Is the relative fundamental frequency an acoustic correlate of laryngeal tension in Portugese speakers?

In this study the relative fundamental frequency (RFF) of healthy speakers (N=24) and speakers with voice disorders (vocal nodules N=9; Reinke’s edema N=15) and its relation with laryngeal tension, were analysed. Ten VCV sequences from a phonetically balanced text were selected to calculate RFF values, and vowel [a] was used to estimate the mean fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and mean harmonics-noise-ratio. Strain was also perceptually assessed with the GRBAS scale. Analysis-ofvariance was used to compare the RFF values from the three different groups but no statistically significant differences were found. There were, however statistically significant differences between the cycles. The RFF values within each group were widely dispersed. Contrary to what has been previously claimed in the literature it was not possible to establish a correlation between RFF and laryngeal tension, and it is hard to see the applicability of the RFF measure in a clinical context.