Ultrasonic Research into the Physiology of Speech Production

Romanić, Danijel and Liker, Marko. (2012). Ultrasonic Research into the Physiology of Speech Production. Govor : časopis za fonetiku, 29(2). pp. 169-186. ISSN 0352-7565

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the ultrasound as an efficient, non-invasive and relatively inexpensive method for the research into the physiology of speech production. Apart from being used in clinical diagnostics and therapy, ultrasound is also becoming widely used in speech production research for vocal tract imaging. Therefore, ultrasound is proving increasingly important in phonetic research, clinical phonetics and, ultimately, in articulatory speech synthesis. However, using ultrasound to visualize the vocal tract is a complex process, which requires the consideration of numerous factors. Besides choosing the type of the ultrasound machine and the ultrasound probe, there are also matters of stabilizing subject’s head and the probe, as well as the annotation criteria and interpretation of ultrasound data, which are all critical for a successful ultrasonic investigation. Acquiring a complete image of a particular section of the vocal tract is made possible only by using multiple physiological imaging techniques integrated into the so called multi-channel system. Ultrasound fits nicely into such multi-channel systems. Ultrasound as an imaging technique in speech research is still largely experimental method. However, having in mind the advantages of ultrasound and constant technological advancements, it can be assumed that its use in speech research will intensify in the future.

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