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Relationships Between Ambient Noise Levels And Vocal Effort When Working As A Restaurant Bartender, Ashley Bautista

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Workers in many different fields depend upon their voice for job performance. Vocal load, the way a voice is used and how much it is used, increases as a function of the total time speech is produced and the intensity (“loudness”) of the voice. Speakers tend to increase pitch, intensity, and duration of speech in the presence of noise, known as the Lombard Effect, which can lead to greater vocal fold stress and subsequent risk of vocal injury. In addition to increased risk of vocal injury, high levels of ambient noise might put workers at risk of auditory damage. …