Cross-sectional tongue shape during the production of vowels

This study used ultrasound imaging to examine the cross-sectional shape of the tongue during the production of the ten English vowels ( see text ) in two consonant contexts--/p/ and /s/--and at two scan angles--anterior and posterior. Results were compared with models of sagittal tongue shape. A newly built transducer holder and head restraint maintained the ultrasound transducer in a fixed position inferior to the mandible at a chosen location and angle. The transducer was free to move only in a superior/inferior direction, and demonstrated reliable tracking of the jaw. Since the tongue is anisotrophic along its length, anterior and posterior scan angles were examined to identify differences in tongue shape. Similarly, the coarticulatory effects of the sibilant /s/ versus the bilabial /p/ were examined, to assess variability of intrinsic tongue shape for the vowels. Results showed that the subject's midsagittal tongue grooving was almost universal for the vowels. Posterior grooves were deeper than anterior grooves. In /s/ context, posterior tongue grooves were shallower than in /p/ context. Anteriorly, /s/ context caused deeper grooves for low vowels. Cross-sectional tongue shape varied with tongue position similarly to sagittal tongue shape.