This paper presents a theoretical study on the differences in the biomechanical parameters of the vocal folds between oscillation onset and offset. The dynamics of the oscillation is analyzed from the perspective of the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems, using a mucosal wave model of the vocal folds with the subglottal pressure and the vocal fold half-width as control parameters. It is shown that the oscillation onset occurs through a Hopf bifurcation of the subcritical type, at which an unstable limit cycle is generated. Also, the oscillation offset occurs at a cyclic fold bifurcation, at which the unstable limit cycle and a stable limit cycle (the actual vocal fold oscillation) coalesce and cancel each other. Both bifurcations combine to form an “oscillation hysteresis” phenomenon, common in cases of flow-induced oscillations. An analytical expression for the onset/offset ratio of parameters is derived. The onset/offset ratio is in the range of 0.5–1, in agreement with the experimental evidence. This value depends on the phase delay in motion of the upper edge of the vocal folds versus the lower edge, and on the particular model adopted for airflow separation within the glottis.

This study investigates token-to-token variability in fricative production of 5year olds, 10year olds, and adults. Previous studies have reported higher intrasubject variability in children than adults, in speech as well as nonspeech tasks, but authors have disagreed on the causes and implications of this finding. The current work assessed the characteristics of age-related variability across articulators (larynx and tongue) as well as in temporal versus spatial domains. Oral airflow signals, which reflect changes in both laryngeal and supralaryngeal apertures, were obtained for multiple productions of /h s z/. The data were processed using functional data analysis, which provides a means of obtaining relatively independent indices of amplitude and temporal (phasing) variability. Consistent with past work, both temporal and amplitude variabilities were higher in children than adults, but the temporal indices were generally less adultlike than the amplitude indices for both groups of children. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed considerable speaker- and consonant-specific patterns of variability. The data indicate that variability in /s/ may represent laryngeal as well as supralaryngeal control and further that a simple random noise factor, higher in children than in adults, is insufficient to explain developmental differences in speech production variability.

The dynamics of the large-amplitude oscillation of the vocal folds is analyzed using the two-mass model. First, the equilibrium positions are determined in the case of a rectangular prephonatory glottis, and the existence of two equilibrium positions besides the rest position is shown. Their stability is examined and a bifurcation diagram is derived with a normalized subglottal pressure and a coupling coefficient as control parameters. Phase plane plots are shown to illustrate the results. The cases of convergent and divergent prephonatory glottis are then briefly considered. The main results are finally discussed relative to previous analytical works; it is shown that they disprove the previous oscillation theory based on the existence of a glottal negative differential resistance.

This paper presents experimental results of simple compression of a soft rubber sphere in a very large range of forces attaining at 5000 N, presenting calculational results by a set of five equations presented in Part 1. The calculational values of approach, the radius of contact surface, and lateral expansion agree well with the experimental data in the large range of deformations. It is thus verified experimentally that the set of the equations (12), (13), (31), (40), and (43) in Part 1 is approximately valid in large deformations for rubber sphere. Program using a personal computer in calculating five quantities from the five nonlinear equations associated with the five quantities is noted.

In this study we use a low-dimensional laryngeal model to reproduce temporal variations in oral airflow produced by speakers in the vicinity of an abduction gesture. It attempts to characterize these temporal patterns in terms of biomechanical parameters such as glottal area, vocal fold stiffness, subglottal pressure, and gender differences in laryngeal dimensions. A two-mass model of the vocal folds coupled to a two-tube approximation of the vocal tract is fitted to oral airflow records measured in men and women during the production of /aha/ utterances, using the subglottal pressure, glottal width, and Q factor as control parameters. The results show that the model is capable of reproducing the airflow records with good approximation. A nonlinear damping characteristics is needed, to reproduce the flow variation at glottal abduction. Devoicing is achieved by the combined action of vocal fold abduction, the decrease of subglottal pressure, and the increase of vocal fold tension. In general, the female larynx has a more restricted region of vocal fold oscillation than the male one. This would explain the more frequent devoicing in glottal abduction–adduction gestures for /h/ in running speech by women, compared to men.