LOWER PHARYNGEAL WALL COARTICULATION IN VCV SYLLABLES

Speech movements of the lower pharyngeal wall were recorded in two sub jects using pulsed-echo ultrasound. The focus of the study was the pat tern of coarticulation of pharyngeal wall movements. Using nonsense ut terances as test material, both anticipatory and carryover coarticulat ory effects were observed. The identity of the final vowel in VCV sequ ences affected the kinematic characteristics of the. initial VC transi tion. Both the amplitude and the duration of the movement between the initial vowel and the consonant were greater when the final vowel was /u/ rather than /a/. Similarly, the initial vowel affected the kinemat ic characteristics of the final CV transition. The amplitude of the mo vement from the consonant to the final vowel was greater with the init ial vowel /u/ as opposed to /a/. The coarticulatory patterns observed in this study are similar to those previously reported for the tongue dorsum and upper pharynx [Parush et al, J. Acoust. Soc., Am. 74, 1115- 1125 (1983); Parush and Ostry, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 749-756 (1986)] .