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ABSTRACT

Voice assessment involves the evaluation of both perception and instruments. Limited studies have focused on Indian scenarios, hence there is a lack of studies examining acoustic parameters in Indian context. Objective: This study aims to examine the acoustic voice parameters of the lax (/a/) and tense (/i/) vowels in middle and high school children using the MDVP. Method: A cross-sectional design and non-probability sampling were used to include 100 participants. The participants were divided into five age groups. Eight parameters of the MDVP were analyzed for the vowels /a/ and /i/. Results and conclusion: Significant differences were observed in various vocal parameters between the vowels /a/ and /i/ in jitter (%), pitch perturbation quotient (%), shimmer (dB), amplitude perturbation quotient (%), and soft phonation index. However, no significant differences were observed in the noise-to-harmonic ratio and voice turbulence index between the vowels /a/ and /i/. These findings highlight the distinct variations in vocal characteristics between the vowel sounds /a/ and /i/ across genders.

Keywords: Multidimensional Voice Program, lax vowel, tense vowel, Tamil, India