Acoustic analysis of normal Saudi adult voices

Objectives: To determine the acoustic differences between Saudi adult male and female voices, and to compare the acoustic variables of the Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP) obtained from North American adults to a group of Saudi males and females. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of normal adult male and female voices was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between March 2007 and December 2008. Ninety-five Saudi subjects sustained the vowel /a/ 6 times, and the steady state portion of 3 samples was analyzed and compared with the samples of the KayPentax normative voice database. Results: Significant differences were found between Saudi and North American KayPentax database groups. In the male subjects, 15 of 33 MDVP variables, and 10 of 33 variables in the female subjects were found to be significantly different from the KayPentax database. Conclusion: We conclude that the acoustical differences may reflect laryngeal anatomical or tissue differences between the Saudi and the KayPentax database.