STUDIES OF ARTICULATORY ACTIVITY AND AIRFLOW DURING SPEECH *

One of the principal objectives of research in speech is to understand the mechanism underlying the control of the speech-generating system. Several kinds of experimental observations can be made in order to investigate the nature of this process. The manifestation of speech that is most available is the sound itself, and various procedures have been devised to examine the attributes of the acoustic signal. Other types of experimental evidence come from cineradiographic studies and from observations of electromyographic activity in the tongue, lips, and other structures. Airflow and pressure events during speech can also provide useful information concerning the activities of the various articulatory structures. The purpose of this paper is to present some measurements of airflow during speech production and to indicate that these data lead to certain conclusions concerning the manner in which the speech-generating mechanism is controlled.