An electromyographic investigation of articulation and phonation patterns in the speech of deaf adults*

An electromyographic investigation was carried out on the speech of normal-hearing and deaf speakers; the research attempted to answer questions concerning articulation and phonation patterns in the speech of deaf adults. Recordings were made of each subject reading a constant carrier phrase into which a changing medial monosyllable was embedded. The deaf subjects utilized for this investigation were judged to be above average in intelligibility for a group of this type; they all exhibited a profound bilateral hearing loss of early onset. Surface suction electrodes were placed in two positions on the tongue. The EMG data were reproduced via the amplitude display of a two-channel Kay Sonagraph. The results indicated that the deaf speakers extended the durations of speech segments and exhibited difficulty co-ordinating articulation with phonation.