Analysis of dysarthric speech after a traumatic brain injury

This book focuses on two aspects: consonant production and intonation in dysarthric speech following a traumatic brain injury. The book discusses the deterioration in consonant production as well as deviant prosody in dysarthric speech. Plosives are investigated since imprecision in the production of plosives is a major occurrence in dysarthria. More specifically, this book focuses on the analysis of incomplete oral closures and deterioration of the coordination of the oral and glottal system. After reviewing fundamental concepts in dysarthria, prosody and phonetic science, the book discusses major findings of a study carried out on individuals with dysarthric speech following a traumatic brain injury. The discussion of consonant production departs from traditional segmental approach where speech has usually been described by means of traditional segment such as possible deletion and substitution of segments. This book adopts the Articulatory Phonology approach, where speech is analysed in terms of articulatory gestures. In contrast to segmental approaches, modification of speech production is described in a quantitative way, e. g. in terms of undershooting gestural targets. Prosodic deficits in dysarthric speech such as reduced pitch modulation and rather slow speaking rates are illustrated. In conclusion, this book highlights the need for speech therapists to move from the traditional approach to a dynamic approach, integrating prosody and supralaryngeal articulation in developing diagnostic tests for dysarthria. It also informs new diagnostic tests in speech therapy, in particular those that could be developed taking articulatory gestures into account. This book is suitable for students studying a range of disciplines such as linguistics, language pathology, and speech sciences.