English Phonetics

Week 3/2
Speech Organs: VocalTract

D.Deeprasert 1
Objectives
The students are expected to
able to:
1. name and locate speech
organs, and
2. describe the functions for
speech of each organ.

D.Deeprasert 2
Session Outline

1. Reviews the previous lesson.

2. Introduce the articulators in the
oral cavity.
3. Discuss: how the articulators in
the oral cavity produce sounds
and how important the nasal
cavity is.
D.Deeprasert 3
Vocal Tract
The airway used in the production of speech,
especially the passage above the larynx, including
the pharynx, mouth, and nasal cavities.

D.Deeprasert 4
1. Pharynx (throat)

D.Deeprasert 5
 Pharynx is the cavity at the back of the
mouth located between the larynx and
the main oral cavity. It goes up from the
larynx past the mouth to the nasal
cavity.

http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS06--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 6
It serves primarily as a tube connecting the
larynx with the oral and nasal cavities.

D.Deeprasert 7
Pharynx canPharynx
be divided(throat)
into three parts:
Nasal pharynx

Oral pharynx

Oral pharynx

D.Deeprasert 8
2. Oral Cavity

D.Deeprasert 9
D.Deeprasert 10
The shape of the mouth
can be altered to produce
a large number of sounds
by moving the organs
inside the mouth.
These organs are referred
to as articulators.
D.Deeprasert 11
Articulators are divided into 2 parts:

Passive articulators
Upper
articulators

active articulators
Lower
articulators

D.Deeprasert 12
How do the articulators work?

A lower articulator
articulates with an upper
articulator when it is
positioned so as to form an
obstruction to the air
passage.

D.Deeprasert 13
 2.1 Lips

/b/, /p/, (/m/)

/f/, /v/
http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS11--/index.htm
D.Deeprasert 14
 2.2 Teeth

//, //

http://www.rsc-ne-
scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS12--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 15
 2.3 Alveolar ridge

/d/, /t/, /s/,

/z/, /l/, (/n/)

http://www.rsc-ne-
scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS13--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 16
/t/, /d/, //, //, /r/
(/r/)Cheese, judge,
she, pleasure,

D.Deeprasert 17
 2.4 (Hard ) Palate

/j/

http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS10--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 18
 2.5 Velum/ Soft Palate
It is located between the pharynx and the
hard palate. It controls the airflow into the
nasal cavity.

D.Deeprasert 19
• Unlike he hard palate, which is made of
bone, the soft palate is made of muscle
and soft tissue.

• When it is lowered it allows air to flow

into the nasal cavity and exit through the
nose. When it is raised the air can enter
the oral cavity only.

D.Deeprasert 20
 /g/, /k/, //

http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS09--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 21
 Uvular
It is made of muscle, tissue and mucus membrane
and it is suspended from he soft palate (velum).

D.Deeprasert 22
 The uvula is raised along with the pharynx,
when swallowing; this prevents food and
liquid entering the nasal cavity and coming
out of the nose.

http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS08--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 23
 2.6 Tongue

Parts of the tongue

Blade

Back
Front

Root
Pharyngeal
tip wall

http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS07--/index.htm
D.Deeprasert 24
Tip = Apex

Sounds made with the tip of

Apical the tongue

Dental/
Apico-dental
interdental

Apico-alveolar Alveolar

D.Deeprasert 25
Blade = lamina

laminal Sounds made with the

blade

Postalveolar Palato-alveolar

D.Deeprasert 26
Front

The front of the tongue

Palatal articulates against the
palate

/j/

D.Deeprasert 27
Back = dosum

Articulates
Dorso-velar against the
velum

Velar

/k/, /g/, //

D.Deeprasert 28
 No control over the shape
The velum is the organ that can be raised and
lowered to open and close the opening from
the pharynx to the nasal cavity
Lowered Air can escape out
velum through the nose
Raised Air can not escape
velum out through the
nose
http://www.rsc-ne-
scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS14--/index.htm
D.Deeprasert 29
http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.ac.uk/eolympics/organs_of_speech/OOS14--/index.htm

D.Deeprasert 30
Lowered Velic
velum /m/
opening

raised Velic
/p/
velum Closure

D.Deeprasert 31
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonet
ics/english/english_main.swf
click  place : Practice & watch a
video

D.Deeprasert 32