Articulatory and acoustic properties of /s, z/ consonants produced by esophageal speakers

The objective of the present study was to identify specific articulatory maneuvers and their acoustic consequences during production of /s, z/ consonants by esophageal speakers. The consonants were embedded in CVC syllables (V = i, ae, u/) in a sentence. Information on linguapalatal contact, lip and mandible position, and speech output were collected from three fluent male alaryngeal esophageal speakers who had received no radical neck dissection. Dimensions of the anterior tongue constriction and their variations were extrapolated from the linguapalatal contact patterns and subjects' dental models. Spectra of frication noises in the frequency range up to 8 Khz were characterized by a model with a set of resonances and antiresonances. The results will be discussed with respect to known functions of speech physiology and acoustics. [Supported by NIH grant NS‐11852‐02 and by NIH grant RR‐5349 awarded to the first author.]