Relationships Between Muscle Activity and Velar Position

Abstract

Five normal subjects were used to study the relations between muscle activity and velar position. The speech sample consisted of the sustained sounds /i/, /u/, /s/, nonnasal /(1/, and nasalized /(1/. Velar position was determined using lateral-View x—rays. Electromyographic activity was measured from hooked—wire electrodes intended to record from the levator veli palatini, palatoglossus, palatopharyngeus, and the superior pharyngeal constrictor muscles. A transnasal approach was used to insert electrodes intended for superior constrictor. It was found that 1) the level of levator activity was not directly related to velar position, 2) for a given velar position the level of levator activity was related to palatoglossus and/0r palatopharyngeus activity in most cases, and 3) superior constrictor was active during all speech samples studied, but the level of activity was inconsistent both within and between subjects.