The Phonetics Laboratory

Equipment and Experimental Techniques

The Phonetics Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental techniques for the articulatory and acoustic analysis of speech, supporting both research and teaching activities.

Articulatory Analysis

The laboratory offers advanced facilities for the investigation of speech articulation, including:

• Electropalatography (EPG), for the detailed analysis of tongue–palate contact patterns during speech production
• Ultrasound imaging of the tongue, allowing real-time, non-invasive visualization of tongue movement
• Rothenberg pneumotachograph, for the measurement of oral and nasal airflow in speech

These techniques are used in the study of both typical and disordered speech, as well as in first and second language acquisition research.

Acoustic Analysis and Speech Recording

For acoustic analysis and high-quality speech recording, the laboratory is equipped with:

• A sound-treated recording studio designed for controlled speech recording
• Professional-grade sound cards, digital recorders, and microphones, enabling the collection of high-quality speech data both in the laboratory and in fieldwork settings
• CSL (Computerized Speech Lab) for advanced acoustic analysis of speech signals

Together, these facilities support a wide range of research applications in phonetics, phonology, speech perception, language acquisition, and clinical and educational contexts.

Electropalatography (EPG)

The British EPG system marketed by Articulate instruments is used in current research at the Phonetics Laboratory. The major components of the system are the EPG unit, the interface unit, the multiplexer and the artificial palate. The artificial palate is a custom-made acrylic plate with 62 sensors embedded on the surface to detect lingual contact lingual contact with the palate in continuous speech. The making of the artificial palate involves taking a plaster impression of the upper teeth and palate for each subject, marking the position of the sensors on the impression and then constructing the acrylic plate and placing the sensors. The electrodes are distributed in eight rows, which correspond to particular articulatory regions as shown below.

The Figure below shows some typical EPG contact patterns found during consonant production in normal speech. In each palatal diagram tongue-palate contact is indicated by the filled circles; empty circles indicate absence of lingual contact with the palate. Electrodes at the top of each palatogram correspond to anterior regions of the roof of the mouth (e.g. alveolar); those at the bottom correspond to posterior regions (e.g. velar), (see articulatory regions in the figure above).