A critical view of the yawn-sigh as a voice therapy technique.
The purpose of this study was to take a critical look at a voice therapy technique known as the yawn-sigh. The voiced sigh as an approach in voice therapy has had increased use in recent years, particularly with problems of vocal hyperfunction. In this study, the physiology of the yawn-sigh was studied with video nasoendoscopy in eight normal subjects; their taped voices were also studied acoustically for possible fundamental frequency and format changes in producing selected vowels under normal and sigh conditions. Although each subject was given a model by the examiner of a yawn-sigh, one of the eight subjects could not produce a true yawn-sigh. Endoscopic findings for seven of the eight subjects performing the yawn-sigh demonstrated retracted elevation of the tongue, a lower positioning of the larynx, and a widened pharynx. Acoustic analyses for the seven subjects producing the sigh found a marked lowering of the second and third formants. Implications for using the yawn-sigh in voice therapy are given, such as using a modified "silent" yawn-sigh, as an easy method for producing greater vocal tract relaxation.
Boone
D R
DR
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721.
McFarlane
S C
SC
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010614:Pharynx / Q000502:physiology; D010699:Phonation / Q000502:physiology; D010700:Phonetics; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013070:Speech Therapy; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000502:physiology*; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*; D015000:Yawning