Ultrasonic visualization of tongue motion during speech.

A real-time ultrasonic imaging system has been developed to visualize dynamic motions of the tongue during continuous speech. Lingual motion configurations are displayed and recorded synchronously with the speech signal, time in milliseconds, and frontal and lateral views of the face during articulation. All data are videotaped and stored permanently for analysis. Data on the vertical movement of the tongue surface was obtained on 30 normal adult speakers. This technique seems to provide a useful, noninvasive technique for quantifying tongue position during speech utterances and possibly has potential as a clinical tool.