Techniques for transducing movements of points on articulatory structures

Abstract

Experience with cineradiography and the x‐ray microbeam has shown that midsagittal‐plane data on the movements of multiple articulators inside and outside the vocal tract can be extremely useful in studying articulatory‐to‐acoustic relationships and strategies for speech motor control. This paper describes two recently developed alternating magnetic field systems that produce point‐movement data much like the x‐ray microbeam. One system uses two external magnetic‐field transmitters and small biaxial. receivers that are attached to the articulators; the other uses three magnetic‐field transmitters and single‐axis receivers. Construction, extensive testing, and simulation of both designs have shown that each system can produce useful data and each has a specific set of advantages and disadvantages. These results are described and the systems are compared with the new x‐ray microbeam system at the University of Wisconsin. Examples of data are presented to illustrate their role in the study of speech production, in relation to overall requirements for articulatory data. [Work supported by NIH.]