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. 2008 Mar;3(1):131–151. doi: 10.2147/cia.s1416

Table 2.

Attributes of voice and fluency for perceptual scaling experiments

Attribute Description End points
Voice scaling experiment
Overall voice quality A general perceptual impression of an appropriate degree of melodiousness periodicity, and richness of the tonal components of the voice exhibited across the speech sample Extremely good/Extremely poor
Breathiness Audible occurrence of breath noise or acoustic turbulence in the voice signal perceived either as “whispery” or “murmured” quality across the speech sample Absent/Pervasive
Roughness Audible occurrence of acoustic aperiodicity in the voice signal perceived as either “harsh,” “gruff” or “strained-strangled” quality across the speech sample. Absent/Pervasive
Brokenness Audible occurrence of the unexpected momentary absence of the voicing signal perceived as “gaps” or “cracks” in voicing across the speech sample Absent/Pervasive
Fluency scaling experiment
Overall fluency A general perceptual impression of the prompt, smooth, easy and continuous forward flow of speech exhibited across the sample. Extremely good/Extremely poor
Tension struggle Perceived occurrence of audible effort, hesitation and straining to initiate or maintain the forward flow of speech across the sample. Absent/Pervasive
Disfluent syllables Perceived occurrence of inappropriate syllables that are repeated, added, or prolonged within the ongoing flow of speech across the sample. Absent/Pervasive
Vocal spasms Perceived occurrence of quavering, squeezing or stoppage of the voice sufficient to disrupt the ongoing flow of speech across the sample Absent/Pervasive

Reprinted with permission from Cannito MP, Woodson GE, Murry T, et al. 2004. Perceptual analyses of spasmodic dysphonia before and after treatment. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 130:1393–9. Copyright © (2004), American Medical Association. All rights reserved.