Newsgroups: comp.speech
Path: lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!pipex!bnr.co.uk!corpgate!nrtphaa9.nt.com!brtph560!brtph8ee!hoequist
From: hoequist@brtph8ee.bnr.ca (Charles Hoequist P250)
Subject: Re: Strain on voice from SR
Message-ID: <1994Aug16.120839.13521@brtph560.bnr.ca>
Sender: hoequist@brtph8ee (Charles Hoequist P250)
Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 12:08:39 GMT
References:  <32po14$epe@news.u.washington.edu>
Organization: BNR Inc., RTP, NC
Lines: 32

In article <32po14$epe@news.u.washington.edu>, edsuom@u.washington.edu (Ed Suominen) writes:
|> I've messed up my wrists from overuse on a keyboard, and am looking at 
|> speech recognition as an alternative. BUT, will I mess up my voice/throat 
|> from constant tension to speak discrete words over and over again? 
|> 
|> What studies are being done to see if this is another user input health 
|> problem?
|> 
|> -Ed

No research I know of, and I doubt any is necessary. Saying a single
discrete word does not put any known additional stress on any part
of the vocal tract. Many conversations consist of short utterances,
and though people may get tired of conversations, it's not generally
due to strain on the voice :)
The only ways you'll strain yourself in voice input might be:
- tensing up while speaking, which has nothing to do with the 
discrete-utterance input.
- screaming the input full-bore
- singing input operatically over a period of years; could lead to 
growth of nodules on the vocal folds.

In short, normal speaking shouldn't hurt.

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