3. Introduction
We simply don’t know how human speech originated.
But we see, all babies cry in the first few seconds or
minutes after birth. Crying is the first use of the vocal
organs and the first step towards speaking. Than very
soon babies start to coo, gurgle and babble. When
babies grow, they learn to speak slowly. This
Language is the language of the people around him
talking. This situation suggested that the original
sounds of speech may have come from nature.
Philologist suspect that some types of spoken
language must have developed between 100000 and
50000 years ago.
4. Definition of Organs of Speech
The organs, which take part in the production of
speech sounds, are called speech organs. When we
speak, air comes out through the lungs and it is
interfered at various places for the production of
sounds. Sounds cannot occur without air.
5. How it works
Humans produce distinct words to communicate with one
another. Speech is delivered with much speed; typically, a
person who wants to speak does not need to think too much
about what to say. When a person speaks, his or her thoughts are
immediately converted into a spoken form as soon as the speech
organs receive a signal or instruction from the brain. Therefore,
speech occurs when a person’s brain and speech organs work
together, although the organs of the respiratory system also play
an important role in this process, as the vocal.
6. Classification of Organs of
Speech
Famous Philologist David Crystal divides the
articulators into two different ways according to its
mobility. They are…
Articulators
Active
Articulators
Passive
Articulators
7. Active Articulators
The active articulator does all or most of the
movement when a speech sound is made. It is usually
the lower lip or a part of the tongue, because the
tongue and lower jaw are free moving.
8. Passive Articulators
The passive articulator does little or no movement. It is
the part of the place of articulation where the active
articulator presses against: usually the upper jaw,
upper teeth, roof of the mouth, or pharynx.
11. The Lungs
Most human sounds
are produced with
pulmonary air stream.
i. e. lungs pushing the
air outwards
During speech, the
lungs take in air
rapidly and let it go
slowly.
12. Nasal Cavity
The nasal cavity is a large air filled
space above and behind the nose
in the middle of the face. The main
function of the nasal cavity is to
act as the main passageway for the
airflow entering the lungs. The
nasal cavity also filters the
incoming air, regulates
temperature and humidifies the
nasal passage to aid the filtering
function
13. The Larynx
In the upper part of the
trachea is a muscular
structure which called the
Larynx. It is responsible for
producing voice, helping us
swallow and breathe. It is
commonly known as Adam’s
apple.
14. The pharynx
The pharynx is a tube which begins just above the
larynx. It is about 7 cm long in women and about 8 cm
in men, and at its top end it is divided into two, one part
being the back of the mouth and the other being the
beginning of the way through the nasal cavity.
15. The Tongue
The tongue is an important organ of
speech. It is divided into four parts:
the tip, the blade, the front and the
back. The number of vowels is
produced with the help of the
tongue. The tip of the tongue helps
to produce /t, d, z, etc/. The blade
of the tongue helps to produce /t∫,
d, ∫, etc/. The front of the tongue
helps to produce palatal sound /j/
and the back of the tongue helps to
produce /k, g/ sounds.
16. The uvula
The uvula is the small finger-
shaped piece of tissue that
hangs down from the soft
palate in the back of the
throat. The uvula functions
together with the palate, the
back of the throat, and air
from the lungs to create a
variety of sounds used for
speech.
17. The Lowerlip
The lower lip can be moved to produce different
sounds. It can make contact with the upper lip to
produce sound.
18. The upperlip
In speech production, it is lower lip that reaches up to
make contact with it and create different sound. The
upper lip and lower lip help to produce bilabial
sounds /p, b, m/. If the lips are held together, they
produce different vowels.
19. Oral Cavity
The first section of the mouth
is known as the oral cavity, or
the mouth cavity. This entire
structure is also called the
mouth; the structures within
the mouth allow us to
manipulate the air that comes
up from the voice box so that
we can form words.
20. The Teeth
The teeth take part in the production of consonant
sounds. The upper teeth only take part in the production
of speech sounds. The sound produced with the help of
the upper teeth are called dental sound (θ, r)=
21. Alveolarridge
The alveolar ridge is the
part between the upper
teeth and the hard palate.
The sound produced with
the tongue touching the
alveolar ridge is called
alveolar sounds, e.g. /s/,
/t/, /d/, etc.
22. Hard plate
The hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate of
the skull, located in the roof of the mouth. It is
important for speech. The interaction between
the tongue and the hard palate is essential in the
formation of certain speech sounds, notably
/t/, /d/, and /j/.
23. Soft plate
The last part of the soft palate is called uvula.
When it is lowered, the nasal sounds (/m, n, ŋ/)
are produced. When it is raised, the air passes
out through the oral cavity and the oral sounds
(/p, t, k, s, etc/) are produced.
24. Importance of Organs of
Speech
Speech organs are one of the most important subjects in the study
of phonetics. It helps us to understand the articulators which are
involved in the production of sounds or phones. A clear
conception about articulators can change the style of any
individual’s pronunciation. The knowledge helps a native more
accurate in his first language (mother tongue). Moreover, it helps
a person to be more native like in his or her second language.
Overall, a well rounded knowledge of organs of speech is not
only necessary for the students of linguistics but also for the
general people.
25. Conclusion
Producing different speech sounds depends on the
movement of speech organs. It is essential to know
the movement and the placement of each organ to
produce particular sounds. The above descriptions
and functions of the organ of speech help you to
guide students to produce the consonants and vowels
in a right way.
26. References
01. Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English
Language Teaching. 3rd
ed. England:
Longman-Pearson, 2001. 28 - 35.
02. Roach, Peter. English Photonics and
phonology. 4th
ed. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2010. 08 - 10.
03. Yule, George. The Study of Language. 4th
ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2010. 01 - 06.
