Electropalatography Contact Patterns in the Production of Malay Consonants among Paralysed Patients

Abstract

Various techniques are available for improving speech production among subjects with speech problems, including paralysed patients. In this study, electropalatography (EPG) that detects the tongue and hard palate contact during continuous speech is used as a therapeutic instrument for improving the production of speech among paralysed patient. Five paralysed subjects with different medical background had been chosen. All paralysed subjects were asked to wear a Reading Palate which has 62 electrodes as a sensor to detect the tongue and hard palate contacts. The electrode sensors were divided into four zones which are alveolar, postalveolar, palatal and velar zones. The signals of the electrodes were transferred to a computer and analysed using Articulate Assistant TM 1.18. The objective of this study is to determine the location of contact between the tongue and hard palate among five paralysed subjects during the production of bilabial, postalveolar, velar and glottal consonants. The contact patterns produced by the paralysed subject were compared with the contact pattern guideline of the Malay consonants. In conclusion, EPG is suitable to be used as a device to identify the difference in the contact pattern. Besides, EPG can also be used as an exercise instrument to train the muscle movement to improve the contact pattern.