Standardization of Nasometry for Normal Egyptian Arabic Speakers

Objective: The aim of this study was to collect the normative values of nasalance for Egyptian Arabic speakers in different age groups, using Arabic speech samples in order to compare patients with disturbed nasality. Material and Methods: This study included 300 normal Egyptian volunteers divided into three groups according to their ages: group I = children (n = 92; age 3 years, 3 months to 9 years), group II = teenagers (n = 76; age 9-18 years) and group III = adults (n = 132; age above 18 years). The Nasometer II 6400 was used for the analysis of speech samples. All subjects were asked to perform four speech tasks that were based on the MacKay-Kummer SNAP Test-R and modified to be applicable to the Arabic language, especially to the Egyptian dialect. Results: The normative values for nasometric assessment in the different age groups were studied. The results demonstrated nasalance score variations according to age and gender. Most of the nasalance score norms of the Egyptian children demonstrated statistically significant differences when compared with the norms of children for the MacKay-Kummer Test-R. Conclusion: The Egyptian Arabic SNAP test is an easy, noninvasive and objective procedure that is suitable for all age groups. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel