1. PHONETICS – THE BIOLOGY OF SPEECH
Anatomy and physiology of speech.
by Dr Mukaro

2. APPROACHES
Articulatory phonetics deals with the physiological mechanisms of speech production.
Acoustic phonetics studies the physical properties of sound waves in the message.
Auditory phonetics is concerned with the perception of speech by the hearer.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

3. ARTICULATORY PHONETICS
physiological mechanisms of speech production
Parts and processes involved in speech production
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

4. The Vocal Tract
The air we use in sound production comes from the lungs, proceeds through the larynx where the vocal cords are situated, and then it is shaped into specific sounds in the vocal tract.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

5. Cavities space inside the pharynx- throat.
the oral cavity – space inside the mouth
the nasal cavity – space inside the nose.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

6. L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

7. Organs of Speech
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9. L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

10. English Noun Adjective Latin Noun Glottis glottal glottis
Larynx laryngeal larynx
Pharynx pharyngeal pharynx
Epiglottis epiglottal epiglottis
Tongue back/dorsum dorsal dorsum
Corona coronal corona
Tongue tip/apex apical apex
Tongue blade/lamina laminal lamina
Alveolar ridge alveolar alveolae
Hard palate palatal palatum
Soft palate/velum velar velum
Uvula uvular uvula
Lungs pulmonal pulmo
Teeth dental dentes
Lips labial labia
Nasal cavity nasal cavum nasi
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

11. Upper part the outer extreme = the lips and the teeth.
the upper surface, behind the upper teeth = a bumpy area (alveolar ridge), followed by a larger bony area (hard palate).
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

12. Further = a flaccid area, the ‘soft palate’ (or ‘velum’) which is unsupported by bone.
The extreme end of the soft palate is a movable organ, which opens and closes the velopharyngeal passage (the passage that links the pharynx to the nasal cavity).
At the back = the velum narrows to a long, thin pointed structure that is called the ‘uvula’.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

13. lower part of the mouth
after the lower lip and the teeth, lies the tongue. The ‘tip’ (or ‘apex’) of the tongue is the foremost part.
behind the tip = the small surface called the ‘blade’ (or ‘lamina’). The so-called ‘front’ part of the tongue is the area between tip/blade and the center.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

14. The hindmost part of the horizontal surface of the tongue is called the ‘back’ (or ‘dorsum’).
end of the tongue = the ‘root’, which is the vertical surface against the pharyngeal wall.
Finally, we have the ‘epiglottis’, which is a leaf-shaped cartilage that sticks up and back from the larynx.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

15. Processes
Airstream Process/Mechanism (initiation) – where the air used in speech production starts from and which direction it is travelling in.
Phonation Process (vibration of the vocal cords) – whether or not the vocal cords are vibrating which determines voicing.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

16. Oro-nasal Process (velum either lowered or lifted) – this determines whether the sound is oral or nasal.
Articulation Process (different points where the airstream is manipulated) – the horizontal and vertical positions of the tongue and lips.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

17. Airstream Mechanism/Initiation of the airstream
To produce any sound there is need for energy. There is need to create a pressure difference in the appropriate locations in the larynx and the vocal tract.
For speech production the airflow in the respiratory system facilitates the generation, duration and loudness of the sounds.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

18. The human sounds are made in the vocal cavity as a result of the manipulation of airflow at different points and the different states of the glottis.
This air can be moving inwards (ingressive) or outwards (egressive). (Davernport and Hannahs 2005: 8ff).
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

19. Pulmonic Airstream Mechanism
The most commonly used by far and the great majority of speech sounds are produced with the help of increased air pressure created by our lungs.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

20. Before we begin to speak, we breathe in, taking in sufficient air to produce an utterance of reasonable length.
Instead of simply letting go of the muscular tension and allowing our lungs to collapse, pushing the air from them (which is what we would do if we were breathing normally), we slowly ease up on the tension, thereby slowing down the exhalation phase.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

21. Pulmonic Egressive
pulmonically produced pressure difference is used for three purposes:
to drive the vibratory opening and closing actions of organs like the vocal folds.
to generate a flow of air that can be channeled through a narrow opening to create audible air turbulence, or friction. (production of /s/.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

22. to build up pressure behind a complete blockage of the vocal tract in order to create an explosive sound when the blockage is suddenly removed.(production of /p/
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

23. Pulmonic Ingressive
NON!!
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

24. Velaric Airstream Mechanism
the manipulation of air trapped in the oral cavity.
relies on two simultaneous closures inside the mouth, one of which is always caused by the velum being lowered, the other being more forward (e.g. tongue-palate, tongue- alveolar, the lips).
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

25. There is a stop closure at the velum, along with another stop closure in front of the velum.
This creates a closed chamber of air between the velum and the forward stop closure.
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27. Velaric Ingressive
Lowering the tongue decreases the air pressure in the oral chamber.
subsequent release of the forward stop closure results in air rushing in (since the outside pressure is now higher than the inside pressure).
Clicks can be voiced, voiceless and/or nasalized.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

28. Velaric Egressive This mechanism is impractical.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

29. Glottalic Airstream Mechanism
uses air contained in the pharynx.
air is trapped in the pharynx through a simultaneous closure of the glottis and a total obstruction elsewhere in the vocal tract (usually somewhere in the mouth).
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

30. When the larynx then moves upwards, the air in the pharynx is compressed, and then expelled by ‘releasing’ the obstruction.
Syringe analogy.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

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33. Glottalic Egressive
the air movement as a result of the upward movement of the larynx (closed glottis) – the glottis initiates the air movement.
The upward movement of the larynx increases air pressure in the pharynx resulting in the release of the second closure in the oral cavity.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

34. The sounds produced are called Ejectives.
An easy way of producing this ejective is to breathe out all the air from your lungs and then to say the sound /p/ (as in pin, for instance) as many times as you can before you have to take in air again.
The series of rapid puffs you hear at the end are ejectives. These sounds are always voiceless.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

35. The ejective /k’/.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

36. Glottalic Ingressive
refers to the airflow that is initiated by the downward movement of the larynx (with the glottis closed).
There is a closure of the glottis and another simultaneous closure at some point in the vocal tract.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

37. A downward movement of the larynx results in lowering the pressure in the vocal tract to below atmospheric pressure.
When the obstruction further up in the vocal tract is released, air is sucked in to equalize the two pressures. Sounds produced are called implosives.
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101

38. The implosive /ɓ/.
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39. Summary Airstream Mechanism Ingressive Egressive Pulmonic x √ Velaric
Glottalic
L. Mukaro (PhD) HLG101