Development and phonetic differentiation of speech movement patterns

Author(s): Smith, A.

Journal/Book: J Exp Psychol Hum Percep Perf. 1999; 25: 750 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, USA. Amer Psychological Assoc. 649-660.

Abstract: It is often hypothesized that speech production units are less distinctive in young children and that generalized movement primitives, or templates, serve as a base on which distinctive, mature templates are later elaborated. This hypothesis was examined by analyzing the shape and stability of single close-open speech movements of the lower lip recorded in 4-year-old, 7-year-old, and adult speakers during production of utterances that varied in only a single phoneme. To assess the presence of a generalized template, lower lip movement sequences were time and amplitude normalized, and a pattern recognition procedure was implemented. The findings indicate that speech movements of children already converged on phonetically distinctive patterns by 4 years of age. In contrast, an index of spatiotemporal stability demonstrated that the stability of underlying patterning of the movement sequence improves with maturation.

Note: Article Goffman L, Purdue Univ, Heavilon Hall, W Lafayette,IN 47907 USA

Keyword(s): CHILDREN; ADULTS; ACQUISITION; TIME; KINEMATICS; CONSONANTS; PHONOLOGY; EMERGENCE; STABILITY; SEQUENCES

Zurück | Weiter