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.