Summary
Voice is a major means of communication for humans, non-human mammals and many other
vertebrates like birds and anurans. The physical and physiological principles of voice
production are described by two theories: the MyoElastic-AeroDynamic (MEAD) theory
and the Source-Filter Theory (SFT). While MEAD employs a multiphysics approach to
understand the motor control and dynamics of self-sustained vibration of vocal folds
or analogous tissues, SFT predominantly uses acoustics to understand spectral changes
of the source via linear propagation through the vocal tract. Because the two theories
focus on different aspects of voice production, they are often applied distinctly
in specific areas of science and engineering. Here, we argue that the MEAD and the
SFT are linked integral aspects of a holistic theory of voice production, describing
a dynamically coupled system. The aim of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive
review of both the MEAD and the source-filter theory with its nonlinear extension,
the latter of which suggests a number of conceptual similarities to sound production
in brass instruments. We discuss the application of both theories to voice production
of humans as well as of animals. An appraisal of voice production in the light of
non-linear dynamics supports the notion that it can be best described with a systems
view, considering coupled systems rather than isolated contributions of individual
sub-systems.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 01, 2023
Accepted:
October 7,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
