Esophageal Speech
This web page describes esophageal speech, which is one of the techniques that can be used to speak after a laryngectomy has been performed. Other pages on this site describe what a laryngectomy is, and the other types of speech after a laryngectomy, including electrolaryngeal speech and tracheo-esophageal speech.
After a laryngectomy, air flow enters and leaves the lungs through a permanent opening in the neck called a stoma. Since the larynx and its vocal folds are no longer present, there is nothing that vibrates as the air moves in and out of the lungs. As a result, no sound is produced and speech using the vocal folds is not possible
In esophageal speech, the sound is not produced by the vocal folds but rather by vibrations in the esophagus and pharynx. The technique is that the individual swallows air and then allows it to escape in a controlled fashion.
As the air escapes it causes the walls of the esophagus to vibrate. This produces a sound, which can then be articulated by the mouth an lips to produce speech.
An advantages of esophageal speech is that it requires no additional operations or any special prosthesis. It is also relatively easy to learn.
The major drawback with esophageal speech is that the sounds have a rough sound, and is often limited to relatively short segments of speech. For many people it is difficult to speak an entire long sentences without taking a break to bring in more air. |
