Electropalografía

Electropalografía, more commonly known as electropalatografía (EPG), is a non-invasive articulatory sensing technique used in phonetics and speech-language pathology to record the contact patterns between the tongue surface and the hard palate during speech. The method relies on a custom-fitted palatal appliance, usually containing a matrix of tiny sensors or electrodes, which is worn by the speaker. When the tongue touches a sensor, a circuit is completed through saliva, and the contact is registered by a recording system. The result is a time-resolved sequence of tongue-palate contacts that can be visualized as contact maps or temporal profiles.

Typically, the sensor matrix consists of multiple contact points across the palate, providing detailed spatial and temporal information about articulation. Data are analyzed to determine place and timing of articulation, coarticulation, and gesture sequencing. EPQ is widely used in research on consonants and vowels, articulatory phonology, and the dynamics of speech production, and it also has clinical applications for assessing and monitoring speech disorders and therapy progress. It often complements other modalities such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or facial/kinesic measurements.

Procedure and considerations include fitting and fitting-adapted calibration of the palate plate, hygiene and comfort measures, and recording tasks that may involve isolated sounds, syllables, words, or connected speech. Researchers and clinicians interpret outputs like contact maps and timing charts to infer articulatory patterns. Advantages of EPQ include high temporal resolution and direct measurement of tongue-palate contact; limitations include the need to wear a palatal appliance and the fact that it records only tongue-palate contact, not other articulatory gestures.