Speech Science Modeling
Understanding the sensorimotor, neuromuscular, kinematic and biomechanical bases of speech production
Speech production is one of the most elegant and complex of human behaviours. It entails the precise spatiotemporal structuring of activity in the vocal tract, a multi degree-of-freedom system whose physiological components must be coordinated over time to structure sound appropriately for a listener.
Speech kinematic patterns reflect a combination of influences, ranging from the biophysical properties of the articulators and their sensorimotor control structure, to constraints on auditory processing and speech perception, to higher level linguistic and cognitive factors that modulate lower level organization. Understanding the sensorimotor, neuromuscular, kinematic, and biomechanical bases of speech production is one broad aim of this axis in order to greatly enhance our ability to interpret many aspects of normal and disordered language production.
Experimental Questions
- what is the role of biomechanical factors in speech movement coordination and coarticulation?
- in what ways are auditory and somato-sensory information used to shape speech motion?
- what are the contributions of various primary and non-primary cortical motor areas in speech production?
