title: Consonant accuracy in Mandarin-speaking children with repaired cleft palate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the consonant production of Chinese-speaking cleft palate children with perceived hypernasal resonance (PHR) after palatoplasty and those with perceived normal resonance (PNR), and to assess the possible influence of language on articulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hospital cleft lip and palate centers in mainland China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one speakers were allocated into two groups based on perceptual judgment results of their resonance provided by three speech therapists: one group with PNR (n=20, average age=9.3 years), and another group with PHR (n=11, average age=8.3 years). All participants had no known hearing or cognitive deficits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articulation was evaluated using two Mandarin Chinese assessment tools, the Putonghua Segmental Phonology Test and the Deep Test for Cleft Palate Speakers in Putonghua. Speaker consonant accuracy was evaluated by two experienced speech therapists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to individuals with PNR, the PHR group exhibited more difficulties on production of unaspirated consonants, including/b/,/t/,/k/,/ts/,/tʂ/ and/tɕ/, than for aspirated consonants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The distinctive feature of aspiration in Mandarin phonology brought a language specific pattern to consonant production among those speakers with PHR after primary palatal closure.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Nanjing Medical University; Affiliated Hospital of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Electronic address: jiangchenghui_26@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chenghui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Whitehill
authors.affiliation: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McPherson
authors.affiliation: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Manwa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics
keywords: Articulation; Aspiration; Cleft palate; Consonant; Language specific errors; Mandarin