Characterizing Post-Glossectomy Speech Using Real-time MRI

We use real-time magnetic resonance imaging (rtMRI) as a tool to investigate post-glossectomy speech by examining articulatory behavior. Our data reveal that listeners perceive speech produced by postoperative partial-glossectomy patients whose surgical procedure most affected the base of tongue to be typical, while speech produced by patients whose procedure affected the oral tongue is perceived to be atypical. Mechanisms of both preservation and compensation are exhibited by post-glossectomy patients whose speech is deemed atypical by listeners. These patients employ the preservative behavior of maintaining durational differences in tense and lax vowels, as well as range of F1 (vowel height). Range of F2 (vowel backness), however, is severely reduced. Compensatory behavior is exhibited when coronal tongue movement has been impeded and is exemplified by (i) production of labial stops in place of target coronal stops and laterals and (ii) frication being produced by formation of a constriction between the tongue dorsum and palate, in place of alveolar fricative /s/.