Quantitative Analysis of /l/ Production from RT-MRI: First Results

Lateral consonants are complex and variable sounds. Static MRI provides relevant information regarding /l/ geometry, but does not address dynamic properties. Real-time MRI is a well suited technique for dealing with temporal aspects. However, large amounts of data have to be processed to harness its full potential. The main goal of this paper is to extend a recently proposed quantitative framework to the analysis of real-time MRI data for European Portuguese /l/. Several vocal tract configurations of the alveolar consonant, acquired in different syllable positions and vocalic contexts, were compared. The quantitative framework revealed itself capable of dealing with the data for the /l/, allowing a systematic analysis of the multiple realisations. The results regarding syllable position effects and coarticulation of /l/ with adjacent vowels are in line with previous findings.