Speech production can be tuned by proper sensory information without making any speech movement.

What is it about?

Receiving sensory information about speech sounds while producing speaking movements is a key for the acquisition of speech production. This work examined whether training by receiving sensory stimulation without making any speech movement modifies speech production. Within training, speech sounds were presented to participants in conjunction with the sensory stimulation associated with facial skin deformation. Since facial skin deforms in various ways during speaking, the stimulation associated with facial skin deformation can provide relevant information concerning speech movement. The experimental results showed that speech production was changed depending on the combination of speech sounds and the stimulation associated with facial skin deformation.

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Photo by Ruben Ramirez on Unsplash

Photo by Ruben Ramirez on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We learn speech production by making actual production of speech sounds. However, we lack appropriate knowledge on how to modify our speech movements to correct or modify the produced speech sounds. The current findings open novel possibility to correct or learn speech production by only receiving proper sensory information concerning speech movements in conjunction with corresponding speech sounds, without producing any actual speech movement.

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