Gimson 2

The speech mechanism.

Man has the hability to produce sounds by using certain of their body mechanisms. The basic
difference from other animals is that they have been able to organize the range of sounds which
they can emit into a highly efficient communication system.
When the human speaks, they make use of organs whose primary physiological function is
unconnected with vocal communication, in particular, those situated in the respiratory tract.
The most usual source of energy for our vocal activity comes from the airstream expelled from
the lungs. All the essencial sounds of english use lung air for their production.
Larynx and vocal folds.
The airstream provided by the lungs undergoes modifications in the upper parts of the respiratory
tract before it becomes a speech sound.
Firstly, in the trachea, it passes through the larynx cointaining the vocal folds. The larynx is a
casing formed by cartilage and muscle, situated in the upper part of the trachea. Within this
structure from back to front are the vocal folds, which are two folds of ligament and elastic
tissue which may come together or be parted by the rotation of cartilages through muscular action.
The opening between the folds is known as the glottis.
1 The glottis may be held tightly closed, with the lung air pent up below it, which is called a glottal
stop, normally used in english. (a in apple)
2 The glottis may be held open as for normal breathing and voiceles sounds. (p in peak)
The action of the vocal folds consists in their role as a vibrator set in motion by lung air
In order to achieve that effect of voice, the folds are brought close together enough so that
they vibrate when the air goes through. The vibration is produced by the air forcing the
opening of the glottis and the resultant reduced air pressure, which permit the elastic folds to
come together once again.
The resonating cavities
The airstreem, having passed through the larynx, is now subject to more modifications according
to the shape assumed by the upper cavities of the pharynx and mouth, and according to wether
the nasal cavities are going to be used or not.
The pharynx extends from the top of the trachea and esophagus, past the epiglotis and the root of
the tongue, to the region of the rear of the soft palate.
The scape of air from the pharynx maybe effected in one of three ways:
1 The soft palate may be lowered, as in normal breathing, in which case the air may escape
through the nose and the mouth.
2 The soft palate may be lowered so that a nasal sound is emmited, but a complete obstruction is
made at some point in the mouth, with the result of no oral escape possible
3 The soft palate may be held in its raised position, so that the air escape is only through the
mouth. All the normal english sounds with the exception of the nasal consonants have this oral
escape.
THE MOUTH
The shape of the mouth determines finally the quality of the majority of the speech sounds.
We can find in the front the upper and lower teeth, and the lips, in the upper part the hard palate and
in the rear the pharyngeal wall.
The roof of the mouth is divided into 3 parts:
-Alvealar ridge, behind the teeth
-Hard palate, which varies in size and arching
-Soft Palate, capable of being raised of lowered
At the extremity, the UVULA
Of the movable parts, the lips contitute the final orifice of the mouth cavity whenever the
nasal passage is shut off.
If the lips are held apart, the positions they assume may be summerized under five headings.

The tongue is by far the most flexible and capable of assuming a great variety of positions in
the articulation of both vowels and consonants.
Front, back centre, the part facing the teeth is the blade, and its extremity the tip. The edges of the
tongue are the rims.

Grimson 4
Vowels and Consonants
Phonologically
Consonants are those segments which, in a particular language, occur at the edges of syllables
Vowels are those which occur at the centre of syllables.
Phonetically
Vowels are defined as median (air must escape over the middle of the tongue), oral (air must escape
through the mouth), frictionless, and continuant. All sounds excluding from this definition would be
consonants.
j,w,r are consonants phonologically (edges of syllables), and are vowels phonetically. These are called
semi-vowels.
Consonants can be voiced or voiceless, and vowels are all voiced.
Consonants
To describe a consonant, we have to know:
If the airstream is pulmonic or non pulmonic
If the airstream is egresive or ingressive
If they are voiced or voiceless
If they are oral, nasal or nasalised (soft palate raised or lowered)
Place of articulation
Manner of articulation
Place of articulation
Bilabial > the two lips are the primary articulators P B M
Labiodental > the lowe lip articulates with the upper teeth F V
Dental > The tongue tip and rims articulate with the upper teeth They/Think
Alvealar > The blade or tip and blade of the tongue articulates with the alvealar ridge T D L N S Z
Post-Alvealar > The tip of the tongue articulates with the rear part of the alvealar ridge R
Palato-Alvealar > The blade or the tip and blade of the tongue articulates with the alvealar ridge and
there is at the same time a raising of the front of the tongue towards the hard palate. ts dz S Yeye
Palatal > The front of the tongue articulates with the hard palate J
Velar > The back of the tongue articulates with the soft palate K G ING
Glotal > An obstruction, or a narrowing causing friction but not vibration, between the vocal folds H hat
Manner of articulation
Complete closure
Plosive > complete at some pint in the vocal tract, begind which the air pressure builds up and can be
released explosibely P B T D K G and glottal stop
Affricate > The air pressure builds up, separation of the organs is slow compared with that of a
plosive, extended friction. tS dz
Nasal > the soft palate is lowered, the air escapes through the nose. These sounds are continuant.
Vowel like M N ING
Trill or roll > a seris of rapid intermitent closures made by a flexible organ on a firmer surface where
the tongue tip trills against the alvealar ridge as in spanish perro, or where the uvula thrills against the
back of the tongue.
Tap > Single tap made by a flecible organ on a firmer surface. Perito
Partial closure

Lateral > A partial closure is made at some point in the mouth, the aistream being able to escape
from one or both sides of the contact
Narrowing
Fricative > two organs approximate to such and extent that the airstream passes between them with
friction S Z F V SS YEYE THE THING H
Narrowing without friction
Approximant or frictionless continuant > These are vowel like, but their function is phonologically
as consonants.
Obstruents: those that whose production involve impeding the airstream through the vocal tract to
cause noise. FRICATIVES, PLOSIVES AND AFFRICATES
Sonorants: voiced sounds in which there is no noise compounments. VOICED NASALS, APPROXIMANTS
AND VOWELS
Voiceless sounds are fortis, need more emphasis, voiced are lenies, less force.