Preliminary observations concerning children's labio-mandibular dynamics

Abstract

Acoustic measures of children's speech often evidence longer segment and phrase durations than those of adults. From acoustic data alone, however, the cause of these longer durations is unclear. Children might execute their articulatory gestures more slowly than adults, or they might require longer “steady-state” periods for planning subsequent articulatory movements. Because speakers with small oro-facial structures may not move their articulators as rapidly as those with larger oro-facial structures [Kuehn and Moll, J. Phonet. 3, 303–320 (1976)], children could also show slower articulatory movements as merely anatomical artifacts. This pilot study investigated anatomical, physiological and phonetic factors that affect the rates of which children move their articulators. A straingage transduction system was used to monitor inferior-superior movements of the upper and lower lips and mandible during the production of various labial consonants. Subjects were four 4–7-year-old children and three adults. Results indicate that although the children evidenced articulator displacements comparable to those of the adults, the children generally moved their articulators considerably more slowly. [Supported by NIH Biomedical Sciences Support Grant 5 S05 RR07028.]