Speech Production Systems Flashcards
I. Speech Production Systems
A. Respiration
B. Phonation
C. Resonation
D. Articulation
(and Prosody)
What are the primary roles of respiration?
A. Respiration
While the primary role of the respiratory system is breathing, respiration is VITAL in speech production: Speech CANNOT occur without a steady supply of air from the lungs.
respiration
The respiratory system involves:
- lungs
- trachea
- rib cage
- thorax (rib cage)
- abdomen
- diaphragm (primary muscle of inspiration)
Breath
Prepatory breath
% of breath while sitting vs. talking
Good breath support is essential during speech production
When we begin speaking, we take a preparatory breath. More air volume is needed for speaking than for sleeping, sitting quietly, etc.
When we breathe, inhalation and exhalation each take up 50% of one respiratory cycle. When we speak, this changes DRASTICALLY—inhalation is 10%, exhalation is 90% of each cycle.
Inhalation: thoracic cavity expands to make room for lung expansion, so: diaphragm contracts and lowers, rib cage expands. The external intercostal muscles and other muscles assist. Air pressure decreases in the lungs and negative pressure results—air rushes in to equalize.
Exhalation: Lungs deflate, much like a balloon. Diaphragm relaxes and rises, rib cage becomes smaller and lowers due to relaxation of inhalation muscles and contraction of internal intercostals and abdominal muscles. End result: expulsion of airstream through trachea
Phonation
- Laryngeal System Anatomy:
a. Larynx
(1) 4 Cartilages and a Bone
(1 thyroid, 1 cricoid,
2 arytenoid) (hyoid bone)
Vocal folds
(elastic folds of tissue, primarily muscle)
phonation
Airstream enters larynx
Pressure on vocal folds from below—specifically at the glottis-space between the vocal folds (“subglottal pressure”).
When this pressure is great enough, vocal folds are pushed apart and release a burst of air.
Elasticity helps to create repeated action — vocal fold vibration
Bernoulli effect
- Air is forced through glottis
- Rapid flow causes drop in air pressure, causes folds to be sucked together
The resulting vibration of the vocal folds is called phonation
Voiced sounds vs. Voiceless sounds
All vowels and several consonants are voiced /b/, /r/, /m/, /v/, /g/.
Voiced/Voiceless cognates: /s/ /z/, etc.
Abduction (apart) for voiceless sounds
Adduction (together) for voiced sounds—then alternate during phonation between abduction and adduction
During phonation—open and close rapidly:
125 times per second for males
215 times per second for females
This basic rate of vibration of vocal folds is known as fundmental frequency
Fundamental frequency of the voice is responsible for habitual pitch (inherent voice pitch)
Males are usually perceived to be lower than females Why? Lower fundamental frequency. Pitch is often related to size of the larynx. Male: larger, more mass, vibrate more slowly—hence, lower pitch.
Females higher, children highest of all.
Fundamental frequency is not constant, however, over time….voice pitch changes constantly during speech production
-when a word is given stress for emphasis, fundamental frequency rises:
the blue car
- also rises when asking a question, doesn’t it?
- Singers change it when singing scales
- monotone speakers rarely change it
- Pitch also conveys mood: happy, sad, bored, excited, angry
resonation
Each phoneme has a unique sound quality associated with it
This is due to a unique vocal tract shape and accompanying vibratory pattern —this is resonance
All objects have natural frequencies of vibration, or resonances
Soda pop bottle example….
As the articulators move from one position to the next, the natural frequencies of vibration of our filter, or resonator, or vocal tract change accordingly. This is how we create individual sounds. Similar to what happens in soda bottle example…..amount of air changes in the cavities….
Quality/Timbre is the perceptual character of a sound based on its acoustic resonance patterns.
The size, shape, and composition of any vibrating body help to determine its unique resonating characteristic
Middle C on piano vs. middle C on clarinet vs. similar frequency from human vocal tract.
Same note on musical scale, but unique, recognizable quality
Similarly, there is a definite sound quality associated with each of the vowels and many of the voiced consonants phonemes—our ability to recognize this allows us to perceive speech….
articulation
Articulation
- Oral/Nasal Cavity
a. Jaw
maxilla - upper jaw bone
mandible - lower jaw bone
b. Tongue
(1) Tip
(2) Base
c. Teeth
d. Lips
e. Hard Palate
(1) Alveolar Ridge
f. Soft Palate (AKA Velum)
(1) Velopharyngeal Mechanism
“To join together”
Articulation of speech involves the joining together of the speech organs for the production of phonemes
The major articulators are located in the oral cavity
The Lips
-open and close in the production of several
sounds
- “labial” or “bilabial” sounds
- “pear,” “boy,” “meet,” “which”
During speech, lips may be:
- rounded (“who”)
- unrounded or retracted(“see”)
