Introduction
The parts of the human body used in the production of speech are called organs of speech. This lecture will discuss each of these organs, indicating how they affect speech. The roles that organs such as the tongue and lips play are very obvious. However, some others—such as the lungs—whose function in speech is not easily known, will also be discussed.
A near-perfect understanding of the organs of speech is prerequisite to the mastery of articulatory phonetics. Please, pay close attention to the details.
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Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you should be able to:
1. Draw and label the parts of the human body used in speech production.
2. State the speech function(s) of each organ.
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Pre-Test
1. Identify ten parts of your body used in speech production.
2. Is the mouth primarily for eating or for talking?
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Content: Explanation and Grouping
The parts of the body used in speech can be divided into two groups based on whether they occur above or below the voice box:
Supraglottal organs: Located above the voice box.
Subglottal organs: Located below the voice box.
Additionally, there are cavities—spaces along the vocal tract—through which air passes. The direction and force of air through these cavities affect the quality of speech.
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1. Supraglottal Organs
• The Brain
Location: Inside the skull.
Function: Initiates speech (conceives ideas).
Coordinates other organs by sending signals via motor neurons.
• Lips
Upper and lower lips are fleshy extensions of skin.
Function:
Act as articulators (i.e., they move to produce speech sounds).
Sounds involving the lips include bilabials like
, [b], [m].
• Front Teeth (Incisors)
Function:
Also serve as articulators, especially in sounds like [f] and [v] (labiodentals).
• Alveolar Ridge
Location: Ridge just behind the upper front teeth.
Function:
Common contact point for the tip of the tongue during articulation (e.g., [t], [d], [s], [z]).
• Hard Palate
Function:
The front roof of the mouth.
Works with the front of the tongue to articulate palatal sounds like [ʃ].
• Palato-alveolar
Location: Border area between alveolar ridge and hard palate.
Function:
Place of articulation for sounds like [ʃ], [ʒ].
• Velum (Soft Palate)
Function:
Can move up or down to block or open the nasal cavity.
When raised, air flows through the mouth only.
When lowered, air flows through the nose (nasal sounds).
Articulates velar sounds like [k], [g], [ŋ].
• Uvula
Function:
Works as an articulator (e.g., for uvular sounds in some languages).
• Tongue
The most important articulator. Divided into six parts:
1. Tip – narrow front end (touches alveolar ridge).
2. Blade – just behind the tip.
3. Front – lies under hard palate.
4. Center – lies at the junction of hard and soft palate.
5. Back (Dorsum) – lies below velum.
6. Root – faces the pharynx.
All parts play a role in speech.
Epiglottis
Function:
Protects the voice box during swallowing.
Has no major role in speech production.
2. Subglottal Organs
• Larynx (Voice Box / Adam's Apple)
Composed of cartilages (thyroid, cricoid, arytenoids).
Houses the vocal cords.
Controls phonation (voicing).
Glottis = space between vocal cords.
• Lungs
Function:
Store and release air for speech.
Primary air reservoir for pulmonic egressive sounds.
3. Cavities Involved in Speech
• Oral Cavity
Space in the mouth where most articulation occurs.
• Nasal Cavity
Space in the nose where air flows for nasal sounds like [m], [n].
• Pharyngeal Cavity (Throat)
Shared passage for both nasal and oral airflow.
Divided into:
Oropharynx (behind oral cavity),
Nasopharynx (behind nasal cavity),
Laryngopharynx (above larynx).
4. Muscles
Muscles are essential to moving the organs of speech.
Important ones include:
Diaphragm – aids in lung movement.
Intercostal muscles – control rib movement.
Crico-arytenoid muscle – controls tension in vocal cords.
5. The Vocal Tract
All the organs of speech together line a tube that runs from the mouth to the lungs.
This tube is called the vocal tract, where all speech activities take place.
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Summary
In this lecture, we have examined the human organs used in speech production, grouped into:
Supraglottal organs (above the glottis),
Subglottal organs (below the glottis),
Cavities (spaces through which air flows).
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The tongue is the most versatile articulator, and the lungs are the main source of airflow. The vocal tract acts as the channel for all speech sounds.
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Post-Test
1. Draw and label the organs of speech.
2. What is the difference between a speech articulator and a cavity?
3. State the speech function(s) of the following:
a. Uvula, lower lip, palato-alveolar
b. Lungs
c. Oral and pharyngeal cavities
4. Name the cartilages that form the larynx.
Why do you think the larynx is called the voice box?
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LECTURE FOUR: Place of Articulation of Consonants
Introduction
The point where a sound is produced along the vocal tract is called its place of articulation. At least two articulators participate in the production of consonants. During the production of speech sounds, these articulators either make contact or draw close to each other to form a constriction. The choice of articulators is one of the factors responsible for the type of sound produced.
This lecture is about where sounds are produced and the specific articulators involved in particular sounds.
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Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you should be able to:
1. Explain the different points along the vocal tract where consonants are produced.
2. Differentiate between active and passive articulators.
3. Explain how to position articulators at appropriate places.
4. State the difference between single and double articulation.
5. Make diagrams of different places of articulation.
6. Identify normal and displaced articulations.
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Pre-Test
Can you tell which part of the tongue is used to produce the consonants in:
(i) tank, (ii) church, (iii) seat, (iv) quick?
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Content
Passive and Active Articulators
Though two articulators come together to produce a sound, one typically moves more than the other. The more mobile one is called the active articulator, while the less mobile one is called the passive articulator.
Generally, the roof of the mouth (upper parts) contains passive articulators.
The floor of the mouth (e.g., lower lip, tongue) contains active articulators.
Places of articulation are usually named after the passive articulator involved.
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Place of Articulation
From left to right on the IPA consonant chart, the places of articulation correspond to a movement from the front to the back of the mouth's roof. Examples:
Bilabial: 'Bi' = two, 'labial' = lip → both lips.
Labiodental: lip and teeth.
Dental: tongue and teeth.
Alveolar: tongue and alveolar ridge.
Palatal: tongue and hard palate.
Velar: tongue and soft palate (velum).
Uvular, Pharyngeal, Glottal: further back.
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Later, we also encounter double articulations such as:
Labial-velar (e.g., [kp], [gb])
Labial-alveolar
Dental-palatal
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Table of Single Articulations
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Double Articulations
In double articulation, two simultaneous places of articulation occur.
Each such sound has four articulators: two passive and two active.
Examples:
Labial-velar: back of the tongue and lips at the same time – [kp], [gb]
Labial-palatal, Dental-palatal, etc.
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Normal vs Displaced Articulation
When the active articulator moves toward its opposite (resting) passive articulator, it is a normal articulation.
If the active articulator moves toward a different passive articulator, it is called a displaced articulation.
Examples:
Labiodental: lower lip (active) → upper teeth (passive)
Retroflex: underside of tongue (active) → post-alveolar ridge (passive)
Linguolabial: tongue tip (active) → upper lip (passive)
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Summary
This lecture has discussed place of articulation of consonants.
Each consonant is produced at a specific point along the vocal tract by two articulators.
We distinguished:
Active vs Passive articulators
Normal vs Displaced articulation
Single vs Double articulation
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Post-Test
1. Name five places of consonant articulation and state the active and passive articulators at each.
2. Provide diagrams for two places of articulation not already mentioned in (1).
3. Give two examples of displaced articulation, explaining why you consider them so.
4. Take turns with a classmate to produce sounds and guess each other's place of articulation.