The FITI Framework
Looking for an overview? There are several publications, but our ASHA 2023 virtual technical session is the best place to start.
Come to our SIG 19 invited talk at ASHA 2024 in Seattle. [Downloadable expanded handout]
Contact Information
Naomi Gurevich, Purdue University Fort Wayne
Heejin Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
FITI Resources
The FITI Table to help prioritize articulatory targets based on their functional importance to intelligibility (Gurevich & Kim, 2023a): Request it through ResearchGate
FITI Words - list of the 308 words to use as stimuli to collect speech for clinical or research use with 83% phonetic coverage in English (Gurevich & Kim, 2023b): Find in the article (request the article through ResearchGate) or for a clean copy, email us at cladlab@pfw.edu
FITI Phrases - 37 phrases combined of the 308 FITI words (Gurevich & Kim, 2023b): Find in the article (request the article through ResearchGate) or for a clean copy, email us at cladlab@pfw.edu
FITI Modules - Short FITI phrases built in autonomous modules adaptable to time constrains (Gurevich & Kim, 2024): Find in the article (request it through ResearchGate) or for a clean copy, email us at cladlab@pfw.edu
Already using FITI stimuli in research or your clinical practice? Let us know
Developing FITI resources in other languages:
- Hindi (with Vikas Grover, PhD)
- Interested in developing FITI stimuli in another language? Get in touch
Coming soon: 😺 FITI (IYKYK)
Watch this space for a tool to evaluate the FITI of any stimuli (English)
FITI References
Gurevich, N., & Kim, H. (2024). A hierarchical approach to efficient assessment of functional intelligibility: The modular FITI (functional importance to intelligibility) phrase list. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 9(3), 892–907. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_PERSP-23-00247
Gurevich, N., & Kim, H. (2023b). Development of novel speech stimuli with phonetic coverage and phonemic balance. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(2), 424–437. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-22-00180
Gurevich, N., & Kim, H. (2023a). The phonetics and phonology of intelligibility: The functional importance to intelligibility of speech sounds. In Clinical Applications of Linguistics to Speech-Language Pathology: A Guide for Clinicians. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003045519-8
Gurevich, N., & Kim, H. (2022). Examination of consonantal phonetic coverage in standard reading passages. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 7(5), 1573–1582. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_PERSP-22-00063
Kim, H., & Gurevich, N. (2021). Positional asymmetries in consonant production and intelligibility in dysarthric speech. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 37(2), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2021.2019312
Fun
Review of our 2023 article introducing FITI from The Informed SLP. Image belongs to them, and we love it!
Key FITI Presentations
Gurevich, N., Assylbekov, Z., Tezekbayev, M., Kim, H., and Washington, J. (2025, January). A new approach to calculating allophonic balance and functional load. 2025 Linguistic Society of America (LSA) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Gurevich, N., Aalto, D. (2024, November). Frequency and context prominence effects on English allophone perception: identification of /r/ and /θ/. 187th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). [POMA paper]
Gurevich, N., Kim, H. (2024, December). The FITI (Functional Importance to Intelligibility) Framework and the Importance of Phonetic Coverage. SIG 19 invited talk, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 2024 Annual Convention, Seattle, WA. [handout of session]
Gurevich, N., Kim, H. (2023, November). Applying the FITI (Functional Importance to Intelligibility) Framework for Prioritizing Clinical Treatment Targets. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) 2023 Annual Convention, Boston, MA. [our full session]
Gurevich, N., Kim, H. (2023, April). Prioritizing treatment targets by their functional importance to speech intelligibility. Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association (INSHA) 2023 Convention, Indianapolis, IN. [handout of session]