Abstract
Intensity, fundamental frequency of voice and air flow rate during phonation were simulta-neously measured in normal subjects (24 young men, 27 young women, 24 old men and 40 old women, with mean ages of 32, 30, 78 and 76 years, respectively). The subjects were required to hold a mouth piece and sustain the vowel/a/at a comfortable, soft and loud level. Greater air flow rate generally showed higher intensity of voice in young persons. In older groups, individual cases generated different volumes of air flow. However, their voices showed similar intensity at comfortable and soft levels. Mean intensity of the voice in the older groups took higher magnitude as compared with that of young groups. However, it was of the same magnitude in young adults at a loud level. Those with louder voices also tended to have higher fundamental frequencies in both young and older groups. Comparing older women with young women, the average fundamental frequency in the older women was lower than that in the younger women. Consideration of senescent change of phonatory ability is thought to be important in vocal examination of older people.
