Measuring coarticulation and variability in tongue contact patterns

Instrumental assessment of pathological speech is of limited use unless normal variability can be quantitatively defined. An attempt was made to quantify the variability of tongue contact patterns at certain stages during the pronunciation of VCV sequences by a normal speaker, in terms of the contact totals registered by an electropalatograph system. Of specific interest were the total contact area during the vowels and the rate of change of contact for consonant closures and releases. The results are discussed in the light of some current theories of coarticulation and their implications for speech assessment.