title: Sustained vowels and continuous speech in the auditory-perceptual evaluation of dysphonia severity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Auditory-perceptual evaluation of dysphonia may be influenced by the type of speech/voice task used to render judgements during the clinical evaluation, i.e., sustained vowels versus continuous speech. This study explored (a) differences in listener dysphonia severity ratings on the basis of speech/voice tasks, (b) the influence of speech/voice task on dysphonia severity ratings of stimuli that combined sustained vowels and continuous speech, and (c) the differences in inter-rater reliability of dysphonia severity ratings between both speech tasks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five experienced listeners rated overall dysphonia severity in sustained vowels, continuous speech and concatenated speech samples elicited by 39 subjects with various voice disorders and degrees of hoarseness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data confirmed that sustained vowels are rated significantly more dysphonic than continuous speech. Furthermore, dysphonia severity in concatenated speech samples is least determined by the sustained vowel. Finally, no significant difference was found in inter-rater reliability between dysphonia severity ratings of sustained vowels versus continuous speech.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based upon the results, both types of speech/voice tasks (i.e., sustained vowel and continuous speech) should be elicited and judged by clinicians in the auditory-perceptual rating of dysphonia severity.
authors: Sint-Jan General Hospital, Speech- Language Pathology and Audiology, Bruges, Belgium. youri.maryn@azsintjan.be
authors: Youri
authors: Y
authors: Maryn
authors: Nelson
authors: N
authors: Roy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011361:Professional Competence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult