ARTICULOGRAPHY Meaning and
Definition
-
Articulography is a scientific field or method used to study and analyze the movements and positions of the articulators in speech production. It involves the measurement and tracking of the movements of the articulatory organs, such as the tongue, lips, jaw, and velum, during speech or other oral activities.
The main purpose of articulography is to investigate how speech sounds are produced and how the articulators interact with each other to create different phonetic features and speech patterns. By examining the coordination and timing of articulatory movements, articulography helps to unveil the underlying processes and mechanisms involved in speech production, such as speech planning, motor control, and linguistic variations.
Articulography relies on the use of various instruments and techniques, including specialized sensors or transducers placed on or inside the articulators, electromyography (EMG), ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other non-invasive or minimally-invasive technologies. These tools allow researchers to capture detailed data about the articulatory movements, positions, and muscle activities involved in speech production.
The data collected through articulography can be analyzed and interpreted to investigate aspects such as articulatory coordination, speech motor control, articulatory phonetics, speech disorders, and the effects of linguistic factors on speech production. Additionally, articulography can contribute to the development of technologies for speech synthesis, speech recognition, and treatments for speech disorders.
Etymology of ARTICULOGRAPHY
The word "articulography" can be broken down into two parts, "articulo-" and "-graphy".
The term "articulo-" derives from the Latin word "articulus", meaning joint or articulation. In the context of articulography, it refers to the movements and positions of the articulatory organs involved in speech production, particularly the tongue, lips, jaw, and vocal folds.
The suffix "-graphy" comes from the Greek word "graphia", meaning the process or technique of recording or writing. It is commonly used to form words that describe methods or practices of recording, such as "photography" (recording with light) or "graphology" (analysis of handwriting).
Therefore, the term "articulography" combines "articulo-" and "-graphy" to describe the process or technique of recording or analyzing the movements and positions of articulatory organs during speech production.
