Linguo-mandibular coordination in consonant production

The coordination between the jaw and tongue in regulating tongue position for consonant articulation was explored by simultaneous use of electropalatography and an alternating magnetic field device (Movetrack: Branderud, 1985). Linguo-palatal constriction was monitored via palatography, and tongue body and jaw height and frontness were monitored by small receiver coils adhering to the articulators. Speech materials were real and nonsense words of the form (C)V1CV2, where C ranged over {t d ∫ z I} and V1 and V2 over {a i}. The “real” words were produced in isolation and in sentences. Each token was repeated three times by one female native speaker of Italian. Regression analysis was used both to distinguish between rotational and translational movement of the jaw and to separate between the tongue's independent movement and positional effects caused by jaw movement. Examination of the inherent differences among consonants in tongue position reveals both synergistic and antagonistic patterns of linguo-mandibular coordination. The tongue body is lower for /z/ than for the other consonants, and fronted for (in order) /z ∫/>/t/>/d l/. Comparison with the jaw positions and with the residuals from the regression analyses reveals that the tongue height differences result from a combination of jaw height differences (/z ∫/>/t d/>/l/) and active lowering of the tongue body (relative to the jaw) for /z ∫/. Similarly, the tongue frontness differences result from a combination of (translational) jaw fronting for /z ∫/ and relative retraction of the tongue body for /l/. [Supported by ESPRIT ACCOR II BRA action 3279 and NICDC Grant No. DC-00016.]