Laryngeal fricative in cleft palate speech

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Otolaryngology
• Laryngology

Background:

• Cleft palate speech often involves atypical sound production.
• Previously, certain speech errors were misclassified as pharyngeal fricatives.

Observation:

• Listener judgment identified some speech sounds as pharyngeal fricatives.
• Fluorovideoscopy and nasopharyngofiberscopy were used for detailed analysis.

Findings:

• The studied sound substitutions were identified as laryngeal fricatives, not pharyngeal.
• Production occurred at a stricture involving the epiglottis and arytenoids.
• The velopharyngeal port remained open during this laryngeal fricative production, similar to nasal sounds.

Implications:

• Revises understanding of speech sound production in cleft palate.
• Informs targeted speech therapy interventions for individuals with cleft palate.
• Highlights the importance of instrumental analysis in phonetics research.