Temporal aspect os articulatory movement for /s/-stop clusters

Area of Science:

• Speech Science
• Articulatory Phonetics
• Linguistics

Background:

• Understanding consonant cluster articulation is crucial for speech production research.
• Previous models have not fully captured the dynamic interplay of articulators in complex clusters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the articulatory strategies for initial /sp/, /st/, and /sk/ consonant clusters.
• To analyze tongue, jaw, and lip movements during the production of these clusters.

Main Methods:

• Cinefluorographic tracking of pellets placed on the tongue, jaw, and lips.
• Analysis of articulatory movements in three adult subjects.

Main Results:

• Identified basic articulatory strategies for /sp/, /st/, and /sk/ clusters.
• Demonstrated tongue movement economy and its function as a multiple articulator.
• Observed shorter /s/ fricative duration before /p/ due to early lip closure.

Conclusions:

• Tongue movement economy is a key feature in producing initial consonant clusters.
• The tongue functions as a multiple articulator, influencing adjacent sounds.
• Articulatory timing, particularly lip closure, affects fricative duration in consonant clusters.