Phoneme-specific nasal emission in children with and without physical anomalies of the velopharyngeal mechanism.

Phoneme-specific nasal emission was identified in 36 children ranging in age from 3 years, 3 months to 16 years, 5 months; 19 children had no physical anomalies of the orofacial mechanism, whereas 17 had findings ranging from minor to severe. Five patterns of phoneme-specific nasal emission were exhibited by 2 or more children. An additional eight patterns were exhibited by 1 child each. Sibilants were clearly the most frequently affected phonemes. There was no significant correlation between the number of phonemes affected by nasal emission and the number of phonologic processes exhibited by the children in either subject group. The two subject groups were more alike than different in the speech behaviors observed, underscoring a fundamental homogeneity among speakers who exhibit phoneme-specific nasal emission.