Lec 2 Speech Production Process

Question 1

What is the total number of muscles involved in speech?

Answer 1

Approx 160

Question 2

Name organs of which speech is a primary function

Answer 2

0. All speech functions are secondary, no organ was made specifically for speech

Question 3

What is meant by egressive air?

Answer 3

Outflowing air.

Question 4

What are the systems of speech called?

Answer 4

1. Neural Control
2. Initiation
3. Phonation
4. Articulation
5. Perception

Question 5

What is the neural control part of the speech system?

Answer 5

The neural system is responsible for encoding and decoding speech signals. i.e the speaker has an idea (the brain, cerbellum, efferent nerves)

Question 6

What is the process of initiation?

Answer 6

provides the energy for speech, the brain has decided to ‘speak’, myodynamic execution. Includes pulmonic mechanism which initiates airflow which is needed for speech, laryngeal mechanism which is the ‘adam’s apple’, a little flexible box which contains the vocal folds

Question 7

What is the process of articulation?

Answer 7

which further modifies the acoustic energy to generate specific speech sounds, each individual shape has a unique speech sound. Constricting the vocal tract tube to various degrees, i.e blocking it or narrowing so that the sound becomes ‘hizzyyyy’, constriction location also gives out different sounds

Question 8

What is the process of phonation involved with?

Answer 8

The process of phonation is involved in creating voicing distinctions in languages of the world. which converts the air stream into audible acoustic energy. , it transforms the silent air stream into a low frequency sound.

Question 9

What is proprioceptive feedback?

Answer 9

provides information regarding position in space and/or in relation to objects.

Question 10

Propioceptive feedback is handled by what?

Answer 10

Proprioceptive feedback in speech is handled by the afferent neural system.

Question 11

What is afferent (sensory) nervous system?

Answer 11

it feeds back information to the brain about the position of the articulators, the tension in the muscles of articulation etc.

Question 12

What does lateralisation mean?

Answer 12

each side of the brain is responsible for the opposite side of the body.

Question 13

What is the Thalamus?

Answer 13

is the connection between the two sides of the brain. Like a ‘data sorting centre’, it sends the signals to the relevant part of the brain.

Question 14

What does the brain stem do?

Answer 14

Controls automatic functions like respiration.

Question 15

What is the cerebellum and what does it do?

Answer 15

Large part of the brain. is an optimiser of any activity, in speech production, the speaker plans what to say, the idea is sent to the cerebellum, looks at the ‘idea’ then sends that plan back to the left hem before it is executed. It optimises speech, language and movement. A tumour in the cerebellum will affect a person’s speech production.

Question 16

What is the cerebellum’s primary function?

Answer 16

Co-ordination of movement

Question 17

Name the speech production steps in order

Answer 17

1. starts in the neural control system
2. Initiation
3. Phonation
4. Articulation
5. Perception

Question 18

Where is the main command centre for speech production in the brain?

Answer 18

Known as the area of the Broca, located in the pre-frontal language-dominant hemisphere of the brain

Question 19

What is Brodmann area 44?

Answer 19

Area 44 is Broca’s area.

Brodman areas are subdivisions of the cortex based on it cytoarchitecture or neuronal organisation (In total there are 52 Brodman areas). These areas were defined by the German Neurologist Korbinian Brodmann (1868-1918).

Question 20

The Broca area of the brain is also known as…

Answer 20

Brodmann area 44

Question 21

What is Broca Aphasia?

Answer 21

word-finding problems, agrammatism, speech requires effort. word-finding difficulties, short sentences if any at all and agrammatism. Speaking involves great effort, while understanding speech may be relatively unaffected. The right side of the body can also be affected. Brain tumor, stroke in that particular area where neurons are destroyed, infection can lead to damage in the Broca.

Question 22

Why is it called Broca’s area?

Answer 22

The importance of this area in terms of speech was discovered in 1861 by the French neurologist Pierre Paul Broca (1824-1880)

Question 23

What is the neural system/the brain responsible for?

Answer 23

The neural system is responsible for encoding and decoding speech signals.

Question 24

What is encoding?

Answer 24

Sending commands to the different muscles involved in speech production.

Question 25

What is decoding?

Answer 25

On the receiving end, the brain is also responsible for decoding (deciphering) speech sounds into meaning. This happens in a dedicated area of the brain which has specialized in speech understanding. This is the area of Wernicke:

Question 26

Where is the area of Wernicke located?

Answer 26

located in the language-dominant hemisphere in the parietal cortex of the brain, i.e. slightly more backward than the Broca area.

Question 27

What is the Wernicke area called?

Answer 27

Brodmann area 22

Question 28

What is Brodmann area 22 also known as?

Answer 28

the Wernicke area

Question 29

What is Wernicke aphasia?

Answer 29

problems understanding speech. Fluent in speech but the result is hard to understand. The speaker does not understand the true meaning of words. The Wernicke area is not in an area associated with motor control so no damage to the left side of the body is affected.

Question 30

In the initiation process, what is PULMONIC AIRSTREAM?

Answer 30

i.e. an airstream which is initiated by the lungs during breathing. Such airstream can be egressive (air flows out of the lungs as in breathing out) or ingressive (air flows into the lungs as in breathing in).

Question 31

Name the 3 parts of the process of initiation?

Answer 31

1. Pulmonic
2. Lingual
3. Laryngeal

Question 32

What is pulmonic egressive?

Answer 32

egressive (air flows out of the lungs as in breathing out)

Question 33

What is pulmonic ingressive?

Answer 33

ingressive (air flows into the lungs as in breathing in).

Question 34

What is the Laryngeal Initiation also known as?

Answer 34

Laryngeal or Glottalic

Question 35

What is laryngeal airstream?

Answer 35

in which the airflow is initiated by the up or downward movement of the larynx as a whole.

Question 36

What happens in the Egressive Laryngeal Mechanism?

Answer 36

the vocal folds inside the larynx are closed and the larynx as a whole is suddenly pulled upwards by muscles between the larynx and an anatomical landmark situated above the larynx, such as the skull. This results in a piston action of the larynx, which pushes a small amount of air outwards. This airflow can be used to produce a wide sounds (stops, fricatives, affricates) which are called ejectives.

Question 37

What is ingressive laryngeal mechanism?

Answer 37

the vocal folds inside the larynx are closed and the larynx is suddenly pulled downwards by muscles between the larynx and an anatomical structure located below the larynx, such as the sternum. As a result of this a vacuum is created just above the larynx and this causes the air to flow into the oral cavity. These sounds are known as implosives and are often heard in African languages and American Indian languages.

Question 38

What are implosives sounds?

Answer 38

Sounds that come out of ingressive laryngeal mechanism, he vocal folds inside the larynx are closed and the larynx is suddenly pulled downwards by muscles between the larynx and an anatomical structure located below the larynx, such as the sternum. As a result of this a vacuum is created just above the larynx and this causes the air to flow into the oral cavity.

Question 39

What are ejective sounds?

Answer 39

‘voiceless consonants’. pronounced with a glottalic egressive airstream. the vocal folds inside the larynx are closed and the larynx as a whole is suddenly pulled upwards by muscles between the larynx and an anatomical landmark situated above the larynx, such as the skull. This results in a piston action of the larynx, which pushes a small amount of air outwards. This airflow can be used to produce a wide sounds (stops, fricatives, affricates) which are called ejectives.

Question 40

What is lingual Initiation also known as?

Answer 40

just lingual, velaric or oral

Question 41

What is lingual intiation process?

Answer 41

Here, the airflow is initiated by the tongue which makes contact with the roof of the mouth at the back with the velum. Furthermore, the tongue makes a second contact with the roof of the mouth at a more anterior place of articulation. As a result, a small amount of air is trapped between the two points of contact.
In a next stage, the back of the tongue is drawn backward, still maintaining contact with the velum. This action rarefies the air between the two constrictions so that a vacuum is created. Then the constriction furthest forward in the mouth is released and the air rushes into the oral cavity to fill up the vacuum. This gives rise to a very distinctive clicking sound.