Application of MRI to the analysis of speech production

Computer models of the process of speech articulation require a detailed knowledge of the vocal tract configurations employed in speech and the application of acoustic theory to calculate the sound waveform. Almost all currently available data on vocal tract dimensions come from x-ray films and are severely limited in quantity and coherence due to restrictions on radiation dosage and intersubject differences. We are using MRI techniques to obtain the pharyngeal dimensions of speakers producing sustained vowels. The fact that MRI does not employ ionizing radiation provides speech research with the opportunity to obtain comprehensive bodies of much-needed data on the articulatory characteristics of single subjects.