Monophthongal Vowel Production in Females with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Following a Hydration Treatment of Nebulized Saline

• Main Author: Rytting, Kara
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2015
• Subjects: monophthongs; Sjögren's Syndrome; laryngeal hydration; saline treatments; Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5811; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6810&context=etd

Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease that causes extreme dryness, or sicca,of the eyes and mouth, as well as other potential drying of the throat and intestines. Speech, voice, and swallowing problems are common in individuals with SS. Therefore, this study examined the possible changes in acoustic characteristics of monophthongs (/i, æ, α, u, ʌ/) in eight females with SS following laryngeal hydration treatments. An ABAB experimental design was implemented. Treatment consisted of nebulized isotonic saline immediately following completion of audio-recordings. Using acoustic analysis software the duration, formant frequencies, and vowel space area (VSA) was calculated for the participant's vowel productions. Overall the mean duration of the participant's vowel productions increased slightly from baseline measurements through the last treatment phase. Minimal deviations were observed in first and second formant frequency values throughout the study. Only minor differences were found in the participant's VSA from baseline phase of data collection through the final treatment phase, with most of these differences due to a change in the first formant of the /æ/ vowel. Despite the need for future research, the findings of this study increase understanding into how SS impacts speech production.