Preliminary study of articulatory reorganisation of fricative consonants following osteotomy

Abstract

Patients who undergo osteotomy experience a radical change in the skeletal relationship between the mandible and maxilla and as yet little is known about how this affects speech articulation. This study investigated the extent to which articulatory placement for the lingual consonant /s/changed following surgery. Using the technique of electropalatography and acoustic analysis, patients’ productions of fricative sounds were recorded before and after osteotomy. Five patients were investigated, 3 with mandibular prognathism and 2 with maxillary protrusion. Results showed that there were significant changes in articulatory placement after the operation, and that these were correlated with an acoustic measure (CPF). The direction of change could be predicted on the basis of the type of operation undergone, and these changes were maintained 6 months post-operatively. The implications of the findings are discussed. © 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel.