Palatography

{{Short description|Visual method to examine the human voice}}

Palatography is a technique used to identify which parts of the mouth are used when making different sounds. This technique is often used by linguists doing field work on little-known natural languages. A record made through palatography is called a palatogram.{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = Palatogram | publisher = Merriam Webster | date = 2002 | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/palatogram | format = | doi = | accessdate = 6 June 2013 | archiveurl = | archivedate = }}

It involves painting a coloring agent, such as a dye or a mixture of charcoal and olive oil on the tongue or the roof of a person's mouth and having that person pronounce a specific sound. A photograph is then made of the mouth roof and tongue in order to determine how the sound was articulated.{{cite book |last1=Cruttenden |first1=Alan |title=Gimson's Pronunciation of English |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-4441-8309-2 |page=17 |edition=8th}}

The technique can also be performed electronically (electropalatography) using a tool called a pseudo-palate, which consists of a retainer-like plate lined with electrodes that is placed on the roof of the mouth while the speaker pronounces a sound.