使用超音波觀測學齡前孩童構音時之舌頭動作

Ultrasonographic Examination of Tongue Movement during Articulation in Preschool Children

陳怡君(I-Chun Chen) ； 彭建綸(Chien-Lun Peng)

《台灣復健醫學雜誌》 38卷3期 (2010/09) Pp. 147-157

https://doi.org/10.6315/2010.38(3)02

摘要

超音波影像可以提供即時且完整的說話時各切面舌頭輪廓及動作的圖像，是一種非侵襲性、對人體沒有生理傷害的診斷工具，過去也已經被應用在語言相關研究舌頭構音動作功能上。但這些先前的研究往往因爲傳統手持型探頭在檢查時產生額外的動作而無法取得穩定一致的影像，或因爲說話時下顎軟組織接觸壓迫到探頭產生的干擾誤差而受限；此外，先前也較少針對孩童族群使用超音波這項工具來研究他們構音說話時的舌頭動作。有鑒於此，本研究試圖使用動態超音波影像結合口腔防震技術來觀測學齡前兒童構音時的舌頭動作。
四十位發展正常、以國語爲母語的學齡前兒童（年齡介於四至六歲、二十位男孩、二十位女孩）參與此一研究。我們指示小朋友重複發指定的/ㄚ/、/ㄉㄚ/、/ㄊㄚ/、/ㄋㄚ/、/ㄌㄚ/、/ㄍㄚ/、/ㄎㄚ/、/ㄏㄚ/八個音，並同步使用電腦輔助B加M模式的超音波結合口腔防震式系統用來觀察舌頭動作，受測兒童所有發音的動作模式影像都被錄下並逐一詳細檢視分析。結果發現八種構音動作模式依照超音波動態影像下的觀察可以分爲三種形式：第一種爲／ㄚ/與／ㄏㄚ/，第二種是／ㄉㄚ/、/ㄊㄚ/、/ㄋㄚ/、/ㄌㄚ/，第三種是／ㄍㄚ/及／ㄎㄚ/，並且分析計算各不同發音時舌體動作位移的振幅，發現在男孩和女孩間並無明顯差異。
口腔防震式超音波可以提供優越具像並能直接觀測到學齡前兒童構音時舌頭動作，且動作模式類型與語音學區分各不同音素的發音位置結論相符合，此一構音的共同動作模式可以當作標準，來比較臨床上構音異常或相關說話問題孩童在發音時舌頭動作功能。

關鍵字

超音波 ； 學齡前兒童 ； 舌頭動作 ； 構音

並列摘要

Ultrasound imaging provides a unique and complete representation of tongue structure in almost all planes of interest and is rapid enough to record real-time tongue movement during speech. Recording tongue movement with ultrasound is non-invasive, and has not been shown to have any biologic effects in humans at diagnostic intensities. As a result, ultrasound has been widely used in speech studies to measure tongue functions in recent years. However, these previous studies are subject to inconsistent plane images caused by additionally movement of the traditional handheld transducer. The artifacts that result from depression of the submental soft tissue contacted by the mobilized transducer during speaking activity have also been a limiting factor. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, it would appear that few studies have addressed ultrasonic measurement of tongue movement with regard to young children’s speech behavior. Consequently, the purpose of our study was to apply the dynamic tongue imaging technique and the cushion-scanning technique (CST) to investigate and analyze tongue movement during articulation in young preschool children.
Forty Mandarin-speaking preschool children of normal development were asked to enunciate and repeat 8 target sounds. During individual articulation, the real-time tongue movement patterns in B-mode and M-mode of ultrasonography were comprehensively recorded, inspected, and analyzed. The tongue movement modes of these 8 target sound articulations were classified into three types based on the similarity which was observed in the B-mode and M-mode of the ultrasonographic examination: (1) /a/ &/ha/ (2) /da/, /ta/, /na/, & /la/ (3) /ga/ & /ka/. In addition, there was no significant difference in the range of tongue movement in the midsagittal plane during selected articulation between boys and girls. (p＜.05).
CST in combination with B-mode and M-mode ultrasonography yielded excellent analysis of tongue movement during articulation in young children. It provided information about the place of articulation instead of the manner of articulation among different vowels or consonants. In the present study, the movement modes of Mandarin speaking children of normal-development could be used as the standard and compared with the movement modes of those children with articulation or other associated disorders.

並列關鍵字

ultrasonography ； preschool children ； tongue movement ； articulation