Lines of Communication

Electropalatograph palate

Research Visit - Queen Margaret University College

There are other methods of visualising the voice. An electropalatograph shows a series of patterns each representing the pressure on the palate by the tongue during speech. It is most effective for the consonants, most vowels using minimal or no tongue pressure on the roof of the mouth. Tiny electrodes that are inset into a palate measure the pressure and this is converted by specific software into a visual chart.

The larynogograph images the vocal cords by passing a small electric current through the larynx from side to side therefore picking up the vocal fold movements. The software associated with this technique can produce several interpretations of information - a representation of pitch, a spectragram, spectral slices (a slice through the spectragram at a given point) and a chart tracking vocal fold closures.

Queen Margaret University College is also known for the work done by Dr Janet Beck and Professor John Laver on developing Vocal Profile Analysis. This is a method used to record the quality of the voice in a way that can be interpreted uniformly and is now the standard system for analysis of the voice by speech therapists.

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