Conceptualizations of the Articulation of Rhotic Sounds in American English and the Role of Clinical Experience in Their Formation

Purpose: This study investigates how speech-language pathology student clinicians describe rhotic articulation in comparison with their actual productions as determined by ultrasound recordings. Observations about how student-clinician descriptions and cueing preferences differ in comparison with those of clinical educators are explored. Method: Fifteen student clinicians (seven with experience teaching /ɹ/) and seven clinical educators from Indiana University participated in the study. Data were collected from student clinicians in two separate interviews and one ultrasound recording session. Clinical educators participated in a single interview without ultrasound recordings. Verbal descriptions, drawings, and ultrasound recordings of tongue shapes were analyzed following grounded theory and coded as “bunched” or “retroflex.” Following data analysis, two focus groups of four clinicians were held to ensure the quality of interpreted data. Results: In comparison with student clinicians with experience teaching /ɹ/, student clinicians without experience teaching /ɹ/ gave self-descriptions of rhotic productions that were often inconsistent and did not always match the ultrasound data of their speech. Clinical educators placed greater emphasis on tongue grooving than did student clinicians. Experience across groups did not predict whether a clinician would prefer to cue a particular tongue shape to a client, but the rationale behind individual preferences was explored. Conclusions: Results indicate that student clinicians may not be able to rely on self-perception of articulation alone to inform their understanding of rhotic production. Student clinicians may benefit from direct instruction about a continuum of rhotic tongue shapes and enhanced knowledge of tongue grooving prior to selecting cues to use in therapy.