Measures of speech production

Area of Science:

• Speech production mechanisms
• Motor control in speech
• Physiological acoustics

Background:

• Speech production involves complex physiological events.
• Understanding these events requires multi-level investigation.
• Existing methods offer different approaches to data acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss mechanisms of speech production, focusing on motor aspects.
• To examine multiple representation levels for physiological events in speech.
• To illustrate measurement approaches using a study of stuttering.

Main Methods:

• Investigating physiological events at multiple representation levels.
• Measuring neuromuscular activity, structural movement (kinematics, dynamics), aerodynamics, and acoustic output.
• Describing two general approaches: multi-level within one system or cross-system analysis.

Main Results:

• Simultaneous recording of electromyogram (EMG), kinematic, and acoustic signals allows comprehensive assessment within a system.
• Simultaneous recording across multiple systems provides insights into inter-system physiological organization.
• These methods are applicable to studying speech disorders like stuttering.

Conclusions:

• Multi-level and cross-system analyses are crucial for understanding speech production physiology.
• The described methods offer robust frameworks for investigating speech motor control.
• Application to stuttering demonstrates the practical utility of these measurement techniques.