[Social consequence of a dysphonic voice, design and validation of a questionnaire and first results]. / Conséquences sociales de la dysphonie, conception et validation d'un questionnaire et premiers résultats.

In our society, based on communication, dysphonia becomes a handicap that could be responsible of work discrimination. Actually, several commercial services are provided by phone only, and voice quality is mandatory for the employees. This work aim was to determine the social picture relayed by dysphonia. Our hypothesis was that dysphonia sounds pejorative compared to normal voice. 40 voice samples (30 dysphonic and 10 normal) were presented randomly to a perceptual jury of 20 naïve listener. The task was for each of them to fill a questionnaire, designed specifically to describe the speaker's look and personality. 20 items were evaluated, divided into 4 categories: health, temperament, appearance, and way of life. The results showed significant differences between normal subjects and dysphonic patients. For instance, the pathological voices were depicted as more tired, introverted, sloppy than normal voices, and less trustable. No significant differences were found according to the severity of voice disorders. This work is presently continued. It allowed to validate our questionnaire and has offers great perspectives on patient's management and voice therapy.

[Prosodic features of computer-assisted presentations: a preliminary study]. / Caractéristiques prosodiques des présentations assistées par ordinateur: une etude préliminaire.

INTRODUCTION: Computer-assisted presentations (CAP) seem to be characterized by changes of rhythm and melody of speech, compared to spontaneous speech, in many cases with periods with rapid and excessively regular breaks interspersed with long pauses. METHODS: We analyzed the prosody and especially the pace in the temporal organization of prominences (distribution of stress, articulatory speed, pause duration) in 37 inexperienced subjects in a CAP corresponding to an actual review of graduation. The results were compared with a presentation without support (PWS) conducted immediately after the first. A jury had to propose a gradation of prosody (typical CAP, intermediate, non-typical). Accentual distribution was analyzed from a perceptual experiment. The articulatory speed and length of breaks were analyzed from the speech signal. RESULTS: We found the main elements of prosodic style assumed in three-quarters of subjects. This style was characterized by a faster articulatory rate and a more regular and rhythmic breaks due to excessive elongation of silent pauses when changing view of the slide. DISCUSSION: The assumption seems validated because the majority of subjects in our study are of particular prosodic rhythm (faster and more regular). Subjects with archetypal prosody of CAP appear to be those whose speech followed closely their slide presentation, which disrupted their communication.