# Which Utterance Types Are Most Suitable to Detect Hypernasality Automatically?
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Materials  
The protocol to collect speech samples was elaborated according to the International Speech Parameters Group recommendations [14]. It is a double aimed protocol since it pretends to obtain a list of utterances that is sufficiently informative so as to perceptually evaluate HN and, furthermore, it provides reliable outcomes that can be compared with other studies, independently of the language of testing [2,12,13,15,16]. It contains six subtasks (T1-T6) and registers three types of speech samples: (1) roten speech is recorded by counting from 1 to 10 (T1); (2) repeated speech is obtained by means of sequences of syllables (T2); words (T5); and sentences (T6); and (3) sustained sounds are represented by two fricative consonants /_f_, _s_/ (T3) and vowel /a/ (T4). Table 1 shows the list of utterances in each subtask as well as the instructions provided to the participants.  
The syllable repetition task (T2) consists of a series of consonant-vowel sequences. Three types of plosive consonants (i.e., /_p_t _k_/) are used to construct this task because their articulation pattern requires good velar motor coordination between the unvoiced occlusion and the vowel. In order to avoid a too long repetition task, which is quite boring for kids, only two vowels are used to design these syllables sequences. The vowel /_i_/ was selected because it is the one that requires the softest velar closure (softer than other closed vowels such as /_u e o_/); and the vowel /a/ was selected because it requires a quite harder velopharyngealolean. As regards to the words repetition task (i.e., T5), 16 items have been selected from a previously published test [20]. Selection criteria consisted of gathering a representation of most of the Spanish consonants in a Consonant-Vowel context. Syllables with complex onset (e.g., _pl_, _pr_, as in _pla_, _pra_) were avoided because of their motor complexity, which requires greater involvement of articulators such as tongue or lips  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline
**Subtask** & **Instruction** & **Utterances** \\ \hline T1. Counting & Count one to ten & _Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco seis, siete, ocho, nueve,_ \\  & _diez_ \\ \hline T2. Syllables & Repeat the syllable rapidly & _pa pa pa \(\dots\), ta, ta \(\dots\), ka ka \(\dots\), pi pi pi pi \(\dots\), tti, ti \(\dots\), ki ki \(\dots\)_ \\ \hline T3. Sustained consonants & Produce a long consonant & //// \\  & /sssss \(\dots\) / \\ \hline T4. Sustained vowels & Produce a long /a/ & /aaaa \(\dots\) / \\ \hline T5. Words & Imitate these words & _moto, boca, piano, pie, nitio, llave, luna, campana_ \\  & _indio, dedo, gafas, silla, cuchara, sol, jaula, zapatos_ \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\begin{tabular}{c c} Voiced stop consonants: \\ _Al gate de [PERSON] le gusta el yogur (/g)_ \\ _A [PERSON] le due el dedo (/d)._ \\ _El bebé va bien con tabuchas (/h/)_ \\ _Voiceless stop consonants:_ \\ _Tomate toda tu tuza de t(/h)_ \\ _[PERSON] unde pelar a pi pi (/p)_ \\ _[PERSON] coge el papde el calco (/k/)_ \\ _Fricative consonants:_ \\ _Si lueve le lueo la llave a [PERSON] (/)_ \\ _[PERSON] sale sola y se ensucia (/s)_ \\ _[PERSON] fue a la la faria inflindo un globo (/f)_ \\ _Los zapatos de [PERSON] son zaules (/b)_ \\ _La jirada de les s moj jagando (/x)_ \\ _Africate consonant:_ \\ _[PERSON] y [PERSON] chillan mucho (/)_ \\ _Approximants:_ \\ _[PERSON] y [PERSON] leen los carteles (/l)_ \\ _Vovels:_ \\ _Uly, alti hay algo_ \\ _Nasals:_ \\ _Mi mana me mima mucho (/n)_ \\ _El nene nos canta una nana (/n)_ \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Utterances in the repetition task.  
and, thus, they deserve a linguistic maturity that falls beyond the velopharyngeal closure capability. The T6 subtask includes 16 sentences, each one with predominance of one type of consonant. Following international recommendations, two sentences with nasal consonants were also included [14].