An electrolarynx (EL) is a valuable rehabilitative option for individuals who have undergone laryngectomy, but current monotone ELs do not support controlled variations in fundamental frequency for producing tonal languages. The present study examined the production and perception of Mandarin Chinese using a customized hand-held EL driven by computer software to generate tonal distinctions (tonal EL). Four native Mandarin speakers were trained to articulate their speech coincidentally with preprogrammed tonal patterns in order to produce mono- and di-syllabic words with a monotone EL and tonal EL. Three native Mandarin speakers later transcribed and rated the speech samples for intelligibility and acceptability. Results indicated that words produced using the tonal EL were significantly more intelligible and acceptable than those produced using the monotone EL.

电喉（EL）对于进行喉切除术的人来说是一种很有价值的康复选择，但是目前的单调电声不支持产生音调语言的基本频率的受控变化。本研究使用由计算机软件驱动的定制手持EL产生色调差异（音调EL）来检查普通话的产生和感知。培训了四位讲普通话的普通话者，使其与预编程的音调模式同时发声，从而产生具有单调EL和音调EL的单音节和双音节词。随后，三名以普通话为母语的人抄录了语音样本，并对语音样本的清晰度和可接受性进行了评级。