The aging female voice: acoustic and respiratory data.

The purpose of this study was to extend understanding of the effects of aging on the female voice by obtaining measures of both acoustic and respiratory-based performance in groups of 18-30, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79-year-old subjects. Acoustic measures of speaking fundamental frequency (SFF), pitch sigma, jitter, shimmer, and signal-to-noise ratio, as well as respiratory-based measures of vital capacity (VC), maximum phonation time (MPT), and phonation quotient (PQ) were obtained. Results indicated that the aging groups differed significantly in terms of SFF, pitch sigma, MPT, and VC. In addition, discriminant function analysis was used to classify subjects into age group via a three-variable model consisting of VC, SFF, and pitch sigma (84% accuracy), and into pre- vs. post-menopausal status via a two-variable model consisting of VC and pitch sigma (92% accuracy). It appears that declinations in the respiratory and laryngeal mechanisms may occur simultaneously in the aging female.