Tongue-palate contact during bilabials in normal speech.

OBJECTIVE

Previous research using electropalatography (EPG) identified a compensatory articulation called bilabial-lingual double articulations. These double articulations were produced for bilabials by some speakers with cleft palate and involved closure at the lips occurring simultaneously with complete tongue-palate constriction. However, no normative English EPG data exist to confirm the abnormal status of these double articulations.

DESIGN

This study reports normative data for EPG contact during bilabial closure. Acoustic and EPG data were recorded for bilabials in different vowel contexts.

PARTICIPANTS

Eight normal English-speaking adults.

MEASURES

One measure identified complete tongue-palate constriction, and a second measure calculated percent contact.

RESULTS

There were no instances of complete tongue-palate constriction, though some EPG contact occurred in the lateral regions of the palate. The vowel context significantly affected the amount of contact present, with /i/ having the most and /a/ having the least amount of contact.

CONCLUSION

Complete tongue-palate constriction during bilabials of the type found in bilabial-lingual double articulations is not a feature of normal English speech and can therefore be considered an abnormal articulation pattern. Speech-language pathologists who use EPG in their clinical work should be aware that some lateral contact during bilabial closure is normal.