               n n n d d d z z z       Elettoglotographic study from Brazilian Portuguese fricative voiced sounds Dra. Luciana de Oliveira Pagan-Neves, Fonoaudióloga Clínica, colaboradora do Laboratório de Investigação Fonoaudiológica em Fonologia do Curso de Fonoaudiologia da FMUSP. Profa. Dra. Haydée Fiszbein Wertzner, Professora Associada Livre Docente do Curso de Fonoaudiologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Laboratório de Investigação Fonoaudiológica em Fonologia. RESULTS CONCLUSION Variability in speech production is still present at the age of the children from this study and even though differences in duration and OQ percentage values were observed it did not interfere at the recognition of the target sound made by an adult during previous perceptual analysis. Further studies using this parameter shall be made especially as an attempt to verify possible reasons of why devoicing phonological process is so occurring in Brazilian Portuguese. Contacts: Agradecimento FAPESP: 05/ INTRODUCTION EGG is a non-invasive method executed by the positioning of two electrodes one on each side of the thyroid cartilage. Electric conductivity is measured at the vocal folds level during phonation. Changes in opening and closing movement from the vocal folds are registered in a chart represented by a change in the amplitude of the waves captured by the equipment (Hacki, 1996; Kania et al., 2004). EGG analysis permits to verify the opening quocient (OQ) from the vocal folds. This measurement is related to the time proportion in which vocal folds remain opened during a vibration cycle (Verdolini et al., 1998). This measurement permits the clinician to verify the opening efficiency or inefficiency from the vocal folds (Weinrich et al., 2005). Electroglottograph may be especially suitable for use in a clinician’s office since it is immune to environmental acoustic noise, is portable, is relatively inexpensive, and software is commercially available for analysis of EGG signals (Cheyne, Nuss, Hillman, 1999). Cheyne, Nuss, Hillman (1999) studied sustained vowel /a/ production in children aged from 3 to 16 years-old and concluded that the four measures on the EGG signal— jitter, OQ, closing quotient, and opening quotient—are independent of age and sex. METHODS METHODS Subjects: Children were submitted to a complete speech and language evaluation and results did not demonstrate any kind of speech and/or language disorder Procedure: Eletroglottographic data (EGG) were collected by soliciting to the children a three-time repetition of six vehicle-sentences containing three target fricative voiced sounds from Brazilian Portuguese. Table 1: Vehicle-sentences used for repetition of the target words (in bold): Speech data was collected in a silent place using Computerized Speech Laboratory 4300B (CSL-4300B) and further analysis was made using CSL Data were analyzed by measuring target-sound duration (in seconds), opening quocient-OQ- mean (in percentage), minimum and maximum values from opening quocient of the target-sound (in percentage) and standard deviation- SD- (in percentage). Mann-Whitney and Correlation tests were applied. One female child aged 8:2 years-old One male child aged 7:5 yeras-old AIM To analyze the opening quocient (OQ) from Brazilian Portuguese fricative voiced sounds produced by two children without communicative disorders. OQ-opening quotient; SD-standard deviation Mann-Whitney test was applied between subjects and demonstrated statistic significant results for both time duration (p=0,045) and OQ (p=0,005) from target-sounds (considering mean values). DISCUSSION Comparison was made considering all vowels. Results demonstrated that duration of the three voiced fricative sounds from Brazilian Portuguese were similar for the target words in vehicle sentences presented. Despite the existence of such similarity in duration of the target sounds it is interesting to note that statistically duration was different between subjects (always longer for subject 2) what indicates that variability is present only between subjects. Such variability was not observed among the different sounds produced by the same subject. OQ percentage values were also different between subjects (for subject 1 was always higher than for subject 2). These results were reinforced by statistical analysis. The results suggest that children's production of sounds (especially voiced fricative sounds) are still variable at this age what is not expected for adults´ production, but still may occur during children´s speech development. It is interesting to state that this variability in production did not interfere in sounds produced by the two children since perceptual analysis made by the researcher before EGG analysis identified all the sounds as voiced fricative sounds. It indicates that even though variability in production may be present at children´s speech it does not interfere on the sound we are listening to.