1998 Volume 118 Issue 7-8 Pages 1060-1065
This paper presents the measurement of three-dimensional shapes of vocal tract and dental crown using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 3D MR images of the vocal tract of 3 adult males were obtained in the steady state productions of Japanese fricatives /s/, /sh/ and /shu/ using a dental crown plate contain a contrast medium for MR imaging. MR images and the voice output uttered by a supine subject in the MR system were obtained simultaneously. The measurement time was 186 second for 41 axial sections from the larynx to the nasal cavity at a 4mm interval, and was 186 second for 32 coronal sections from the tip of the nose to the atlas at a 4mm interval. Frequency characteristics of the voice output /shu/ showed results specificity in each subjects. 3D shapes and area function of vocal tract during the productions of Japanese fricatives /s/, /sh/, and /shu/ were obtained from arbitrary sections computed by gray level interpolation. Several narrow points that were considered articuration points were detected in vocal tract from these results of measurements.
The transactions of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.C
The Journal of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan