Oesophageal voice / pseudolaryngeal speech Group A
aspirated air, 6
belch it out, 6
cancer
(neoplasm)
tumours, 6
congregate socially, 6
controlled manner, 6
cycles per second, 6
ejected air, 6
elaborate, 6
elevates, 6
eructated (belched), 6
exchange solutions, 6
explore., 6
grunting
gullet, 6
in humans., 6
in pitch, 6
laryngeal condition., 6
Laryngectomised persons, 6
laryngectomy procedure, 6
laryngetoctomy, 6
larynx (voice box), 6
Lost Cord, 6
newly diagnosed cancer victims, 6
oesophageal sounds, 6
oesophagus, 6
oral-nasal structure, 6
perfect, 6
phonation, 6
recognisable speech sounds, 6
remove, 6
replacement, 6
report, 6
result in, 6
sound generator, 6
stem from, 6
swallow, 6
upper oesophageal sphincter
cricopharyngeus (the), 6
vicarious phonation, 6
vocal cord function, 6
Check the following and correct where necessary:
1. cancer / A. a new growth of tissue serving no physiological function2. laryngetoctomy / B. production of vocal sounds and especially speech.
3. larynx (voice box) / C. The cricopharyngeus makes up the lower border of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor. Functionally it acts as the upper esophageal sphincter preventing reflux of gastric ...
4. neoplasm / D. a malignant tumour of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally by invasion and systemically by metastasis
5. oesophagus (gullet) / E. the modified upper part of the trachea of air-breathing vertebrates that in humans and most other mammals a few lower forms contains the vocal cords
6. phonation / F. a surgical operation to remove a cancer-affected voice box
7. upper oesophageal sphincter (the cricopharyngeus) / G. a muscular tube that in humans is about nine inches (23 centimetres) long and passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierces the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach
Put the words from the box into the sentences below:
aspirate belch congregate eject elaborate elevate exchange explore. grunt
q The machine ____ a handful of cigarettes
q The crowds ____ around the pavilion.
q To ____ something means to raise it to a higher level.
q If a person or a pig ____, they make a low, rough noise.
q If people ____ things, they give them to each other at the same time.
q If you ____ on an idea, or if you elaborate it, you give more details about it.
q If you ____ an idea, you think about it carefully to decide whether it is a good one.
q If someone ____, they make a sudden noise in their throat because air has risen up from their stomach.
q When you ____ words you pronounce them with audible breath that accompanies or comprises a speech sound
Which adjectives should go with which nouns?
1. aspirated / A. condition2. cancer / B. air
3. cycles / C. procedure
4. grunting / D. generator
5. laryngeal / E. structure
6. laryngectomised / F. sounds
7. laryngectomy / G. pitch
8. oral-nasal / H. persons
9. sound / I. tumours
10. speech / J. cord
11. vocal / K. per second
Put the words from the box into the sentences below:
perfect remove report result in stem from swallow diagnose recognise
q He ____ more pills.
q Their aggressiveness ____ from fear.
q The doctor has ____ it as rheumatism
q When you ____ something undesirable, you get rid of it.
q Accidents must be ____ to the police within twenty-four hours.
q They are trained to ____ the symptoms of radiation sickness.
q If you ____ something, you make it as good as it can possibly be.
q The use of such techniques could ____ in disastrous ecological changes.
First, read the text and question in your group and then discuss it with a person of your choice:
1
Some European birds and other animals can produce a voice in which air is actively aspirated into the oesophagus and then belched, as many people can do without practice. The sound generator is formed by the upper oesophageal sphincter (the cricopharyngeus muscle in man). As a replacement for vocal cord function, the substitute oesophageal voice is very low in pitch, usually about 60 cycles per second in humans. Training usually elevates this grunting pitch to about 80 or 100 cycles.
2
q Since when has oesophageal voice been reported in the literature?
q When was laryngetoctomy procedures perfected?
3
Nowadays , mechanical or oesophageal speech is taught by therapists to persons who have had the larynx, or voice box, surgically removed (laryngectomy). The operation is necessary when cancer (neoplasm) tumours are present on or near the larynx. After surgery, patients learn to swallow air into the oesophagus and belch it out in a controlled manner. The tissues of the gullet act on the ejected air resulting in sound that is altered by oral-nasal structures to produce recognisable speech sounds. Former laryngectomy patients often work with newly diagnosed laryngeal cancer patients before and after surgery to demonstrate that it is possible to learn how to speak again. As a result of this technique, many former laryngeal cancer patients have been able to return to their former occupations and professions. Laryngectomised persons in many countries often congregate socially in "Lost Cord Clubs" and exchange solutions of problems stemming from a laryngeal condition.