Voice
The voice is an instrument. As with any musical instrument, it needs to be properly maintained. Voice problems may occur when people abuse their voice by overuse, misuse or using it in the presence of harsh agents such as smoke and combined with alcohol. They may occur as a result of neurological impairment (such as a cancer, a stroke or as a result of a head injury), or may accompany a psychological disorder. Voice problems may result in growths on the vocal cords called nodules, and may require surgical intervention. People who use their voice for work are most at risk of developing voice disorders especially vocal nodules. These people include teachers, singers, performers, fitness instructors and many others.
Voice problems are evident in how the voice sounds. They may or may not be accompanied by pain.
Voice problems are evident in how the voice sounds. They may or may not be accompanied by pain.
Signs and symptoms of voice disorders
Voice disorders are described using perceptual characteristics that are evident as a result of a physical change in vocal fold functioning and/ or structure. The voice is described in terms of its pitch, loudness, quality, and resonance. Speech rate and prosody (rhythm and intonation) are also taken into consideration when assessing voice. So what do all these terms mean?
Pitch
Pitch refers to the range and variation of pitch used when talking. People may sound monopitch, where there is little or no variation of the pitch. Pitch may also be too high or too low, or there may be pitch breaks where there is an unexpected and uncontrolled increase or decrease of pitch. This is generally associated with adolescent boys as their voice changes and is a temporary stage that resolves with time, once the larynx has finished growing. They may also occur as a result of laryngeal pathology (such as a tumour) or may accompany neurological conditions.
Loudness
Loudness may be affected as follows: the voice may be monoloud, referring to a lack of variation in the level of loudness; there may be loudness variations that may be extreme- either too soft or too loud; or there may be a reduced loudness range, where there is typically difficulty producing a loud voice.
Quality
Voice quality refers to how a voice sounds: whether it is hoarse, harsh, breathy; or if the voice is weak, gives out quickly or if there is a tremor. There is also a condition known as diplophonia, literally meaning "double voice", where two distinct pitches can be heard at the one time while talking.
Resonance
Resonance refers to whether a voice has a nasal quality (such as the actress Fran Drescher), or the opposite- if it sounds like the voice user has a blocked nose due to a heavy cold.
Aphonia
Aphonia is a lack of voicing and sounds like a whisper. It may be consistent (always present), or episodic (the voice may suddenly drop out then return, or it may gradually wear out and not return for hours).
Speech Rate
Speech rate refers to how fast or slow a person talks. Rate can be affected by a number of factors, and has a significant impact on how a person is perceived.
Prosody (rhythm and intonation)
Prosody refers to how rhythmic the voice is- whether the voice ebbs and flows with speech, or if there is an equal stress on each syllable, resulting in staccato-like speech. It also refers to whether use is made of inflections to 'colour' speech and convey meaning. This is what can give speech its musical quality. Have you ever heard someone say "Don't use that tone of voice with me!"? That is referring to how a person can convey meaning by using their voice- in this case to be rude or disrespectful! People with little or no variation in their intonation have a flat, monotone voice.
So how do you care for your voice?
Whether you are a professional voice user, or a child playing in the playground, it is important to look after your voice. After all, you only have one! Looking after your voice means:
- Don't yell, scream or strain your voice! Don't call out across the playground or whisper loudly
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid drinking alcohol, and being around smoke (cigarette, fire, smog- all types of smoke)
- Don't over-do it: take breaks from talking when you can
- Don't clear your throat excessively
- Monitor the effect of medication on your voice
- Try not to compete with background noise, and try to relax if you feel your throat tensing up
- Make use of amplification systems such as microphones wherever possible