Volume II Clinical Evidence
Krzysztof Izdebski
Plural Publishing, 2008,
£41
ISBN: 978-1-59756-118-1
This is the second book in a series of three. It offers clinical evidence on emotion and the voice in the form of 19 contributions from voice specialists around the world.
On first viewing this is not a light read. It represents a collation of mostly scientific papers across a wide range of subject matters and population groups, with a common theme that emotion affects
communication and voice.
This is an eclectic mix. Within the 19 contributions the topic areas include, for example, the difficulties that laryngectomy speakers have in conveying emotion, specifically crying and laughing; the negative impact that cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency has on conveying emotional intent and thus the danger that the message is misinterpreted by the listener; the impairment of a speakers ability to convey emotional content following brain damage to the right hemisphere.
There is a chapter by Jo Estill. This is predominantly a description of the Estill Compulsory Figures for Voice Control, and it explains the correlation between applying a basic, primal emotion in the voice to produce the desired physiological target and voice quality. Thus to retract the false vocal cords, ‘the speaker must pretend to silently laugh or cry with high emotion’.
There are two different contributions presenting evidence of the model of stress and its effect on the voice. In the first, Chapter 11, much of the research is discussed, including the links between personality type and voice disorders as well as current research examining the link between stress and levels of anxiety and depression in patients with voice disorders. The second, Chapter 18, will resonate with therapists, voice coaches and teachers as it discusses the model of stress and its affect on the voice in the context of the professional voice user. It describes the level of stress and energy that is useful to a good vocal performance as opposed to an unhelpful state of distress where performance is hindered and it describes the emotional reactions experienced by the voice user.
While this is not a core voice text, it could be a useful reference book and could add some value and interest to speech and language therapists working in neurology and with children.
Annie Elias
Speech and Language Therapist