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Ultrasound Images of the Tongue: A Tutorial for Assessment and Remediation of Speech Sound Errors
Published on: January 3, 2017
Tongue-palate contact during bilabials in normal speech
Fiona E Gibbon1, Alice Lee, Ivan Yuen
1Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK. fgibbon@qmuc.ac.uk
Summary
Electropalatography (EPG) data show that complete tongue-palate constriction during bilabial sounds is abnormal in typical English speakers. Some lateral palate contact during bilabials is normal, but full constriction is not.
Area of Science:
- Speech Science
- Phonetics
- Clinical Linguistics
Background:
- Electropalatography (EPG) has identified abnormal "bilabial-lingual double articulations" in speakers with cleft palate.
- These involve simultaneous lip closure and tongue-palate constriction during bilabial sounds.
- Normative data for typical English speakers are lacking to confirm the abnormality of these articulations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normative electropalatography (EPG) data for tongue-palate contact during bilabial consonant production in typical English speakers.
- To determine if complete tongue-palate constriction occurs during normal bilabial speech.
- To provide a baseline for identifying abnormal articulation patterns.
Main Methods:
- Recorded acoustic and EPG data for bilabials in various vowel contexts from eight healthy English-speaking adults.
- Measured complete tongue-palate constriction.
- Calculated the percentage of palatal contact.
Main Results:
- No instances of complete tongue-palate constriction were observed during bilabial closure in normal speakers.
- Some EPG contact was noted in the lateral regions of the palate.
- Vowel context influenced the degree of lateral contact, with /i/ showing more contact than /a/.
Conclusions:
- Complete tongue-palate constriction during bilabials, as seen in "bilabial-lingual double articulations," is an abnormal pattern not present in typical English speech.
- Speech-language pathologists using EPG should recognize that some lateral palatal contact during bilabial sounds is a normal variation.
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