Summary
In this tribute article to D.G. Miller, we review some historical and recent contributions
to understanding the myoelastic-aerodynamic (MEAD) theory of phonation and the related
acoustic phenomena in subglottal and vocal tract. At the time of the formulation of
MEAD by van den Berg in late 1950s, it was assumed that vocal fold oscillations are
self-sustained thanks to increased subglottal pressure pushing the glottis to open
and decreased subglottal pressure allowing the glottis to close. In vivo measurements
of subglottal pressures during phonation invalidated these assumptions, however, and
showed that at low fundamental frequencies subglottal pressure rather tends to reach
a maximum value at the beginning of glottal closure and then exhibits damped oscillations.
These events can be interpreted as transient acoustic resonance phenomena in the subglottal
tract that are triggered by glottal closure. They are analogous to the transient acoustic
phenomena seen in the vocal tract. Rather than subglottal pressure oscillations, a
more efficient mechanism of transfer of aerodynamic energy to the vocal fold vibrations
has been identified in the vertical phase differences (mucosal waves) making the glottal
shape more convergent during glottis opening than during glottis closing. Along with
other discoveries, these findings form the basis of our current understanding of MEAD.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 17, 2021
Accepted:
January 26,
2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
