air Pressure

Abstract

Purpose Oral air pressure measurements during lip occlusion for /pVpV/ syllable strings are used to estimate subglottal pressure during the vowel. Accuracy of this method relies on smoothly produced syllable repetitions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral air pressure waveform during the /p/ lip occlusions and propose physiological explanations for nonflat shapes. Method Ten adult participants were trained to produce the “standard condition” and were instructed to produce nonstandard tasks. Results from 8 participants are included. The standard condition required participants to produce /pːiːpːiː.../ syllables smoothly at approximately 1.5 syllables/s. The nonstandard tasks included an air leak between the lips, faster syllable repetition rates, an initial voiced consonant, and 2-syllable word productions. Results Eleven oral air pressure waveform shapes were identified during the lip occlusions, and plausible physiological explanations for each shape are provided based on the tasks in which they occurred. Training the use of the standard condition, the initial voice consonant condition, and the 2-syllable word production increased the likelihood of rectangular oral air pressure waveform shapes. Increasing the rate beyond 1.5 syllables/s improved the probability of producing rectangular oral air pressure signal shapes in some participants. Conclusions Visual and verbal feedback improved the likelihood of producing rectangular oral air pressure signal shapes. The physiological explanations of variations in the oral air pressure waveform shape may provide direction to the clinician or researcher when providing feedback to increase the accuracy of estimating subglottal pressure from oral air pressure.