Phonological/phonetic assessment of an English speaking adult with dysarthria

Perry, Jill Rosamund (2000) Phonological/phonetic assessment of an English speaking adult with dysarthria. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis investigates errors made by an English speaking dysarthric adult within a nonlinear phonological framework, assuming a phonetics/phonology interface model. The question to be investigated is how dysarthria fits within linguistic theory, more specifically, within the nonlinear phonetics/phonology interface model. 25 taped-recorded, phonetically transcribed and acoustically analyzed statements served as the database. The subject produced longer voiced fricatives, longer lax, low and [I] vowels. Statement, schwa length and intensity were normal, but the subject produced smaller standard deviations and relative range frequencies (flattened intonational patterns). Weakly articulated consonants were more likely to be voiced and not equally spread among different places or manners of articulation. Consonant omissions were more likely to occur in coda position but this has a phonetic explanation. Dysarthria is a superficial disorder at the level of motor implementation that affects phonological and phonetic implementation rules alike. The output of categorial rules, language-specific phonemic and phonetic rules are equally (and mildly) deviant.

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