SPEECH ORGANS

Speech apparatus structure.

Organ functions. English sound articulation.

To master English pronunciation, a pupil should first learn speech apparatus

structure, speech organs and their functions.
We pronounce sounds by exhaling from the lungs. Through the trachea the
outgoing air comes into the glottal cavity – the trachea’s upper part with the vocal
cords.
Vocal Cords
These are 2 muscular elastic folds able to approach with stretching and
distance with relaxing. Space between them is the glottis. Stressed cords make air
flow shake them. Their vibration produces the tone/voice we hear in articulating
vowels, consonants and sonants like [а:], [n], [z]. When the cords are relaxed and
apart, air freely goes through the glottis. Such is their position in pronouncing
voiceless consonants like [s], [p]. Touching the glottal cavity, we can feel cords
vibration in pronouncing vowels/sonants and no vibration in pronouncing voiceless
consonants.
Above the glottal cavity are the pharyngeal cavity, mouth cavity and nasal
cavity. Their capacity influences sound quality.
Mouth Cavity
From the pharyngeal cavity exhaled air can go via the mouth cavity (with
the soft palate up) or nasal cavity (with the soft palate down). In the first
case oral sounds form, in the second nasal sounds. English has 3 nasals ([m], [n],
[ŋ]) and one glottal sound ([h]). The rest are oral sounds.
 Tongue
It’s the main articulation organ. It’s very flexible and mobile in different
positions in the mouth cavity to produce vowels and consonants. The tongue ascent
in the mouth cavity depends on mouth opening (lower jaw position).
For easier articulation description, the tongue divides into 3 parts: the front
part with its tipped front edge, middle part and back part. When relaxed, the
front part is opposite the alveolar ridge on the hard palate, the middle part
opposite the hard palate and the back part opposite the soft palate. All tongue
surface is called the dorsal surface while its front part surface – the predorsal
surface.
The tongue’s front part is the most active. It only forms various obstacles
(full and partial) in consonant articulation. In vowel articulation it’s passive behind
the lower teeth.
The tongue’s middle and back parts constitute its bulk. It’s less flexible
though able to move horizontally and vertically helping form vowel sounds.
Minor Organs
 Teeth and lips can form full and partial obstacles in articulating consonants
like [b], [v], [w]. Lip and lower jaw positions regulate mouth opening size and
form in pronouncing vowels like [i], [o:].
Classification
Speech organs can be mobile and immobile, active and passive. Mobile are
the tongue, lips, soft palate with the uvula, lower jaw, vocal cords. Immobile are
the upper jaw, teeth, alveolar ridge and hard palate.