An electromyographic study on training to pronounce English consonants unfamilar to Japanese.
This paper is concerned with the electromyographic analyses of the pronunciation of English consonants as pronounced by a native speaker, a well-trained Japanese, and an untrained Japanese. Six muscles related to movement of the lips and the mandible were tested. The three-paired English words (right--light, she--see, and thank--sank) were selected, as they include consonants that are very difficult for Japanese to pronounce or distinguish correctly when heard. Electromyographic results obtained for the native speaker and the well-trained Japanese indicated light pouting of the lips during the preparatory period for pronouncing [r], raising of the upper lip from the preparatory period in the pronouncing of [sh] and [th], and a downward spreading of the lower lip from the preparatory period in the pronouncing of [l] and [s]. The untrained Japanese subject was given individual and intensive training for several hours with a technique based on electromyographic observation results. Following this, the subject showed improvement in pronouncing the consonants, with the exception of [sh] which the subject had learned to pronounce at a language school. The electromyograms of the subject approached those of the native speaker and the well-trained Japanese.
D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009055:Mouth / Q000502:physiology; D010700:Phonetics; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*