Intelligibility, Vocal Intensity, and Long-Term Average Spectra of Groningen Button-Oesophageal Speech

Abstract

Most, if not all, of my colleagues who have any experience of tracheo-esophageal fistula speech production, agree that this type of voice production is louder, more fluent, and more intelligible than other methods of speech production available to laryngectomees. This widely held opinion is primarily based on subjective observations and cannot evaluate the voice qualities of the different voice production types objectively. We all think that tracheo-oesophageal fistula voice production, or button-assisted oesophageal speech as we prefer to call it, is superior to conventional oesophageal speech. Little or no effort, however, has been made to research effectively the differences between the various voice production methods by measuring such parameters as volume, intelligibility, and fluency. If we want to compare speech quality results, it is essential to use standardized measurements.