Organs of Speech

Technically there are no organs of

speech
 Organs of Speech
• All the organs involved have other
primary physiological functions
• Almost all speech can be regarded as a
modified form of exhalation-the air
expelled by the lungs subjected to
some kind of obstruction or interruption
before being allowed to leave the body
 Three Factors in the
Production of Speech
Sounds
• A source of energy
• A vibrating body
• A resonator
 Source of Energy
• The source of energy in the production
of vocal sounds is the pressure of the
outgoing breath.
• Normal English speech occurs during
exhalation.
Speech is a secondary
result of breathing
Most speech sounds are
produced during exhalation
 Speech sounds originate
in the trachea
• The trachea is the cartilaginous tubelike
structure between the pharynx and the
bronchi
• It is sometimes referred to as the
windpipe
• It is composed of cartilege
• It connects the lungs to the pharynx
 Larynx
• The larynx ,also called the Adam’s
Apple,is the voice box located at the top
of the trachea.
• It is the part of the vocal tract where
sound is produced
• It contains vocal bands (vocal cords)
which act as vibrators when set in
motion by pressure of outgoing air.
 Vocal Bands
• The vocal bands are two elastic bands
of tissue attached to the side walls of
the larynx
• They extend from the front of the larynx
to the back
 Vocal Bands
• They are capable of movement from
side to side.
• The cartileges to which they are
attached can approach each other,thus
drawing the vocal bands close together
• The cartileges can move outward,pulling
the vocal bands apart,and forming a v-
shaped opening between them
 Glottis

The glottis refers to the opening

between the vocal bands
 Glottal Stop
• The glottal stop is produced by closing
the glottis during speech
• It sounds like a slight gulp and can
sometimes be heard in the middle of
words like button and bottle
• It occurs infrequently in English
• When we brace to lift a heavy object, we
close the glottis,creating a glottal stop
 Voice Production
• During normal breathing,the glottis is as
wide open as possible
• In the position for voice production,the
glottis is partially open
• In the position for voice production, the
vocal bands are under tension
Most important property of
vocal bands
Elasticity
 Vocal Bands can be
stretched
• Stretched from front to back
• Move from side to side
• Vocal bands regulate the size of the
glottis
• Always under various degrees of
tension
 Position of glottis
• Completely open • Normal breathing
• Under various • Voice
degrees of tension • Holding breath or
• Completely closed lifting an object
 Pitch Control
• Influenced by different frequencies of
vibration of the vocal bands
• Frequency of vibration of vocal bands
• A change of voice pitch is effected by a
change in the frequency of vibration of
the vocal bands
Frequency and Pitch

By causing the vocal bands to

vibrate at higher or lower
frequencies, sounds of higher or
lower pitch are produced
 Pressure

The pressure of the outgoing

breath as it passes through the
glottis forces the vocal bands to
vibrate
 Tension

By increasing or decreasing the

tension of the vocal bands, the
frequency of vibration can be
increased or decreased
 Pitch

The frequency of the vocal bands

controls the pitch of the voice
 Frequency

We increase the frequency of

vibration by increasing the
tension of the vocal bands
 Resonance Chambers
• Necessary for the modification of vocal
sound
• Located in the head
• Oral and nasal cavities in the head act as
resonance chambers
• In the resonance chambers ,some
frequencies are strengthened and some
are weakened
 The size and shape of a
resonance chamber make
it sympathetic to cretain
frequencies
 A resonance chamber
reinforces only those
frequencies to which it is
resonant
 Size and shape

By changing or regulating the size

and shape of a resonance
chamber, we can control the
quality of the resonated sound
 Resonance Chambers
• Pharynx
• Oral Cavity
• Nasal Cavity