title: Vocal release time: a quantification of vocal offset.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the vocal release time (VRT) for linguistically unconstrained voice offsets in a healthy young adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sound pressure (SP) and electroglottographic (EGG) recordings were obtained for 57 female and 55 male subjects while producing multiple tokens of three tasks (sustained /ɑ:/, "always," and "hallways") at comfortable pitch and loudness.
  
  
  METHODS
  SP and EGG signals were digitally time reversed and generalized sinusoidal models of the SP and EGG signals were obtained to compare rates of amplitude change. VRT was computed from the time lag of the cross-correlation function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusted mean VRT values were significantly greater for females than for males. There was no systematic effect of age on VRT. However, 25-29-year old and >40 year old females showed shorter VRT values than the youngest female age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Normative data are presented for a new measure of the duration of vocal offset, VRT. Acquisition of this measure requires little user intervention, thereby minimizing effects of subjective decision making. Comparison with previously reported vocal attack time (VAT) values for the same population suggests phenomenological differences between linguistically and physiologically constrained voice onsets and unconstrained voice offsets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech-Language Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA. Watson@nymc.edu
authors.forename: Ben C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Rick M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Roark
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Baken
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007830:Larynx / Q000502:physiology*; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010699:Phonation; D011312:Pressure; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013997:Time Factors; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult