Final answer:
The statement that higher contours on a nasalance graph indicate more hyponasality (option d) is not true. Higher contours actually suggest increased nasality. The correct interpretation of nasalance involves understanding how articulation, structural abnormalities, and acoustic patterns correlate with nasalance scores.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the interpretation of nasalance, which pertains to the measure of the nasal sound characteristic present in a person's voice. Nasalance can be a valuable diagnostic tool in assessing conditions such as cleft palate or other structural abnormalities that can lead to nasality in speech. The correct answer to the question, which of the following is not true about interpretation of nasalance, is option (d):
The higher the contour is on the screen, the more hyponasality to expect. This statement is not true because a higher contour on a nasalance graph typically indicates more nasality, not hyponasality, which is characterized by a lack of nasal sound where it is normally expected. Therefore, the correct option to consider, since all other statements are generally true about nasalance, is option (d).
It is true that articulation errors can affect the nasalance score, as mentioned in option (c). Such errors can create atypical acoustic patterns that may interfere with the nasalance measurement. Similarly, option (b) also offers an accurate scenario where lingual-alveolars and bilabials showing significantly higher nasalance compared to velars could indicate the presence of an oronasal fistula.
Lastly, option (e) is accurate in stating that the nasalance score can fall within normal ranges despite mild nasal emission which might not significantly alter the acoustic pattern measured during a nasalance assessment.