Voice Quality Symbols
Voice Quality Symbols (VoQS) are a set of phonetic symbols used for voice quality, for example when transcribing disordered speech.
VoQS symbols are normally combined with curly braces that span a section of speech, just as with prosody notation in the extended IPA. The symbols may be modified with a digit to convey relative degree of the quality. For example, ⟨V!⟩ is used for harsh voice, and {3V! ... 3V!} indicates that the intervening speech is very harsh. ⟨L̞⟩ indicates a lowered larynx, so {L̞1V! ... 1V!L̞} indicates that the intervening speech is less harsh with a lowered larynx.
VoQS use mostly IPA or extended IPA diacritics on capital letters for the element being modified: V for 'voice', L for 'larynx', J for 'jaw'. Degree is marked 1 for slight, 2 for moderate, and 3 for extreme.
Symbols
The following combinations of letters and diacritics are used.[1] They indicate an airstream mechanism, phonation or secondary articulation across a stretch of speech. For example, 'palatalized voice' indicates palatalization of the segment of speech spanned by the braces.
- airstream mechanisms
- {ↀ} buccal speech (symbol is iconic for the pockets of air in the cheeks)
- {Œ} œsophageal speech (symbol derives from the letter œ of œsophagus)
- {Ю} tracheo-œsophaeal speech (symbol attempts to capture iconically the dual nature of the airstream)
- {↓} pulmonic ingressive speech
- phonation types
The four primary phonation types, other than breathed (voiceless), receive a distinct letter:
- {V} modal voice
- {F} falsetto
- {W} whisper (typically only the normally modal-voice segments are whispery, while the voiceless segments remain voiceless)
- {C} creak
Modifications are made with diacritics. The terms "whispery voice/murmur" and "breathy voice" follow Catford (1977) and differ from the use of "murmur/breathy voice" by the IPA. The notation {Ṿ} and {V̤} are therefore often confused, and {V̤} should perhaps be used for whispery voice with e.g. {Vʱ} for breathy voice.[2]
- {Ṿ} whispery voice (murmur; the breathy voice of the IPA)
- {V̰} creaky voice
- {V̤} breathy voice
- {C̣} whispery creak
- {V͉} slack/lax voice
- {V!} harsh voice (without ventricular vibration; this may differ from the use of the word "harsh" cross-linguistically, which may be the same as "ventricular", next)
- {V‼} ventricular phonation
- {V̬‼} diplophonia (simultaneous ventricular and glottal vibration; see also vocal-fold cyst)
- {Ṿ‼} whispery ventricular phonation
- {VꜲ} aryepiglottic phonation
- {V͈} pressed phonation/tight voice (made by pressing together the arytenoid cartilages so that only the anterior ligamental vocal folds vibrate; the opposite of whisper, where the vibration is posterior)
- {W͈} tight whisper
- {ꟿ} spasmodic dysphonia
- {И} electrolaryngeal phonation (approximates symbol for electricity)
- supra-laryngeal settings
- {L̝} raised larynx
- {L̞} lowered larynx
- {Vꟹ} labialized voice (open rounded; that is, [◌ʷ̜])
- {Vʷ} labialized voice (close rounded)
- {V͍} spread-lip voice
- {Vᶹ} labio-dentalized voice
- {V̺} linguo-apicalized voice
- {V̻} linguo-laminalized voice
- {V˞} retroflex voice
- {V̪} dentalized voice (diacritic iconic for a tooth)
- {V͇} alveolarized voice (diacritic iconic for the alveolar ridge)
- {V͇ʲ} palatoalveolarized voice
- {Vʲ} palatalized voice
- {Vˠ} velarized voice
- {Vʶ} uvularized voice (self-evidence extension of IPA usage)
- {Vˤ} pharyngealized voice
- {V̙ˤ} laryngo-pharyngealized voice
- {Vꟸ} faucalized voice (iconic of narrowing of faucal pillars)
- {Ṽ} nasalized voice
- {V͊} denasalized voice
- {J̞} open-jaw voice
- {J̝} close-jaw voice
- {J͔} right-offset-jaw voice
- {J͕} left-offset-jaw voice
- {J̟} protruded-jaw voice
- {Θ} protruded-tongue voice (protrusion of the tip or blade of the tongue for extended periods)
Other combinations are possible, such as {Ṿ̃} for nasal whispery voice[3] or {WF̰} for whispery creaky falsetto.[2] If the number of diacritics on a letter becomes excessive, the notation may be broken up. For example, {Ṿ̰̃ˠ} may be replaced with {VˠṼṾV̰}.