(1) This pattern of function differs from that observed in men (Melcon, Hoit, & Hixon, 1989).
(2) Established procedures for making chest wall kinematic observations (Hoit & Hixon, 1987) and pressure-flow observations (Smitheran & Hixon, 1981) were used to study respiratory and laryngeal function during whispering and speaking in 10 healthy young adults.
(3) The integration of the instantaneous outputs throughout the whole of diastole by a computer programme provides the stroke volume; by a simplification of this method (B) which considers the short axis of the mitral ellipse to be constant and equal to the mean mitral valve leaflet separation measured from the M mode recording, and; by Hoit's method (C) which calculates mitral valve surface area from the M mode recording alone.
(4) In addition, patterns of function observed in women are compared to those observed in men in an earlier investigation (Hoit & Hixon, 1987).
(5) Comparison of the present findings for women to those recently reported for comparable men (Hoit & Hixon, 1987) revealed no remarkable differences in speech breathing characteristics.