Lecture 3: SPEECH PRODUCTION 

1. Vocal Organs

Source of the airflow – the LUNGS. Placed in the rib-cage. Speech sounds are produced while we

breathe out, or exhale. Trachea (windpipe) – the tube-shaped

organ through which the air comes into the mouth.

Breathing in humans

Speech Initiation: Airstream Mechanisms 1. Lung/pulmonic airflow. The airstream coming

from the lungs. It can be ingressive (while breathing in) or egressive (while breathing out).

All speech sounds are egressive. 2. Glottalic airflow. The glottis is tightly closed.

In English, the glottal stop [?] is produced in this way.

3. Velaric airflow. The air is manipulated in the oral cavity, the back part of the tongue blocks the passage. Clicks are produced in this way – ingressive direction.

The LARYNX

Larynx – a casing made of cartilage and muscle, with the forward portion protruding in the neck (known as ‘Adam’s apple’ in the males).

Important for the speech process because it contains the VOCAL CORDS.

The vocal cords are two bands of elastic tissue.

The gap between them is called the GLOTTIS.

Modes of Phonation

1. Glottis open – vocal cords wide apart. Used for breathing and voiceless sounds.

2. Vocal cords close together in a loose position – they vibrate. Used for the production of voiced sounds.

3. Vocal cords tightly pressed together – glottal stop produced.

4. Vocal cords narrow causing friction – glottal fricative /h/ produced.

5. Vocal cords close together with a small passage to the airflow – used for whispering.

The Resonating Cavities

The airstream – further modified according to the shape assumed by the upper cavities of the pharynx, mouth and the presence or absence of the nasal cavity.

The pharynx: The pharyngeal cavity extends from the top of the trachea and oesophagus to the region at the rear of the soft palate.

It is divided into three sections: laryngopharynx, oropharynx and nasopharynx. The activity of the muscles which affect the shape and volume of this resonator greatly influences the quality of speech sounds.

The escape of air from the pharynx may be affected in one of three ways:– The soft palate may be lowered without any obstacle in

the oral tract• in normal breathing, • during the production of nasal vowels. E.g. French ‘un bon vin

blanc’. • This quality is achieved through the function of the

nasopharyngeal cavity. Nasal airflow does not necessarily have to go through the nose.

– The soft palate is lowered, the air escapes through the nose, but a complete obstruction is made at some point in the mouth. Therefore, no oral escape is possible. This is how nasal consonants are produced.

– The soft palate is raised, so that air escapes through the mouth. This is the case of the production of most speech sounds (E.g. all English vowels, plosives, fricatives, etc.). Such sounds are called oral sounds.

Some positions of the vocal cords:

VOCAL TRACT