Acoustic Evaluation of Adductor Laryngeal Dystonia Based on Fundamental Frequency Variations in Mandarin Third-Tone Production

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Nan Huang, Xiaoxiao Li, Qingyi Ren, Yike Li, Jing Kang, Pingjiang Ge

Published: 10 Dec 2025, Last Modified: 24 Apr 2026Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing ResearchEveryoneRevisionsCC BY-SA 4.0
Abstract: Objectives:Currently, diagnostic and evaluative criteria for adductor laryngeal dystonia (ADLD) in native Chinese Mandarin speakers remain limited. The Mandarin third tone is characterized by a falling–rising pitch contour. For individuals with ADLD, precise voluntary modulation of fundamental frequency (F0) during third-tone production is more difficult compared to healthy speakers. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using F0 variation ranges and phonation duration in third-tone syllables as objective acoustic indicators for diagnosing and evaluating ADLD.Method:Seventeen patients diagnosed with ADLD and 16 healthy controls were recruited. All participants were asked to read a Mandarin stimuli sentences. Ten third-tone syllables embedded in the sentence were analyzed. Each syllable was divided into two temporal segments based on tonal contour: the falling phase and the rising phase. F0 variation ranges and their standard deviations of two phases were measured for each syllable. The total phonation duration for each syllable was also measured. These parameters were compared between ADLD patients and controls.Results:ADLD patients exhibited significantly longer phonation durations for the syllables “火 (huǒ), 你 (nǐ), 我 (wǒ), 有 (yǒu), 网 (wǎng), 场 (chǎng), 馆 (guǎn), 酒 (jiǔ), and 慨 (kǎi)” compared to controls (p < .05). The falling phase F0 variation range of “你 (nǐ)” and the rising phase F0 variation range of “好 (hǎo)” were greater in the ADLD group compared to the normal control group (p < .05). The standard deviation of the rising phase F0 variation ranges for the syllables “火 (huǒ), 你 (nǐ), 我 (wǒ), and 酒 (jiǔ)” and the standard deviation of the falling phase F0 variation ranges for the syllables “火 (huǒ), 你 (nǐ), 我 (wǒ), 网 (wǎng), 场 (chǎng), and 酒 (jiǔ)” were significantly higher in the ADLD group than in the normal control group.Conclusion:F0 variation ranges and its standard deviation during the production of Mandarin third tones, along with the phonation duration of third-tone syllables, can serve as objective acoustic parameters for the diagnosis and severity evaluation of ADLD in native Mandarin speakers.