The Effect of Loud Voice and Clear Speech on the Use of Vocal Fry in Women.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of clear speech and loud voice on the use of vocal fry in women. METHODS: Twenty healthy-voiced young women who used a moderate amount of vocal fry when reading aloud in conversational-style speech (defined as a minimum of three occurrences per sentence) also read the same stimuli in loud voice and clear speech. The occurrence of vocal fry was assessed in the three speaking styles. Intensity and fundamental frequency levels in each condition were obtained to help interpret the findings. RESULTS: A statistically significant reduction in the use of vocal fry was found in loud and clear conditions compared to conversational style. However, a significantly greater reduction in use of vocal fry was obtained in clear speech than in loud voice. The increased intensity and mean F0 in loud and clear speech only partially explain the decrease in use of vocal fry. CONCLUSION: Women who use vocal fry in typical speech may persist in its use when speaking more loudly, although not when speaking more clearly. Apparently, different phonatory strategies are used for the two speaking styles. Further research is needed to clarify the laryngeal dynamics of clear speech.

Calorie intake, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, and obesity among New York City adults: findings from a 2013 population study using dietary recalls.

Obesity and overweight-obesity have contributed to increases in early mortality and noncommunicable disease incidence. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is linked to obesity, weight gain, and metabolic syndrome. To further explore this relationship in a large urban environment, we assessed disparities in calorie intake between SSB and non-SSB consumers and determine the association between varying SSB consumption, obesity, and overweight-obesity using data from a 2013 representative dietary survey conducted in New York City. Results show that adult SSB drinkers consume 193 kcal/day from SSBs, approximately 10% of daily caloric needs. Compared to non-SSB drinkers, those who consume SSBs have a 572 kcal greater daily intake. Total calorie differences are due to greater SSB calorie and food calorie consumption. Among SSB consumers, each 10-oz increase in SSB consumption is associated with a greater likelihood of obesity (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.05, 2.05) and overweight-obesity (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.31, 3.80). Additionally, each 10-kcal SSB increase is related to obesity (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01, 1.08) and overweight-obesity (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02, 1.11).

The Effect of Clear Speech on Temporal Metrics of Rhythm in Spanish-Accented Speakers of English.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of temporal rhythm in native American English talkers and Spanish-accented English talkers producing clear (hyperarticulated) speech and typical, conversational-style speech. Five acoustic measures of comparative vocalic and consonantal interval duration ("temporal metrics") were obtained from speech samples of 40 adult men and women (half native and half Spanish-accented talkers). In conversational-style speech, vocalic-based metrics differed significantly between native and Spanish-accented talkers, consistent with phonotactic differences between the two native languages. In clear speech, however, all metric values from the Spanish-accented talkers became more English-like and no longer differed significantly from those observed in the native English talkers. Post-hoc analysis revealed that native English talkers increased the duration of both weak and strong vowels in clear speech, whereas the Spanish-accented talkers increased the duration of strong vowels without changing the duration of weak vowels. Listener ease of understanding, as perceived by monolingual English speakers, was significantly improved in clear- compared with conversational-style speech for all talkers. The acoustic data help to explain the changes that result from use of clear speech in nonnative speakers. Together with the improved listener ease of understanding, these data strongly support the further exploration of clear speech as a clinical tool to improve prosody and hence, interpersonal communication, in nonnative speakers.

Small Convenience Stores and the Local Food Environment: An Analysis of Resident Shopping Behavior Using Multilevel Modeling.

PURPOSE: Local food environments can influence the diet and health of individuals through food availability, proximity to retail stores, pricing, and promotion. This study focused on how small convenience stores, known in New York City as bodegas, influence resident shopping behavior and the food environment. DESIGN: Using a cross-sectional design, 171 bodegas and 2118 shoppers were sampled. SETTING: Small convenience stores in New York City. SUBJECTS: Any bodega shopper aged 18+ who purchased food or beverage from a participating store. MEASURES: Data collection consisted of a store assessment, a health and behavior survey given to exiting customers, and a bag check that recorded product information for all customer purchases. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were generated for bodega store characteristics, shopper demographics, and purchase behavior. Multilevel models were used to assess the influence of product availability, placement, and advertising on consumer purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), water, and fruits and vegetables. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of participants reported shopping at bodegas five or more times per week, and 35% reported purchasing all or most of their monthly food allotment at bodegas. Model results indicated that lower amounts of available fresh produce were significantly and independently associated with a higher likelihood of SSB purchases. A second, stratified multilevel model showed that the likelihood of purchasing an SSB increased with decreasing varieties of produce when produce was located at the front of the store. No significant effects were found for water placement and beverage advertising. CONCLUSIONS: Small convenience stores in New York City are an easily accessible source of foods and beverages. Bodegas may be suitable for interventions designed to improve food choice and diet.

The influence of semantic context on the perception of Spanish-accented American English.

PURPOSE: In this article, the authors examine (a) the effect of semantic context on accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility of Spanish-accented American English (AE) as judged by monolingual AE listeners and (b) the interaction of semantic context and accentedness on comprehensibility and intelligibility. METHOD: Twenty adult native (L1) Spanish speakers proficient in AE and 4 L1 AE speakers (controls) read 48 statements consisting of true-false, semantically meaningful, and semantically anomalous sentences. Eighty monolingual AE listeners assessed accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility of the statements. RESULTS: A significant main effect was found for semantic category on all 3 dependent variables. Accents were perceived to be stronger, and both comprehensibility and intelligibility were worse, in semantically anomalous contexts. Speaker data were grouped into strong, mid-level, and mild accents. The interaction between semantic category and accent was significant for both comprehensibility and intelligibility. The effect of semantic context was strongest for strong accents. Intelligibility was excellent for speakers with mid-level accents in true-false and semantically meaningful contexts, and it was excellent for mild accents in all contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Listeners access semantic information, in addition to phonetic and phonotactic features, in the perception of nonnative speech. Both accent level and semantic context are important in research on foreign-accented speech.