Abstract:

In the current study, characteristics of labial force--impulse tasks were investigated under three speaking conditions using a minipressure transducer. In the task, neurologically normal adults were first asked to read aloud two sentences of different lengths (ten repetitions each) containing bilabial voiced and unvoiced consonants, and were then required to repeat the series of utterances using mimed speech. Mimed speech was produced with subjects holding their breath; subsequently, the experimenter cued subjects to use a normal airflow and the mimed utterances were repeated. Subjects were then trained to produced sequences of labial force impulses modeled on the real-speech utterances by substituting /ba/ or /pa/ for each syllable. The reiterant condition was also recorded as mimed. The goal of the analyses were to (a) compare the timing of the real-speech sequences to the timing of mimed and reiterant versions, and (b) compare the force magnitudes associated with labial stress produced during real speech to mimed and reiterant repetitions. Results will be discussed in terms of the relationship between orofacial, nonspeech motor performance and speech production performance. [Work supported by NIH Award No. T32 DC00042 and R01 DC00319.]