International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Aspirated Stop Productions in Ataxic Dysarthria: A Case Study
Dr. Mehmet Yavaș

Abstract
The timing relationship known as the Voice onset time (hereafter VOT) refers to the time difference between the release of the stop consonant closure and the beginning of the vocal cord vibration. VOT abnormalities, which are common in a variety of speech disorders, and individuals with dysarthria reveal errors only for voiceless stop consonants. This study examines the productions of English aspirated stops [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ] in the production of a 37-year-old Traumatic Brain Injury patient with ataxic dysarthria resulting from a motor-vehicle accident. Data from sentence-readings and spontaneous productions are acoustically analyzed. Although productions show certain patterns that are also found in regular speech, H.D. reveals other tendencies that are typical of ataxic dysarthria, such as increased difference between /p/ and /k/ and quite large within speaker variability.

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