An Articulatory Phonology Perspective on Rhotic Articulation Problems: A Descriptive Case Study

Abstract This descriptive case study presents data on a young female speaker (ML) with a history of /r/ sound production problems. Perceptual, acoustic, and kinematic data are provided to illustrate the kind of problems that she is facing in producing this sound, using the Articulatory Phonology model as a theoretical background. Different gestural mechanisms that could explain her kinematic characteristics (and associated acoustic and perceptual features) are evaluated in comparison to published data and new findings from an age-matched control speaker (JE) who performed the same speaking tasks as ML. Results show a well-defined problem in gestural specification for tongue control in /r/ sound productions that can be directly related to changes in acoustics and perception. The analysis demonstrates the feasibility of Articulatory Phonology as a theoretical framework not only for normal speech production, but also to explain potential mechanisms behind changes in articulation in disordered speech.