palatograph (n.)

An instrument used in ARTICULATORY PHONETICS to study articulations made against the PALATE. Palatography has used several techniques to produce accurate pictures of TONGUE contact with the palate – palatograms. An early palatographic technique involved spraying the roof of the mouth with a dark powdery substance; an articulation would then be made, which, if in the palatal or alveolar area, would rub off some of the substance: the roof of the mouth would then be photographed to pinpoint the place of articulation. Apart from the inconvenience of this method, its biggest drawback is that it was static: it disallowed any observation of the movement of the tongue in connected speech. More recently, ELECTROPALATOGRAPHIC techniques have been devised which enable a continuous record to be made of the tongue contact in this area.