Construction of Articulator Movement Instruction focusing on Facial Muscle Activity and Mandibular Movement and Verification of Effect in Pronunciation Training

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00922
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Denki University
• Principal Investigator: Oura Izumi (花崎泉) 東京電機大学, 未来科学部, 教授 (50180914)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 発音訓練 / 表情筋 / 表面筋電位信号 / 口唇運動 / 下顎運動 / 声道断面積関数 / MR画像

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We naturally acquire articulator movements for mother tongue. In pronunciation training for languages other than the mother tongue, we will practice articulator movements that you are not normally aware of, and will need appropriate instruction for proceeding training. We are going to control the movements of the tongue, lips, and lower jaw in training.
In this study, we focus on the facial muscles responsible for these movements, and mathematically analyze the relationship between the amount of muscle activity and articulator movements. It was confirmed that there was a correlation between orbicularis oris muscle, masseter muscle, digastric muscle, and audio features of speech voice. Based on these results, we verified the pronunciation training effect of teachings related to muscles that are easy for trainers to understand, such as teachings such as "pulling the mouth sideways" and "dropping the jaw".

Free Research Field

信号処理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

母語以外の言語の発音練習、例えば母語が日本語である人が英語発音を練習する場合など、多くの訓練方法、教示方法が提案されている。これらの提案は、教示者の経験則に裏付けられていることが多い。本研究では、調音器官である舌、口唇の動きに加え下顎の動きを関連する筋肉の筋活動量を、表面筋電位信号を解析することにより定量化し、筋活動量と音声信号解析より音響学的特徴量であるフォルマント、音声信号から推定した舌形状との関係を数理的に解析している。訓練効果のメカニズムの説明、訓練効果の定量的検証の可能性が示唆された。