Outline

• 1. The Speech Chain

LLCM30ES English Phonetics
Class 2 The Speech Chain
and the organs of speech
• 2. Phases of the Speech Chain and branches
of phonetics
• 3. The organs of speech

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The Speech Chain

• What are the necessary conditions for
1. The Speech Chain speech communication to take place?

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 Then, three conditions …
• Savoir (+ savoir-faire)
• Pouvoir
• Vouloir

(acoustic)
Speaker
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signal
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Listener 5 16/10/2007 T. Kamiyama LLCM30ES English Phonetics 2007-2008 Week 3 6

The Speech Chain Stage 1: Conceptualization

Speaker Listener Speaker
(acoustic) Input: psychic impulse
signal Vouloir

Output: preverbal
Encoding Decoding Encoding message

From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
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 Stage 2: Linguistic encoding Stage 3: Physiological encoding
Speaker Input: preverbal message Speaker Input: phonetic sequence
This encoding device needs linguistic (including prosody)
knowledge: Pouvoir
Semantics and pragmatics Savoir The brain orders the
Vocabulary
(acoustic) appropriate muscles of the
Morphology Pouvoir signal appropriate speech organs
to move properly, through
Syntax
Phonology (vowels and consonants, motor nerves. Savoir-faire
prosody) The result: the speech
organs produce sound.
Encoding Output: phonetic sequence
(including prosody) Output: sound (acoustic
signal)
From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
16/10/2007 T. Kamiyama LLCM30ES English Phonetics 2007-2008 Week 3 9 Encoding
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Stage 4: Acoustic transmission Stage 5: Physiological decoding

Speaker Listener Listener
(acoustic)
Output: auditory cues
(acoustic)
Movement of particles is
signal transmitted through a signal
medium such as the air,
water, etc., and reaches the
listener’s ear. The human ear decodes the acoustic
signal into different frequency zones.
The information is send to the brain
Pouvoir
through sensory nerves.

Encoding Decoding
Input: sound (acoustic
signal)
From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
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Decoding
From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
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 Stage 6: Linguistic decoding Stage 7: Comprehension
Output: preverbal Listener Output: psychic pulse Listener
message
Feeling that the listener has understood
This decoding device needs linguistic something.
knowledge:
Phonology (vowels and consonants,
prosody) Savoir-faire
Syntax
Vocabulary Savoir
Morphology
Semantics and pragmatics Pouvoir

Input: auditory cues Decoding Input: preverbal message Decoding

From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
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Feedback circle
Speaker The speaker listens to
Decoding his/her own speech,
understands it at the
(acoustic) same time; monitors
signal his/her production, then 2. Stages of the Speech Chain
adjusts it if necessary.
and branches of phonetics

Encoding

From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain

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 Branches of phonetics Branches of phonetics
Speaker Acoustic phonetics
Articulatory phonetics studies how (acoustic) studies the acoustic,
speech sounds are produced by the signal physic characteristics
organs of speech. of speech sounds, by
using instruments
1. Traditional approach: observation,
such as oscillograph
reproduction and introspection.
or spectrograph.
2. Instrumental and experimental
approach: use of instruments such as
camera, video, endoscope,
electrodes, sensors of air pressure,
brain imaging, etc.
From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
Encoding
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Branches of phonetics
Auditory phonetics studies how Listener
listeners decode and understand
speech sounds.
1. Psycholinguistic approach:
analysis of the behaviour (task of 3. The organs of speech
choice, judgement, etc.) in
response to speech sounds, or
synthesised sounds. Decoding
2. Neuroscience approach: direct
observation of the brain by brain
images obtained by MRI, PET, etc.
From Denes and Pinson The Speech Chain
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 3.1. Ear: the three main components 3.2. Organs of speech production
Middle Inner ear • Three functions
ear
Articulation modifies (filters) the source
sound to generate speech sounds
Phonation
generates voicing

Initiation generates an airstream

Outer ear
Clark and Yallop (1995) Clark and Yallop (1995)
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3.2. Organs of speech production 3.2. Organs of speech production

Articulation Articulation

Phonation Phonation Larynx

Lungs
generate an (outward) airstream
Initiation Initiation
Except non-
pulmonic Diaphragm
consonants relaxes and rises
Clark and Yallop (1995) Clark and Yallop (1995)
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 Larynx
Larynx

Roach (1991) Roach (1991)

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Larynx Larynx

• The larynx contains a pair of vocal folds.

• The vocal folds are wide apart for normal
breathing, voiceless consonants.
• They are brought close together by arytenoid
cartilages and vibrate (Bernoulli effect) for
voicing.
• The opening between the two vocal folds is
Roach (1991) called glottis (adj. glottal).
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 Functions of the vocal folds used
-
in languages
• Phonation (voicing, vibration of vocal folds)
and its timing.

• Generating different pitches.

• Generating different voice qualities (modal,

creaky, breathy)
suite
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• Cycle of vibration of the vocal folds

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Vocal folds Vocal folds

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3.2. Organs of speech production Articulators

Articulation

Phonation

Initiation

Clark and Yallop (1995) P. Ashby (1995)

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Articulators
Articulators: tongue

Clark & Yallop (1995)

P. Ashby (1995)
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 Articulators: velum
Articulators
• X-ray film of articulators

P. Ashby (1995)
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Articulators Articulators
• X-ray film of articulators • X-ray film of articulators

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 End of Class 2

Class 3: Review of vowels and consonants,

reduced vowels, stress placement