Electrolarynx
| Electrolaryngeal speech | |
|---|---|
| И | |
| Encoding | |
| Entity (decimal) | И |
| Unicode (hex) | U+0418 |
An electrolarynx, sometimes referred to as a "throat back", is a medical device used to produce clearer speech by those people who have lost their voice box, usually due to cancer of the larynx. The most common device is a handheld, battery-operated device pressed against the skin under the mandible which produces vibrations to allow speech;[1] other variations include a device similar to the "talk box" electronic music device, which delivers the basis of the speech sound via a tube placed in the mouth.[2] Earlier non-electric devices were called mechanical larynxes. Along with developing esophageal voice, using a speech synthesizer, or undergoing a surgical procedure, the electrolarynx serves as a mode of speech recovery for laryngectomy patients.[2][3]
The Voice Quality Symbol for electrolaryngeal phonation in speech is И, approximating the symbol for electricity.
Overview
[edit]Initially, the pneumatic mechanical larynx was developed in the 1920s by Western Electric. It did not run on electricity, and was flawed in that it produced a strong voice. However, more recent mechanical larynxes have demonstrated similar voice production to commercially available electrolarynxes.[4] Electrolarynxes were introduced in the 1940s, at a time when esophageal speech was being promoted as the best course in speech recovery; however, since that technique is difficult to master, the electrolarynx became quite popular. Since then, medical procedures, such as the tracheo-oesophageal puncture, and the rarely performed laryngeal transplantation surgery, have been created to enable speech without continued dependence on a handheld device.[2][3]
| External media | |
|---|---|
| Audio | |
 Using A New Voice To Enjoy Life After Cancer (2:54), StoryCorps[5] | |
| Video | |
 Communication after laryngectomy (8:58), South East Coast Laryngectomy Support Groups (UK)[6] |
The use of an electrolarynx can cause social issues, for instance difficulty ordering food, drinks, or other items in noisy environments;[6] or, when answering a telephone, having the caller respond, "Am I talking to a computer?"[5]
However, quality-of-life improvements due to electrolarynx usage are generally significant. One user states:
People are really very kind once they realize what the situation is. I may go into a restaurant once, and if I go back there a year later, and it's the same woman at the front desk, she'll say, "Where have you been? We haven't seen you for a while." So, I feel like a movie star...
I'm really very blessed in my life. I am happier now, without my voice, than I've ever been with my voice. It's a small price to pay for being alive and enjoying life. So I am very happy where I am now.[5]
Traditional electrolarynxes produce a monotone buzz that the user articulates into speech sounds, resulting in the characteristic "robotlike" voice quality. However, in the 1990s, research and commercial multi-tone devices began to be developed, including discrete-tone devices using multiple-position switches[7] or multiple buttons;[8][9] as well as variable-tone devices controlled by single pressure-sensitive buttons,[10] trackballs,[11] gyroscopes,[12] touchpad-like input devices,[13] or even electrical detection of the movement of neck muscles.[14] In addition to allowing speakers of non-tonal languages such as English to have a more natural speaking voice,[7][8][10][14] some of these newer devices have allowed speakers of tonal languages such as Mandarin Chinese to speak more intelligibly.[11][12]
Notable fictional users
[edit]Fictional characters notable for their use of an electrolarynx include:
- Agents of "Leviathan" on Agent Carter
- Alpha 60 from Alphaville
- Charlie in Mad Max
- Electrolarynx Guy (Jack Axelrod) on My Name Is Earl
- Emilio Sanchez, one of the residents of the Lawrence Hilton Jacobs housing project on The PJs
- Gray Baker in Dead Again
- Heathrow, Madea's brother in Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral
- Komtuan, the crime lord from the film Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, notable as a speaker of a tonal language being understood despite using a traditional monotone electrolarynx
- Nassara in Dry Season
- Ned Gerblanski from South Park
- Sawyer the Cleaner from Black Lagoon
- Sheriff Jerry/Angela Baker in Return to Sleepaway Camp
- Smokie Martling, a parody of Jackie Martling from The Howard Stern Show
- The Smoking Family from Chewin' The Fat
- Stemroach (David Bradley) on Ideal
- WWE wrestler Kane, for his first three years in the company (1997–1999)
- Zimos from Saints Row The Third
- Evil Troy from Community (TV series)
- The Killer from Night Terror (Film)
- Glory Dodge in North Country
- Krishnadas in Abraham Ozhler (Malayalam Movie)
- Walter Wingfield in Say It Isn't So
- Sani Crow in Banshee
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Department of Otolaryngology. "Electrolaryngeal Speech". Eastern Virginia Medical School. Archived from the original on 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ a b c Only Human; Cineflix (2018-06-20). Speaking with a Dead Man's Voice by Organ Transplant Surgery | Only Human. YouTube. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
- ^ a b Krishnan, Giri; Du, Charles; Fishman, Jonathan M.; Foreman, Andrew; Lott, David G.; Farwell, Gregory; Belafsky, Peter; Krishnan, Suren; Birchall, Martin A. (August 2017). "The current status of human laryngeal transplantation in 2017: A state of the field review". The Laryngoscope. 127 (8): 1861–1868. doi:10.1002/lary.26503. ISSN 1531-4995. PMID 28224630. S2CID 24360597.
- ^ Tuttle, Tyler; Erath, Byron (Mar 2018). "Design and Evaluation of a Mechanically Driven Artificial Speech Device". ASME Journal of Medical Devices. 12 (1): 011002. doi:10.1115/1.4038222.
- ^ a b c Forman, Rene; Reiman, Nadia; Esty-Kendall, Jud; radio station KCRW (2012). "Using A New Voice To Enjoy Life After Cancer". StoryCorps. National Public Radio. Retrieved February 13, 2012. Also hear the audio at NPR
- ^ a b Communication after laryngectomy. YouTube. South East Coast Laryngectomy Support Groups (UK). 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ a b Helms, Dutch (December 2004). "Whispers on the Web - December 2004". Archived from the original on 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ a b "Servox Digital Electro Larynx Speech Aid". 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "Nu-Vois III Electro-Larynges". Archived from the original on 2016-07-24. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
- ^ a b "The TruTone™ Electrolarynx". 2008. Archived from the original on 24 May 2008. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ a b Wan, Congying; Wang, Erqiang; Wu, Liang; Wang, Supin (2012). "Design and evaluation of an electrolarynx with Mandarin tone-control function". 2012 International Conference on Audio, Language and Image Processing. pp. 627–631. doi:10.1109/ICALIP.2012.6376692. ISBN 978-1-4673-0174-9. S2CID 10867420.
- ^ a b Shakya, Bicky; Bharam, Vishal; Merchen, Alexander (2014). "Development of an Electrolarynx Capable of Supporting Tonal Distinctions in Mandarin" (PDF). Trinity College (Connecticut). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2017. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "Electrolarynx Speech Aid » by Labex". labextrade.com. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ a b Kubert, Heather L.; Stepp, Cara E.; Zeitels, Steven M.; Gooey, John E.; Walsh, Michael J.; Prakash, S. R.; Hillman, Robert E.; Heaton, James T. (2009-01-19). "Electromyographic control of a hands-free electrolarynx using neck strap muscles". Journal of Communication Disorders. 42 (3): 211–225. doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2008.12.002. PMC 3748802. PMID 19233382.