title: Do long-term tongue piercings affect speech quality?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore possible effects of tongue piercing on perceived speech quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a quasi-experimental design, we analyzed the effect of tongue piercing on speech in a perception experiment. Samples of spontaneous speech and read speech were recorded from 20 long-term pierced and 20 non-pierced individuals (10 males, 10 females each). The individuals having a tongue piercing were recorded with attached and removed piercing. The audio samples were blindly rated by 26 female and 20 male laypersons and by 5 female speech-language pathologists with regard to perceived speech quality along 5 dimensions: speech clarity, speech rate, prosody, rhythm and fluency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no statistically significant differences for any of the speech quality dimensions between the pierced and non-pierced individuals, neither for the read nor for the spontaneous speech. In addition, neither length nor position of piercing had a significant effect on speech quality. The removal of tongue piercings had no effects on speech performance either. Rating differences between laypersons and speech-language pathologists were not dependent on the presence of a tongue piercing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  People are able to perfectly adapt their articulation to long-term tongue piercings such that their speech quality is not perceptually affected.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders , University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heinen
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Acoustics and Speech Communication, TU Dresden , Dresden , Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birkholz
authors.affiliation: c Department of Neurology , University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willmes
authors.affiliation: a Department of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology and Communication Disorders , University Hospital and Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen University , Aachen , Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neuschaefer-Rube
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D046288:Body Piercing / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D013997:Time Factors; D014059:Tongue; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Prosody; speech intelligibility; speech perception; speech quality; tongue piercing