Do you know the different characteristics of vocal hyperfunction or hypofunction?

We often hear about phonatory/vocal hyperfunction or hypofunction, but do we really know which acoustic alterations might point us toward identifying one dysfunctional pattern over the other?

These alterations affect the expressive function of voice and speech, as well as the paralinguistic or prosodic components of discourse.

• Hyperfunction:

  • Lowered pitch

  • Rough, breathy, weak, strained, dull, shrill, tremulous, toneless, diplophonic, bitonal timbre, with predominance of pharyngeal-laryngeal resonance

  • Increased intensity

  • Reduced vocal range

• Hypofunction:

  • Often lowered pitch

  • Impoverished and often nasalized timbre, with poor cranial and somatic resonance

  • Reduced intensity, both in normal and projected voice

  • Reduced vocal range

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Valentina Carlile - Osteopath specializing in Osteopathy for Voice and Speech Disorders since 2002. For information and bookings, visit the Contact page.

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