Wisconsin x‐ray microbeam system: Acquired articulatory data and some preliminary analyses

Abstract

To complement the two previous papers, it is useful to provide a more detailed description of data obtained on the new x‐ray microbeam system. In the experiment to be described, two‐dimensional movements were acquired for pellets placed on the mandible, tongue dorsum, tongue blade, and tongue tip as well as for two reference pellets on a vertical strut attached to an eye glass frame (for head movement corrections). Sampling rates reflected individual movement speeds: 180 samples/s (SPS) for the tongue tip, 90 SPS for the tongue blade, tongue dorsum, and mandible, and 45 SPS for the reference pellets. Four adult normal subjects each produced 50–75 repetitions of the utterances “hot apple,” “hat apple,” “haddock,” and “hassock.” Primary analyses focuesd on the contribution of these four movements to anterior lingual consonant productions, including 2‐D pellet positions at palatal contact, and the velocity, amplitude, and direction of the trajectories in achieving those positions. Position and trajectory patterns, along with variability distributions, provide certain perspectives on the motor control of these gestures. [Work supported by NINCDS Grant 16373‐8.]