A method to measure speaking time and speech sound pressure level

Abstract

Many voice disorders are associated with vocal loading, but easy measurement of the vocal load has not been possible so far. To fulfil this need, an easily accessible method was developed and tested. Speaking time and speaking sound level can be recorded during normal work, and measurement can be made in a noisy environment. The measurement is made with a pair of modern noise exposure analysers from which the data is transferred to a personal computer, and the voice speaking time and the related sound pressure levels are calculated with a spreadsheet program. Suitable meters are available from various manufacturers. The method may be applied to measure the need of voice use in different professions, assessing a person's performance in his or her work or evaluating the effects of voice therapy on speaking performance.