Abstract: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2D and 3D) has been acquired in seven EP native speakers during the production of EP lateral sounds /l, L/, with the purpose of obtaining articulatory data and acquiring further knowledge regarding the production of the lateral consonants. To attain these goals the acquired MRI corpus includes the /l/ sound in different syllabic positions (onset, coda and intervocalic) in the context of the three EP cardinal vowels, and the palatal lateral /L/ in intervocalic context. The results indicate the existence of a high degree of inter-subject variability (more evident for /l/). /l/ velarization can take place in all syllabic positions, including in onset, which is probably a speaker dependent characteristic. A detailed articulatory description of the palatal lateral is also provided.
Index Terms: Speech Production, European Portuguese, Laterals, MRI, Image processing.