I think there is something wrong with the implication that "external" hearing is
necessary to get the proper feedback for speaking. A very significant portion of
one's speech signal gets to the ear via bone conduction.This happens whether the
ear is clogged or not. Just try to cover your ears with your fingers. External
sound will now be very weak but if you use you own voice you will hear it very
clearly.
K-F Etzold
IBM T. J. Watson Research Center
914-945-3816
914-945-2026 Fax
Dick Swindler <[log in to unmask]>@listserv.utoronto.ca> on 09/15/99 12:52:06 PM
Please respond to "Parkinson's Information Exchange"
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Subject: PD - Hearing and speech
We made an interesting discovery today about the connection between speech
difficulties and hearing.
Dick's ears have an unusual tendency for the wax to form a thin, almost
transparent shell coating the inside of his ears. Once there's nearly a
solid shell in one of his ears, his hearing is almost totally gone. I don't
know if it's because it becomes so tight across the eardrum that it can't
vibrate, or what.
Today he saw an ear specialist to have the wax removed, and suddenly he could
hear again. Amazingly enough, he could also speak normally again, too. He'd
been having increasing difficulty with voice volume, and, as I'd noted but
probably not convinced him of, he wasn't moving his lips when he spoke,
either. Once he could hear, he could also speak.
I know when Dick thinks his voice isn't loud enough, that sets up an anxiety
situation which causes his vocal cords to tighten up, making it even harder
to speak more loudly. He notices this, and gets even more anxious, and
therefore even quieter. It's a vicious circle. I'm not sure why he ceases
to move his lips too, but it may also be an anxiety thing. Apparently when
he couldn't hear his voice because of his ear problem, it worked to produce
the same anxiety and the same results as when his voice is actually at low
volume.
I'm not saying other PWP have hearing problems, but it's interesting to
realize what a role anxiety and fear of low voice volume can have on further
reducing volume. Wish I knew of a cure for this "anxiety feedback" loop.
Margie Swindler cg for Dick, 54/17
