Analysis of consonant /s/ and syllables in Malay language using electropalatography

During articulation and speech, tongue is in contact with hard palate. This contact can be measured using an Electropalatography (EPG). EPG is widely used for speech therapy among subjects having cleft palate, congenital aglossia, and phonemic paraphasic disorder, and also for language analysis and therapy. This study aims to analyse the production of /s/ and syllables by a Malay adult speaker using the Reading EPG palate with 62 electrodes that are built to match the tongue-palate contact. The vowel used in this study are /a/, /i/ and /u/. Data was analysed using Articulate Assist 1.18 software. There are four parts of palate zones, namely alveolar, post-alveolar, palatal and velar. In this study, there are three normal Malay-speaking adults with age ranging from 30 to 35 years old (mean age of 32 years). In the production of /s/, the percentage contact for subject 1 is 16% at the left side and 32% at the right side. For subject 2, there is 39% in the left side and 32% in the right side. Subject 3 has 13% contact in the left side and 29% in the right side. In the production of /as/ percentage contact is 19% at the left side and 29% at the right side for subject 1.19% at the left side and 16% at the right side for subject 2. While subject 3 has 23% contact at the left side and 35% at the right side. In the production of /is/, subject 1 has shown 32% at both side, 3% at the left side and 10 at the right side for subject 2, and 19% at the left side and 32% at the right side for subject 3. In the production of /us/, percentage contact for left and right side are 42% and 26% for subject 1. Subject 2 showed a symmetrical contact at both side whereas subject 3 has 16% at the left side and 26% at the right side. Results indicate that combination of consonant /s/ with different vowels produce different tongue and palate contacts patttern.