| The relationship between the vocal tract and the larynx in the formation of vowels has been debated for decades. Vowels were first thought to have been formed in the larynx; then later it was believed that they were formed solely in the vocal tract. In the 1960s Fant formalized this belief into the Source-Filter Theory of Vowel Formation. The theory was interpreted by voice teachers to mean that the larynx had very little to do with the formation of vowels, and this interpretation has dominated voice teaching for decades.; Recent research, however, is now suggesting that the larynx and the vocal tract are interactive with each other, meaning that a change of muscular function in the larynx will create a change of resonator function in the vocal tract, and vice versa. This conclusion is drawn mainly on the work of Titze, Story, Laukkanen, et.al. They have found that a relationship exists between laryngeal function and the first vowel formant (F1). When examining research on the second vowel formant (F2), this author discovered that there may be a relationship between F2 and adduction.; Therefore, based on present evidence, it was hypothesized that an elevated frequency of F2 corresponded to an increase in adduction. The hypothesis was examined by comparing the resonance output and glottal closure between vowels where F2 was elevated and vowels without modification of F2.; Subjects were asked to sing [i], [a], and [u] at a medium dynamic level on D4, G#4, and D5 for the female subjects and an octave below for the male subjects, once using a "generic" version of the vowel, meaning what they considered a "nice, easy, and generic" version of the vowel to be, and then again modifying the vowel to increase the frequency of the upper harmonics. Electroglottogram, pitch, intensity, and formant data were collected and compared. An increase in the frequency of F2 corresponded to an increase in the Closed Quotient (CQ), the length of time the vocal folds are closed, in a few cases, but overall the data was inconclusive. Further study is needed to clarify. |
