The FITI Framework
Looking for an overview? There are several publications, but our ASHA 2023 virtual technical session is a good place to start.
If you missed our SIG 19 invited talk at ASHA 2024 in Seattle, here is a Downloadable expanded handout.
Contact Information
Naomi Gurevich, Purdue University Fort Wayne
Heejin Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Attention: We are recruiting participants to add to the FITI speechbank
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
Evaluate the FITI of any English stimuli: https://github.com/MaxatTezekbayev/allophonic_balance (details in the 2025 LSA presentation listed on this page).
FITI Modular Assessment - Access this interactive assessment, part of the widely used Colorado Motor Speech Framework (CMSF) clinical assessment tool (Hilger, Cloud, & Dunne-Platero, 2023). [NOW LIVE]
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
In Development
KITI FITI 😺 - FITI stimuli from corpora matched for age of acquisition to use with children [upcoming ASHA 2026 technical session].
Already using FITI stimuli in research or your clinical practice? Let us know
Developing FITI resources in other languages:
- Interested in developing FITI stimuli in another language? Get in touch
Fun
The Informed SLP's review of our work on FITI (2023b and 2024). Artist: Jennifer Hyles
Key FITI Presentations
Kim, H., Gurevich, N., & Lee, A. (upcoming: November 2026). Applying the FITI (Functional Importance to Intelligibility) framework to children's speech: Introducing KITI. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention, Indianapolis, IN.
Gurevich, N., Loucks, T. M., & Aalto, D. (upcoming: November 2026). Application of phonetically balanced phrases to study speech rate and variability. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Annual Convention, Indianapolis, IN.
Aalto, D. & Gurevich, N. (2025, May). Speakers matter more than listeners in sound identification accuracy. 188th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). [poster; JASA abstract]
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. [poster]
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., 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. (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]