Speech Organs

Speech Organs

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
June 12, 2007.

Content Page Number
Contents 02
Abstract 03
Chapter One: 04
Introduction 04
Chapter Two: 05
Background Knowledge 05
Defination of Speech Organs 06
Description of Speech Organs 07

Chapter Three:
Conclusion



Abstract:
Speech organs are one of the most important subject in the study of phonetics. The scope of organs of speech is as important as the scope of phonetics. It helps us to understant the articulators which are involved in the production of sounds or phones. A clear conception about articulators can change the style of any individual’s pronounciation. The knowledge helps a native more accurate in his first language (mother tongue). Moreover, it helps a person to be more nativelike in his or her second language. Overall, a well rounded knowledge of organs of speech is not only necessary for the students of linguistics but also for the general people.
Chapter One
Introduction:
The organs invovle in the production of sounds are called speech organs. It is placed in the fundamental level of the study of phonetics. According to the division of phonetics, speech organs are placed in the articulatory phonetics. The subject matter of articulatory phonetics is how the different parts of our body are helping to produce any speech sounds. It indicates the organs of speech, how speech sounds are pronounced and from where any speech sounds are pronounced. In this way, one person can improve his or her pronouncing ability. The knowledge of speech organs can help both a native as well as a fareign speaker. A copehensive knowledge about the organs of speech can be an effective skills for pronouncing correctly and more accurately.
Chapter Two
Background Knowledge:
Phonetics is an important branch of linguistics. Phonetics comes from the Greek word phone meaning ‘sound’ or ‘voice’. It is the study of the sound of human speech. It deals with the actual properties of speech sounds, their production, audition and perception. Many famous linguistics defines it many ways.
Davenport defines phonetics as:
Phonetics deals with speech sounds themselves, how they are made,… how they are perceived and the physics involved.
Another famous linguist David Crystal in his “A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics”, defines Phonetics as:
The science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription.
Phonetics is classified into three branches. They are:
• Articulatory Phonetics: Articulatory phonetics is the study of the way speech sounds are made by vocal organ.
• Acoustic Phonetics: Acustic phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear.
• Auditory Phonetics: Auditory phoneticsstudies the perceptual resposnse to speech sounds, as meditated by ear; auditory nerve and brain.
Defination of Speech Organs:
Organs of speech or articulators are part of the study of articulatoey phonetics. Articulator or speech organs are those organs of our body which helps us to produce speech sounds. Interesting charactaristic of theses articulators is that though they are helping to produces speech sounds, their primary job is to do something else for our body than articulate speech sounds. Different linguist defines speech organs in different ways. Some of the definations are as following:
Famous linguist David Crystal in his Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, defines articulator as:
…any specific part of the vocal apparatus involved in the production of a sound is called an articulator.
Description of Speech Organs:
David Crystal divides the articulators into two different ways according to its mobility. They are:
1) Active Articulator: Any mobile or movable speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Lips, tongue.
2) Passive Articulator: Any static or immobile speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Palate, vocal tract etcetra.
Davenport in his Introducing Phonetics and Phonology shows the figure of the vocal tract and articulatory organs (Fig-01). There he shows fifteen diferrent speech organs. They are as following:
• Nasal cavilty
• Oral Cavity
• Epiglottis
• Larynx
• Lungs
• Upper lip
• Lower lip
• Teeth
• Alveolar ridge
• Palate
• Tongue
• Velum
• Uvula
• Pharynx
• Trachea

Nasal Cavity: Nasal Cavity is a part of upper jaw and works as a passive articulator. It covers the total hollow placed upon the palate from the velum to nostril. The sounds produced from this part are called nasal sound. The term nasal is classified in the phonetics on the basis of manner of articulation. Both consonant and vowel can be pronounced in this way. Nasal consonant is pronounced when there is a complete closure in the mouth and all air pass through the nose. E.g. in Bangla, we have / n /, / m / as nasal consonant. In case of nasal vowel, air passes through both nose and mouth. E.g. in Bangla all seven vowel phonemes can be pronounces as nasal vowel.
Oral Cavity: Oral cavity or oral chamber is considered as the articulatory area of the mouth. It consists of several speech organs situated in the mouth hole. Phonetically ‘oral’ is opposed to ‘nasal’. Oral cavity is opposed with nasal cavity, in this way the pharynx, oesophagus and lungs are also excluded from the notion of ‘oral’. Tongue and teeth are two important articulators of oral cavity. We pronounced each and every sound except nasal and nasalized through the oral cavity.
Epiglottis: Epiglottis is an anatomical structure which closes over the larynx during swallowing. It is a passive articulator which can produce an audible trill.
Larynx: Larynx is the windpipe, containing the vocal cords. It is also named as ‘voice box’ which is a casing of muscle and cartilage. It is very much vivid in the front part of male neck known as ‘Adam’s apple’. It works both biologically and linguistically. Biologically it works as a valve to shut off the lungs. And, linguistically the voice box is involved in the production of different types of sounds like voicing, pitch, whisper, glottal, stop and glottalic. Speech sounds produced in the larynx are sometimes referred to as laryngeals. According to the different states of vocal cords, it produces spread, constricted, voiced, unvoiced, stiff and slack sounds. The process of laryngealization refers to variation mode in the production of the vocal cords e.g. creaky voice. We can observe larynx in different ways. The traditional method of observing it to use laryngoscope, a mirror




Davenport, M & Hannahs, S. J. (1998). Introducing Phonetics and Phonology. London: Arnold.
Crystal, D. (1991). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. UK: Blackwall.