SLP 108 Mid Term

Diaphragm

The largest muscle involved in respiration; it contracts during inhalation to increase the volume of the thoracic cavity, allowing air to flow into the lungs.

Speech Breathing

The process of breathing that occurs specifically during speaking, which involves inhaling a larger volume of air compared to quiet breathing and often requires slower exhalation to control airflow for speech.

Major Differences Between Speech Breathing and Quiet Breathing

In speech breathing, individuals inhale more air and exhale more slowly compared to quiet breathing, to support prolonged vocalization.

Boyle's Law

Represents an inverse relationship between volume and pressure in the lungs

External Intercostal Muscles

Muscles located between the ribs that contract to elevate the ribcage and expand the thoracic cavity during inhalation.

Internal Intercostal Muscles

Muscles that can assist in both inhalation and exhalation, involved in depressing the ribcage during forced exhalation.

Where do we make sounds?

Larynx

Glottis

The space between the vocal folds in the larynx, which plays a critical role in phonation.

Hyoid Bone

A U-shaped bone in the neck from which the larynx and other structures are suspended, providing support for tongue movement and swallowing.

Cricothyroid Joint

A joint that allows the thyroid cartilage to tilt forward and downward, and stretching the vocal folds to alter pitch.

Thyroid Cartilage

The largest cartilage of the larynx, forming the anterior wall of the larynx and playing a significant role in voice modulation.

Adduction of Vocal Folds

The closing of the vocal folds

Abduction of Vocal Folds

The opening of the vocal folds

Stuttering

A speech disorder characterized by involuntary disruptions in the flow of speech, often related to abnormal vocal fold movement.

Vocal Fold Breathiness

A condition where the vocal folds do not completely close, resulting in excessive air escaping during phonation, causing a breathy voice quality.

Velum

Also known as the soft palate, it plays a critical role in speech by controlling the flow of air through the nasal cavity.

Levator Palatini Muscle

A muscle responsible for elevating the velum, allowing for the production of most phonemes by closing off the nasal cavity.

What phonemes need the levator palatini relaxed during phonation?

/m/, /n/, /-ng/

Velopharyngeal Port

The opening between the nasal and oral cavities that is closed during the production of non-nasal sounds.

Intensity in Vowels

Vowels are produced with greater intensity and acoustic energy than consonants, contributing to their perceived loudness.

Fundamental Frequency

The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform, representing the basic pitch of a voice determined by the size and tension of the vocal folds.

How does a male opera singer reach high notes?

He has got to stretch them (thin) and tense them so they vibrate at a higher rate

Myoelastic-Aerodynamic Theory of Voice Production

The widely accepted theory that describes how vocal folds vibrate due to their elasticity and muscular control, in conjunction with air pressure from the lungs.

Bernoulli Effect

An increase in airflow velocity through the glottis leads to a decrease in air pressure, facilitating the closure of the vocal folds.

Epiglottis

A leaf-shaped cartilage that acts as a protective flap over the larynx during swallowing, preventing food from entering the airway.

Contact Ulcer

An irritation or sore on the vocal folds often caused by overuse or misuse of the voice, common among singers like Adele.

Spasmodic Dysphonia

A voice disorder characterized by involuntary spasms of the vocal folds, leading to variable voicing during speech.

Parkinson's Disease

A neurological disorder that affects the coordination of muscles, resulting in challenges with respiration and phonation, making speech production difficult.

Articulatory System

The system responsible for shaping speech sounds through the movement of various articulators, including the tongue, lips, and palate.

Orbicularis Oris

The muscle surrounding the lips that is essential for producing rounded sounds and phonemes.

Vowels that require rounded lips?

/o/ as in true

Risorius muscles

Spreads the lips

Supraglottis

Above the glottis and vocal folds

Intrinsic muscles of the tongue

Responsible for the shaping of the tongue more finer movements

What is at the tip of the hard palate?

The alveolar ridge

Voiceless phonemes

Vocal folds are open, abducted, and no vibration (bus)

Voiced phonemes

Closed and vibrating (buzz)

Multi-porous

Holes in the myelin sheath and neurotransmitters have a hard time sending signals to the brain to do anything

8th cranial nerve

Purely sensory and allows us to perceive and interpret sound

Frontal lobe

The part of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions, such as reasoning, planning, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

9th cranial nerve

It is involved in taste sensation and the regulation of swallowing (contraction of stylopharyngeus muscle).

External muscles of the tongue

The muscles responsible for the movement and positioning of the tongue (the heavy lifters)

Styloglossus

Pulls the tongue up and back (/o/ as in loop)

Hyoglossus

Pulls the tongue down and back as in 'ah'.

In order to produce nasal consonants ___________

The velopharyngeal port must be open

A formant is _________.

A vocal tract resonance

The place behind the upper teeth used for articulation of consonants such as /t/ and /d/ is called the ____________.

Alveolar ridge

The __________________muscle pulls the tongue up and forward for /i/ as in 'eat'.

Genioglossus

The ___________ are needed to obstruct airflow in the production of /s/.

Teeth

The articulatory system processes activity that is considered ______________.

Supraglottis

The “Adams Apple” is formed by the

Thryoid Cartilages

The arytenoid cartilages

Are located inferior to the cricoids cartilage, are attached to the thryoid cartilage, and are connected to the vocal folds.

The largest part of the laryngeal skeleton

Thyroid cartilages

Phonation threshold pressure

Is the minimal amount of subglottal pressure needed to set the vocal folds in motion

Muscles that opens the vocal folds

Posterior cricoarytenoid

Vocal folds that have been forced apart by air pressure, recoil back to their midline position due to their natural elasticity

True

The vocal folds are opened by medial compression of the LCA muscles

False

How to "inspire air"?

The diaphragm contracts, flattening and lowering, and the intercostal muscles between the ribs contract, raising the rib cage and expanding the chest cavity

How to “exhale air”?

The diaphragm and rib muscles relax, causing the chest cavity to shrink and pushing air out of the lungs

What do we need in order to produce speech?

The raw material of air

Why do people who are born deaf often speak with a breathy voice?

Because they have no auditory input from their environment and they have not learned to control the airflow used in speech.

Why do people with a cleft palate often have a nasal quality to their voice, even if their respiratory system is normal?

Because it creates a hole in the roof of the mouth, allowing air to escape through the nose during speech

Why do people with Parkinson’s disease often speak too quietly and run out of air by the end of a sentence?

Because they have limited muscular control, making it difficult to manage the airflow needed for speech. This results in quiet speech.

Pinna

Collects sound waves and funnels them into the ear canal

Ear Canal (external auditory meatus)

Channels sound waves toward the eardrum

Tympanic membrane (eardrum)

Vibrates when sound hits it, starting the hearing process

Stapes

Transmits sound vibrations from the incus to the oval window of the cochlea, where the vibrations are converted into fluid waves in the inner ear.

Malleus (hammer)

Attached to the eardrum and receives vibrations from it, then passes those vibrations to the incus.

Incus (anvil)

Receives vibrations from the malleus and transmits them to the stapes, helping to amplify and pass sound waves toward the inner ear

Eustachian tube

Equalizes air pressure between the middle ear and the outside environment

Cochlea

Spiral-shaped structure that converts vibrations into neural signals (sound perception)

Semicircular canals

Help maintain balance by detecting head movement

Auditory nerve

Carries electrical signals from the cochlea to the brain for sound interpretation

A transducer __________________.

 

Changes one form of energy into another

The Organ of Corti contains__________.

cilia

Acoustic energy is transduced to mechanical energy in the _____________.

 

middle ear

The basilar membrane may be thought of as ___________________________________.

 a high cut-off, low pass filter

Auditory hair cells are arranged in tonotopic order. This means that ___________________.

they are frequency specific

A person with damage to the outer or middle ear may have a __________________.

 conductive hearing loss

The middle ear is ___________________________.

 an air filled space

The traveling wave theory describes _________________.

how hair cells are sheared, how sound moves through the inner ear, and how fluid movement affects the hair cells

A person with damage to the inner ear may have _______________.

A profound hearing loss and a sensorineural hearing loss

The facial nerve is ______________ and innervates ______________.

 cranial nerve VII (7), the stapedial muscle

Infants and pre-school children are prone to middle ear infections due to ____________________.

 the position of the Eustachian tube

Auditory fibers bundle together to form the _____________.

 VIII (8) cranial nerve

The cerebrum is divided into 2 parts. The _______ and ______

left & right hemisphere

Name 4 lobes in each of the hemispheres of the cerebrum.

Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe.​

Which lobe is responsible for processing auditory information? 

Temporal lobe

Frontal lobe

Responsible for higher cognitive functions, such as decision-making, problem-solving, planning, and controlling voluntary movements

Parietal lobe

Processes sensory information from the body, such as touch, temperature, pain, and spatial awareness

Occipital lobe

Processes visual information from the eyes, including color, shape, motion, and depth, allowing us to understand and interpret what we see

What part of the brain is responsible for regulating respiration and swallowing?

Medulla oblongata

The ______ is the link between the brain and the nerves in the rest of the body.

spinal cord

Afferent Nerves

Carry messages from the body's nerves to the central nervous system

Efferent Nerves

Carry messages from the central nervous system to the body's muscle fibers

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

Affects the ability to understand spoken language

What is Broca’s aphasia?

Able to understand what is being said but have difficulty speaking and expressing themselves

How much does the adult brain weigh?

3 pounds

Which cranial nerve has only a sensory function and no other role?

Cranial Nerve VIII (8)

What may happen if Cranial Nerve XII (12) is damaged?

Damage can lead to articulation problems, such as those seen in conditions like cerebral palsy