Objective: To evaluate the phonological characteristics of speech in patients with Parkinsonism, and to compare with the healthy elderly adults.
Method: By measuring the sustained phonation, diadochokinesis, mean intonation difference (average difference in fundamental frequency between the last syllables of interrogative and declarative sentences), and speech rate using the IBM Speech Viewer III system in the seventeen patients with Parkinsonism and fifteen healthy elderly adults.
Results: (1) Ability to prolong vowels and intonation values were reduced in the Parkinsonism group as compared to the control group, (2) The diadochokinetic rate and speech rate failed to differentiate between two groups.
Conclusion: The analysis of the phonological characteristics of speech in patients with Parkinsonism was valuable for the evaluation and treatment of dysarthria.
