A pressure sensitive palatography: application of new pressure sensitive sheet for measuring tongue-palatal contact pressure

This paper describes a new method for measuring the tonguepalatal contact pressure using a thin pressure sensor and its application for speech research. The new pressure sensor is composed of thin pressure sensitive ink whose electrical resistance is proportional to the physical forces applied to the sensor. Several sensors were arranged on the surface of the palatal plate. This setup was used to measure the tongue pressure toward the hard palate during closure for Japanese stop consonants [t] and [d]. Results obtained from 10 Japanese subjects showed the tongue-palatal contact pressure for [t] to be stronger than that for [d]. In addition, the sensors placed on the non-contact area showed no pressure change, indicating negligible effects of intra-oral air pressure during consonantal closure.