Speech Science

unit 3

does speech happens on inhalation or exhalation?

exhalation

Lungs: are the lungs the same size?

No

left lung has 2 lobes, and right lung has 3 lobes

Rib # and Structure

7 true ribs: connect from spine vertebrae to sternum

3 false ribs: connect from vertebrae to rib above it

2 floating ribs: connect to vertebrae in back, but the front is not connected to anything (floats)

Diaphragm

dome like structure at bottom of ribs, lungs are attached to top

Inhalation and Exhalation

Inhale: lungs and thoracic cavity expand, and diaphragm contracts

Exhale: lungs and thoracic cavity contract and diaphragm expands

Laryngeal cartilages

cricoid: above trachea

arytenoids: above cricoid and they control the vocal ligaments for speech

thyroid: front of lower neck, one end of vocal ligaments are anchored to it

epiglottis: folds backwards to cover airway when eating

corniculates: comes off of the arytenoids

Hyoid Bone

Located above thryoid, and below lower jaw

Concave shape with two “greater cornua” on the ends, and two “lesser cornua”

Vocal Ligament

Connected to inside of thyroid and vocal processes of arytenoid

abduction: opening

adduction: closing

Vocal Folds and False Vocal Folds

Vocal Fold: help control pitch

False vocal fold: above the vocal folds, act as protection for larynx

Resonation Meaning

Prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or synchronous vibration of a neighboring object

all air filled structures have quality of resonance

AND the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating

Harmonics

complex periodic sounds are composed of a series of simple periodic sounds called harmonics

F0

AKA fundamental frequency

the lowest harmonic in vocal folds, perceived as speech

represents rate of vocal fold vibration per second

Formant frequencies

resonances of the vocal tract

changing shape of vocal tract can change the frequency

F1

lowest resonant band created by trachea

most prominent band in the pharynx, frequency affected by shape of pharynx

F2

lowest resonant band created by oral cavity

frequency affected by shape of oral cavity

Source filter theory

Respiration: power source for speech

Phonation: sound source

Articulation: filter for speech

3 Cavities in the Upper Airway

Pharyngeal (throat) cavity

Oral Cavity

Nasal Cavity

function: they all create unique shapes which change and produce different speech sounds

Articulators

muscles of tongue, lips, pharyngeal wall, tongue, soft palate

function: the articulators change the shapes of the cavities

Segmental speech sounds

Segments are the sounds produced by the vocal tract as air is forced through it (aka all the sounds of the consonants and vowels)

affected by size and shape of cavities

What affects a consonant

Consonant determined by how elevated mandible is, and position of tongue, lips, teeth, and presence or absence of phonation

consonants are produced with relatively closed vocal tract

monopthong

made with stable vocal tract shape

diphthong

changing vocal tract shape

vowels

segments produced with a relatively open vocal tract

trachea

windpipe made of concentric cartilage rings

anterior to esophagus

Articulatory System 3 vital functions

air passage way for respiration

aid to olfaction (smell)

alimentation (acquiring nutrition)

bonus but not vital: articulation of speech sounds

Velum function if it’s up or down

Velum down: nasal cavity is open so consonants are open

Velum up: no airflow to nasal cavity so sounds are open

Manner of Articulation

• How close to touching are the articulators?

  • Touching: stops (pat, mat)

  • Close: fricatives (fat, vat)

  • Far enough to produce smooth flow of air: approximant

What affects a vowel?

Height: how closed is the mouth, how high is the tongue (high=closed, mid, low=open)

Frontness or Backness: how far forward or backward is tongue in mouth (front, central, back)

Lip position: how are lips shaped (unrounded/spread, rounded)

Alveoli

tiny air sacs in the lungs where the exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs