diadochokinetic

9.9

Able to make very fast back and forth movements of a body part, like the hands

adjective
/ˌdaɪəˌdɒkəˈkɪnɛtɪk/

Specialized

: diadococinético

In speech therapy, practicing diadochokinetic movements helps improve the speed and coordination of tongue muscles.
diadochokinetic rate
diadochokinetic rates and articulation
diadochokinetic tasks

Examples

The OPMD group also had slower diadochokinetic rates than both groups of healthy participants (5.0 syllables per second for OPMD compared with 6.4 for the healthy group).

Academic text (2012)
In the present study, we assessed the relationship between tongue strength and rate of articulation in two speech tasks: diadochokinetic rate tasks (repetition of single and combined syllables) and reading aloud, in healthy men and women between 20 and 78 years of age.

Academic text (2012)
Despite being able to produce only 36% of the maximum tongue pressure produced by normal older individuals, however, the group with OPMD produced diadochokinetic rates with 80% of the speed of the normal older participants.

Academic text (2012)
At best, maximum pressure accounted for only 11% of variance in diadochokinetic or reading rates, and /t?/ pressure was not significantly correlated with any of the rate tasks.

Academic text (2012)
The major question raised in this study was whether or not tongue strength is related to speed of articulation in diadochokinetic rate tasks or in connected speech (reading aloud).

Academic text (2012)
Langmore and Lehman (1994), however, reported no significant correlation between maximum tongue pressure and diadochokinetic rates for /t?/ in their study of 14 men with ALS.

Academic text (2012)
The diadochokinetic rates for the younger participants found in this study are similar to the results of Ptacek et al. (1966), and rates for the older participants are similar to those found for normal elderly speakers by Portnoy and Aronson (1982).

Academic text (2012)
The results do not confirm Luschei's (1991) proposal that reductions in tongue strength may be particularly related to the speed of tongue movement during speech, at least as measured by articulation rates, diadochokinetic rate, and reading tasks.

Academic text (2012)
Declines in diadochokinetic rates that occur with increased age have been reported by Amerman and Parnell (1982) and Ptacek, Sander, Maloney, and Jackson (1966).

Academic text (2012)
Even in individuals with OPMD who had markedly impaired tongue strength, diadochokinetic rates were only slightly slower than those produced by healthy speakers, and speech intelligibility was minimally impaired.

Academic text (2012)

Surface Forms

diadochokinetic positive

Morphology

diadochokinetic = kinetic + diadocho (opaque) = diadocho + kinetic

The combining form 'diadocho-' (meaning successive/alternating) is specialized and unlikely to be known to B1 learners, so they cannot derive the full meaning from 'kinetic' alone.

Etymology

Diadochokinetic comes from Greek parts: diadocho- 'one after another' and -kinetic 'movement'. The -kinetic part is the same as in the common word kinetic ('movement'), so diadochokinetic literally means making movements one after another, which is why it describes the ability to make quick, back-and-forth movements of muscles or body parts.