Some Characteristics of Oral and Nasal Air Flow During Plosive Consonant Production

Abstract

There are little available data concerning the oral and nasal air flow rates that occur in plosive consonants. Isshiki and Ringel (11) reported mean measures of combined oral and nasal air volume expended in the production of normal plosives while Van Hattum and Worth (18) described the total oral air volume used by normal speakers in selected plosive consonants. Subtelny and associates (17) reported peak oral flow rates for a single plosive, /p/'. Yanagihara and Hyde (24) describe the maximum nasal flow rate during production of bilabial plosives. These studies did not, however, report for a substantial number of normal-speaking subjects the peak oral and simultaneous nasal flow rates during plosives. Such data appear to be useful in understanding the aerodynamics of plosive production. The present investigation was concerned with the measurement of oral and nasal air flows that are associated with the utterance of plosive consonants by normal speakers. This study was undertaken not only because such information is basic to an understanding of normal speech, but also because it is relevant to an understanding of articulation disturbances that result from deficiencies in oral breath stream regulation. It was anticipated that data derived from normal speakers would pro— vide baseline information against which the performance of subjects with velar pathology might be compared. Method SUBJECTs. Young normal adults, twenty—five male and twenty-five female, were selected as subjects from among volunteers locally available. Persons selected as subjects had no abnormality of speech or voice quality, presented no history or current evidence of respiratory problems , and had essentially normal hearing in at least one car. All subjects were between twenty and thirty-six years of age.