Temporal Reorganization of Articulation to an Artificial Palate

Speakers make effective adaptation to unfavourable articulatory conditions and they successfully compensate for the perturbation. The influence of artificial palate (6mm thick in the region of the alveolar ridge) on the reorganization of articulatory movements when speakers practise pronunciation with the artificial palate is investigated. Five female students of normal articulatory and hearing status pronounced the test sentence 10 times in a row in four sequences with one-hour pronunciation practice with the artificial palate. Four pronunciation conditions were realized depending on perturbation and practice. The acoustic analysis of temporal parameters was done on the spectrographic and sound wave representations. In general, results showed that the temporal articulatory program and execution are very stable and that only some sounds are disturbed by the perturbation provoked by the artificial palate. Pronunciation practice can, to a certain level, improve the perturbed pronunciation with the palate.