The 7th International Conference on Speech Motor Control focused on new trends and approaches in the area of normal and disordered speech and motor control. Ben Maassen, conference chair, has compiled 11 keynote and invited papers for a special issue of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. This special issue is divided into four topic categories: the evolution of speech, speech development, brain–action–perception, and speech disorders.

First, two review articles focus on the evolution of speech from both a historical and an evolutionary perspective. In “How Speech Evolved: Some Historical Remarks,” influential researcher and author of the highly cited book, Speaking: From Intention to Articulation, Willem Levelt provides a sweeping historical perspective on the evolution of speech and language sciences. Next, Bart de Boer reviews research focusing on human language from an evolutionary perspective, comparing language to similar behaviors in other species.

On the topic of speech development, Melissa A. Redford examines literature on theoretical and experimental approaches to speech production. Aude Noiray and colleagues use ultrasound imaging to compare vocalic anticipation in German children and adults.

Brain–action–perception and the unique role that the brain’s neurological structures play in speech movements is the focus of three articles. Benjamin Parrell and John F. Houde explore the role that sensory feedback plays in speech production. Jason Tourville and co-authors report the results of  functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of speech production. After that, Max and Daliri investigate pre-speech auditory modulation in people who stutter and fluent speakers.

The last topic in this special issue focuses specifically on the topic of speech disorders. Emily O. Garnett, Ho Ming Chow, and Soo-Eun Chang review neuroanatomical studies of children who stutter and those who do not. Next, Hayo Terband and co-authors examine the core characteristics of childhood apraxia of speech as well as the measurement procedures in these domains. Panying Rong and Jordan B. Green examine changes in speech intelligibility in bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), particularly the role of jaw contribution to compensate for tongue movement. In the final article of the issue, Ingrid Aichert and colleagues use a sentence completion task to study phonological and phonating planning in individuals with apraxia of speech and patients with aphasia who have postlexical phonological impairment.

We are pleased to be able to bring select content from this important meeting to the readership of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. We’d like to thank Special Issue Editors Ben Maassen, Hayo Terband, Edwin Maas, and Aravind Namasivayam for their work putting together this collection! You can read the full issue here or explore the individual article below.

References

Levelt, W. J. M. (2019). How speech evolved: Some historical remarks. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2926–2931. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-19-0017

Explore The Issue

Aichert, I., Lehner, K., Falk, S., Späth, M., & Ziegler, W. (2019). Do patients with neurogenic speech sound impairments benefit from auditory priming with a regular metrical pattern? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 3104–3118. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0172

de Boer , B. (2019). Evolution of speech: Anatomy and control. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2932–2945. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0293

Garnett , E. O., Chow, H. M., & Chang, S.-E. (2019). Neuroanatomical correlates of childhood stuttering: MRI indices of white and gray matter development that differentiate persistence versus recovery. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2986–2998. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0356

Levelt, W. J. M. (2019). How speech evolved: Some historical remarks. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2926–2931. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-19-0017

Maassen, B., Terband, H., Maas, E., & Namasivayam, A. (2019). Preface to special issue: Select papers from the 7th International Conference on Speech Motor Control. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2923–2925. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-19-0247

Max, L., & Daliri, A. (2019). Limited pre-speech auditory modulation in individuals who stutter: Data and hypotheses. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 3071–3084. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0358

Noiray, A., Wieling, M., Abakarova, D., Rubertus, E., & Tiede, M. (2019). Back from the future: Nonlinear anticipation in adults and children´s speech. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 3033–3054. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0208

Parrell, B., & Houde, J. (2019). Modeling the role of sensory feedback in speech motor control and learning. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2963–2985. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0127

Redford, M. A. (2019). Speech production from a developmental perspective. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2946–2962. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0130

Rong, P., & Green, J. R. (2019). Predicting speech intelligibility based on spatial tongue–jaw coupling in persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: The impact of tongue weakness and jaw adaptation. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 3085–3103. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0116

Terband, H., Namasivayam, A. K., Maas, E., van Brenk, F., Mailend, M.-L., Diepeveen, S., . . . Maassen, B. (2019). Assessment of childhood apraxia of speech: A review/tutorial of objective measurement techniques. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 2999–3032. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-19-0214

Tourville, J. A., Nieto-Castañón, A., Heyne, M., & Guenther, F. H. (2019). Functional parcellation of the speech production cortex. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62, 3055–3070. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-CSMC7-18-0442