Lecture 15 – Articulation, Hearing.docx

Mandibular Elevators

Muscles including Masseter, Temporalis, and Medial pterygoid that elevate the mandible.

Mandibular Depressors

Muscles like Digastricus, Mylohyoid, and Geniohyoid that depress the mandible.

Velum

Also known as the soft palate, responsible for various movements and production of speech sounds.

Nasality

velum is open (lowered/relaxed), allowing resonance in nasal cavity

Uvula

Part of the velar structure, can be moved indirectly by moving the velum.

Velum Muscles

Muscles that compress to elevate the velar structure, separating oral and nasal areas.

Pharynx

An anatomical structure connecting nasal tract, oral tract, larynx, and esophagus.

External Ear

Comprising the auricle, meatus, and tympanic membrane, important for sound directionaloty.

Tympanic Membrane

Also known as the eardrum, separates the middle ear from the outer ear.

Middle Ear

Contains the ossicles (malleus, incus, stapes) responsible for transmitting sound vibrations to the inner ear.

Masseter

elevates mandible

temporalis

elevates (and retracts) mandible

Medial pterygoid

elevates mandible

Diagastricus (anterior and posterior)

depresses mandible

Mylohyoid

depressed mandible if hyoid fixed

Geniohyoid

depressed mandible if hyoid fixed

Platysma

a broad sheet of muscle fibers extending from the collarbone to the angle of the jaw

Hypernasality

excessive nasal resonance due to inadequate closure of velum

Hyponasality

absence of nasalized speech in nasal sounds such as /m/ and /n/ due to inadequate velopharyngeal (VP) opening

Levator veli palatini

important muscle in velum closure

uvula muscularis

move uvula out of the way when swallowing to avoid damage (not speech)

Nasal coupling

little sound energy leaves nasal tract due to small opening and high damping (muscous walls) but draws energy away from oral tract sounds; coupling produced through lowered velum

Why is the pharynx a FOUR way crossing?

It joins the nasal tract, oral tract, larynx and ESOPHAGUS

Nasal tract

upper part of the nasopharynx merges into nasal tract and ends at the nose; warms air while breathing and covered by musous membranes

Laryngopharynx

top of larynx joins with esophagus, to top of epiglottis

Oropharynx

from top of epiglottis to velum

Nasopharynx

area above velum

Pharynx

part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea; passageway for air to enter the larynx and lungs and food and liquid to enter the esophagus