Esophageal speech

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Esophageal speech, also known as esophageal voice, is an airstream mechanism for speech that involves oscillation of the esophagus. This contrasts with traditional laryngeal speech, which involves oscillation of the vocal folds. In esophageal speech, pressurized air is injected into the upper esophagus and then released in a controlled manner to create the airstream necessary for speech. Esophageal speech is a learned skill that requires speech training and much practice. On average it takes 6 months to a year to learn this form of speech. Because of the high level of difficulty in learning esophageal speech, some patients are unable to master the skill.

The Voice Quality Symbol for esophageal speech is Œ.