The organs of speech

The organs of speech

The human speaking apparatus consists of the following main parts which participate in the formation of speech sounds.

1. 
   The upper and the lower lips;
   
2. 
   The upper and the lower teeth;
   
3. 
   The palate (or the roof of the mouth). It consists of the following parts: a) the alveoli (or the teeth-ridge – the part behind the upper teeth); b) the hard palate (the part behind the alveoli); c) the soft palate (the back of the palate); d) the uvula (the end of the soft palate).з
   
4. 
   The tongue. It is divided into the following parts: a) the tip of the tongue;
   

b) the blade of the tongue

(the part opposite the alveoli); c) the front of the tongue

(the part situated opposite the hard palate); d) the back of the tongue (the part situated opposite the soft palate);

e) the root of the tongue.

5. 
   The wind pipe
   

(or the trachea).

6. 
   The pharynx.
   
7. 
   The larynx.
   
8. 
   The vocal chords (stretched horizontally across the larynx). The space between the chords is called the glottis.
   
9. 
   The upper and lower jaws.
   
10. 
    The mouth and nasal cavities.
    

Speech sounds in English are produced when we exhale. The flow of air passes through the wind pipe from the lungs into the larynx. There are two vocal chords in the larynx which are tense when brought together or lax when drawn apart. When they are tense, the flow of air passing through the narrowed glottis causes the vocal chords to vibrate and produce voice (thus vowels and voiced consonants are formed). When the vocal chords are lax, the flow of air passes through the glottis freely and does not cause the vocal chords to vibrate (thus voiceless consonants are produced). From the larynx the air passes into the pharynx. Then, if the soft palate is raised, the air passes out through the mouth cavity. If the soft palate is lowered, the air passes out through the nasal cavity.

The organs of speech which are movable and take an active part in the formation of sounds are called active. They are: the vocal chords, the tongue, the soft palate with the uvula, the lips, and the lower jaw. The most movable organ of speech is the tongue. The immovable organs of speech are called passive. They are: the upper jaw, the alveoli, the hard palate, and the teeth.

Answer the following questions:

1. 
   What parts does the palate (tongue) consist of?
   
2. 
   Where are the vocal chords situated?
   
3. 
   Under what conditions does the flow of air cause the vocal chords to vibrate?
   
4. 
   What speech sounds are produced when the vocal chords are apart (drawn together)?
   
5. 
   What conditions make it possible for the flow of air to pass out through the mouth (nasal) cavity?
   
6. 
   What active (passive) organs of speech do you know?
   
7. 
   Draw the scheme of the organs of speech and speak on the work of the organs of speech.
   

Classification of speech sounds

The work of the speech organs necessary for making speech sounds is called articulation. According to the specific character of their articulation speech sounds are divided into vowels and consonants.

In the articulation of vowels: In the articulation of consonants:

1. 
   the flow of air passes freely (meets no obstruction);
   
2. 
   the flow of air is weak;
   
3. 
   all organs of speech are tense;
   
4. 
   voice prevails over noise;
   
5. 
   vowels are syllable forming sounds.
   

1. 
   the flow of air meets
   

an obstruction;

2. 
   the flow of air is strong;
   
3. 
   the active organs of speech are tense only in the place of obstruction;
   
4. 
   noise prevails over voice;
   
5. 
   consonants are not syllable-forming sounds, as a rule.
   

There is an intermediate type called sonants (sonorants). They have features common to both vowels and consonants. A consonant is characterized by an obstruction, however, the air passage is wide. In producing sonorants voice prevails over noise. Some English sonorants [l] [m] [n] can form a syllable when they are preceded by a consonant and if no vowel sound follows,

e. g. people [pi-pl], seldom [sel-dm], taken [tei-kn]

The phoneme is the smallest language unit that exists in speech as such speech sound which is capable of distinguishing one word from another word, or one grammatical form of a word from another grammatical form of the same word.

Transcription is a set of symbols representing speech sounds.

Answer the following questions:

1. 
   What is articulation?
   
2. 
   Which speech sounds do we call vowels (consonants)?
   
3. 
   What is a sonorant?
   
4. 
   Which English sonorants can form a syllable and what are the necessary conditions?
   

Classification of vowels

English vowels have quality and quantity. They may be short or long. Vowels may be classified according to the position of the tongue. The tongue can move vertically (up and down) and horizontally (forward and backward). According to the vertical movement of the tongue vowels are divided into close, mid-open and open. According to the horizontal movement of the tongue vowels are divided into: front [ı:], [ı], [e], [æ]; mixed or central [ə:], [ə]; back [u:], [u], [٨], [], [], [ a:].

Putting these together:

[ı:] beard (a close front vowel) is produced when the front of the tongue is the highest part, and is near the roof of the mouth.

[æ] bat (an open front vowel) when the front of the tongue is the highest part, but the tongue itself is low in the mouth.

[u:] food (a close back vowel) is produced when the back of the tongue is the highest part, and is near the roof of the mouth.

According to the lip position vowels can be divided into: rounded, unrounded.

According to the degree of tenseness they can fall into tense (long vowels), lax (short vowels).

Vowel sounds

Vowel № 1 [ı:] In pronouncing the English [ı:] the front of the tongue is raised to the hard palate. The air passage between the tongue and the hard palate is narrow. The sides of the tongue are pressed to the upper teeth. The lips are spread, revealing the teeth (phonetic smile).Thus the English [ı:] may be defined as a long, tense, close, front, vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  A friend in need is a friend indeed.
  
• 
  Extremes meet.
  
• 
  Learn to creep before you leap.
  
• 
  Seeing is believing.
  
• 
  Greek meets Greek.
  
• 
  A new broom sweeps clean.
  

Vowel № 2 [ı] In pronouncing the English [ı] the front of the tongue is raised to the hard palate but not so high as in [ı:]. The air passage between the tongue and the hard palate is a bit wider. The sides of the tongue only touch the upper teeth. The lips are neutral. Thus, the English [ı] may be defined as a short, lax, front, close vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  As fit as a fiddle.
  
• 
  Live not to eat, but eat to live.
  
• 
  Business is business.
  
• 
  A little leak will sink a great ship.
  
• 
  Fish begins to stink at the head.
  
• 
  It is no use crying over spilt milk.
  
• 
  It is ill wind that blows nobody good.
  

Vowel № 3 [e] In pronouncing the English [e] the front of the tongue is raised to the hard palate, but not so high as in [ı]. The air passage is rather wide. The lower jaw is lowered. Thus, the English [e] may be defined as a short, lax, front, half-open vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  All is well that ends well.
  
• 
  Better late than never.
  
• 
  East or west, home is best.
  
• 
  Eat at pleasure, drink by measure.
  
• 
  Two heads are better than one.
  
• 
  Better to do well than to say well.
  
• 
  Better a small fish than an empty dish.
  

Vowel sounds

Vowel № 4 [æ] In pronouncing the English [æ] the front of the tongue is slightly raised to the hard palate. The air passage is wide. The jaw is lowered. The lips are spread. The English [æ] is rather lengthened under certain conditions: before sonants and voiced consonants. Thus, the English [æ] may be defined as tense, front, open vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  Habit cures habit.
  
• 
  One man is no man.
  
• 
  A cat in gloves catches no mice.
  
• 
  A hungry man is an angry man.
  
• 
  Every family has a black sheep.
  

Vowel № 5 [٨] In pronouncing the English [٨] the tongue is retracted from the lower teeth. The back of the tongue is slightly raised to the soft palate. The lips are neutral. Thus, the English [٨] may be defined as short, lax, half- open, back advanced vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  Every country has its customs.
  
• 
  As snug as a bug in a rug.
  
• 
  Well begun is half done.
  
• 
  What’s done cannot be undone.
  
• 
  Lush is nothing but a money-grubber.
  
• 
  Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
  

Vowel № 6 [a:] In pronouncing the English [a:] the tongue is retracted from the lower teeth. It is very low down in the mouth; the back of the tongue is slightly raised to the soft palate. The lips are slightly spread or neutral. Thus, the English [a:] may be defined as a long, tense, back, open vowel phoneme.

Proverbs:

• 
  He laughs best who laughs last.
  
• 
  After a storm comes a calm.
  
• 
  Hard bargain.
  
• 
  It’s enough to make a cat laugh.