Coordination of lingual and laryngeal gestures in speech

Abstract

Although it is clear that there is extensive cooperation among the articulators in the production of speech, the various ways that articulatory movements can be coupled have yet to be explored in detail. In this paper, we present preliminary findings on the nature of the tongue‐vocal fold linkage in the production of repetitive speechlike sounds. Subjects produced the utterance /kakak/ at both normal and fast speech rates with either the first or the second vowel stressed. The lowering movement of the tongue dorsum and the abduction and adduction gestures of the vocal folds were monitored simultaneously by using a computerized ultrasound system. The kinematic patterns of tongue and vocal fold movement were assessed in terms of linkages between movement amplitudes, durations, maximum velocities, and movement trajectories. Both cooperative and compensatory patterns were examined. In addition, phase relationships between the tongue and vocal folds were evaluated as a function of differences in rate and stress. The discussion focuses on the bases of cooperation in these interarticulator movements.