1. Supralaryngeal Anatomy & Physiology

2. Velopharyngeal Anatomy
Soft palate & its relationship with the pharyngeal wall
Muscles here run from skull and insert somewhere in palate
Muscles important for speech-Cleft palate
Three sounds in English that require velum to be depressed- n, m, ing

3. Soft Palate Velum; flexible muscular flap hanging from hard palate
Attached by the palatine aponeurosis
Sheet of flattened tendon Arrangement of muscle fibers:
Elevates, lowers and tenses
Three classes of muscles:
Depressor relaxers (glossopalatine & Pharyngopalatine)
Elevators (Levator Palatini & Uvular)
Depressor-Tensor (Tensor Palatini)

4. Levator Veli Palatini Palatal Elevator, bulk of soft palate
Arises from the temporal bone & medial wall of the eustachian tube
Courses down to insert into the palatal aponeurosis of soft palate
Primary elevator of the soft palate
Contraction elevates & retracts the posterior velum

5. Levator Veli Palatini
Temporal
Bone

6. Muscularis Uvulae Medial & posterior portions of the soft palate
Arises from posterior nasal spine of palatine bone & palatal aponeurosis
Fibers run the length of the soft palate
Inserts into mucous membrane of the velum
Contraction shortens the velum, bunching it up

7. Tensor Veli Palatini
Tensor of the soft palate and dilator of the eustachian tube
Arises from the sphenoid bone & lateral eustachian tube wall
Terminate into a tendon that wraps around the pterygoid hammulus, then flattens to become the palatine aponeurosis
Contraction tenses the soft palate and flattens it & dilates eustachian tube to aerate it.

8. Tensor Veli Palatini
Eustachian Tube
Hammulus
of Pterygoid

9. Soft Palate Eustachian Tube Tensor Levator Palatini Palatini
Sagittal section of
Vocal tract

10. Palatoglossus Posterior of oral cavity
Anterior faucial pillar (First arch in oral cavity)
Serves dual purpose:
Elevates tongue or depresses soft palate
Originates at the anterolateral palatal aponeurosis & inserts into the sides of the tongue

11. Palatoglossus

12. Palatopharyngeus
Anterior fibers originate from the anterior hard palate & posterior fibers arise from the midline of the soft palate
Insert into posterior thyroid cartilage
Courses down and form posterior faucial pillars
Assists in narrowing the pharyngeal cavity & lowers the soft palate & elevates larynx

13. Velar Depressors Soft Palate Palatine Tonsil Posterior Faucial Arch
Palatoglossus
Anterior
Faucial
Arch
Palatopharyngeus

14. Supralaryngeal Physiology

15. Introduction Source-filter theory Vocal tract-
Source = generates sound (larynx)
Filter = sound modified (vocal tract)
Vocal tract-
Filter for all vowels and consonants
Serves as source of noise for consonants

16. Noise Generation: Source
All consonants include an element of noise (except semi-vowels)
Consonant that is voiced= Noise added to the voice generated at Glottal Source
Consonant that is voiceless= Characterized entirely by noise
Narrowing of vocal tract causes resistance to cause noise (usually in upper vocal tract)
/h/ is an exception- noise caused at the glottis

17. Oral Pressure Two functions of vocal tract: Prerequisite for noise:
Serves as a filter for all consonants & vowels
Serves as a source of noise for most consonants
Prerequisite for noise:
Build pressure behind constriction or occlusion
Intraoral air pressure (requires velopharyngeal competence)

18. Turbulent Noise
The noise element of consonants produced by fricatives is the result of turbulence.
Hiss of steam
Occurs when air channel is constricted enough to disrupt smooth flow of air
Turbulence if the other type of consonant noise (bursts & turbulence)
Place of articulation distinguishes fricatives

19. Places of Articulation
K-G-NG
SH-ZH-
L-CH-J-R
M-W-P-B TH
T-D-S-Z-N
F-V H

20. Bursts of Noise Burst, a puff of air
Air stream is stopped by tongue or lips (plosive or stop)
Progress of stop:
Closure (tongue, lips)-Block air stream
Pressure builds behind stoppage
Brief gap of silence
Stoppage is released (can be aspirated)

21. Typical Plosive Production
Closure
Stoppage
Transition
Release
Airstream
Airstream
Stoppage
Transition
Silence
Plosive
Burst
Vowel
Typical Plosive Production

22. Reading/Assignments
Seikel: Pgs ;
Dickson: Pgs