Nasality and velopharyngeal function in five hearing impaired adults.

Cineradiographic observations of velopharyngeal functioning and listener judgments of hypernasality were compared for five hearing impaired adults. All of the hearing impaired speakers were perceived to have speech characterized by excessive nasality, while only two of the subjects exhibited any velopharyngeal opening. The relationships between the perception of excessive nasality and variables other than the physiology of the velopharyngeal mechanism are discussed.