Real-time MRI and Audio Synchronization for Vocal Tract Analysis in Linguistics

Motivation: This study seeks to overcome the challenges associated with characterizing vocal tract articulation during speech. Goal(s): The primary objective of this study is to outline the technical configuration required to optimize real-time MRI with high temporal resolution while synchronizing it with audio recordings. Approach: We employed a single slice FLASH sequence, an MRI-compatible optical microphone, and a signal generator. This setup enables precise synchronization of MRI image acquisition with audio recordings during speech production. Results: Our findings showcase the practicality of our setup in studying Arabic speech articulation, both in letter pronunciation and the articulation of whole words, encompassing various dialects. Impact: This research highlights the technical intricacies involved in integrating real-time MRI of the vocal tract with synchronised speech production, introducing an innovative application previously unexplored in linguistic research to address challenging linguistic problems.