EXPLAIN THE FOUR SUB SYSTEMS OF SPEECH PRODUCTION

Speech production is the process by which thoughts are translated into speech. This includes the selection of words, the organization of relevant grammatical forms, and then the articulation of the resulting sounds by the motor system using the vocal apparatus. Speech production can be spontaneous such as when a person creates the words of a conversation, reactive such as when they name a picture or read aloud a written word, or imitative, such as in speech repetition. Speech production is not the same as language production since language can also be produced manually by signs.

ARTICULATION

Articulation, often associated with speech production, is the term used to describe how people physically produced speech sounds. For people who speak fluently, articulation is automatic and allows 15 speech sounds to be produced per minute.

ARTICULATORY SYSTEM

All of the body parts that we use to produce speech sounds are called the

articulatory system. The most important parts of the articulatory system are lungs ( where sound production begins). When we breathe, air moves in and out of these two bags like organs in our chest. When we speak, our lungs push air up past the vocal cords and through the rest of the vocal tract, the space in the throat, mouth, and nose where the sound is produced. The vocal cords or vocal folds are two small membranes in the throat that produce the sound of the voice. When the vocal cords are stretched tight and close together, they

vibrate rapidly more than 100 times per second and the sound that comes out is louder.

When the vocal cords are more relaxed, the sound that comes out is quieter, like a whisper. The vocal cords also affect the pitch of the sounds we produce. Pitch is a measure of how high or low the voice is at a particular point in time; that is, high or low in the sense that a musical note is high or low; it doesn’t mean a high or low volume or loudness. When the vocal cords are stretched out longer, the sound has a lower pitch; when they are shorter, the sound has a higher pitch. The space between the vocal cords is called the glottis.

Above the vocal cords, in the vocal tract itself, are several parts that move in various ways to change the size and shape of the open part of the vocal tract and produce all the sounds of English, or any other language. These are called the articulators.

The lips are used in the production of several consonant sounds: /p/, /b/, /m/, /w/, /f/, and /v/. The way we move our lips making them rounded, unrounded, or stretched a bit wide also affects the sounds of vowels. The teeth are used when we say the consonant sounds /f/ and /v/, with the upper teeth touching the lower lip, and also /θ/ and /ð/, with the tip of the tongue touching the upper

teeth. The alveolar ridge is a slightly rough area just behind the top teeth. It can also be called the tooth ridge or the gum ridge. The tongue touches or almost touches the alveolar ridge when we say the sounds /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /l/, and /n/.The hard palate is the hard part at the top of the mouth, beginning just behind the alveolar ridge. It can also be called the roof of the mouth. When you close your mouth, your tongue is probably flat against your hard palate. The tongue touches or almost touches the hard palate when we say the sounds /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ʧ/, /ʤ/, and /y/. The soft palate is the softer part of the roof of the mouth, farther back than the hard palate. It is also called the velum. If you touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue and then keep moving your tongue 3 farther back, you’ll find that softer area. The back of the tongue touches the soft palate when we say the sounds /k/, /ɡ/, and /ŋ/. The tongue is involved in producing almost all the sounds of English, both consonants and vowels. We can also refer to different parts of the tongue: the tip of the tongue, the blade of the tongue, and the back of the tongue. The lower jaw moves up and down to allow the mouth to open and close. Its movement also helps the tongue move to higher or lower positions and makes the space inside the mouth bigger or smaller. All of these movements have a great influence on the sounds we produce. The nasal cavity is the space inside the nose where air passes in and out when we breathe through our nose. It can also be called the nasal passage. This area is important in producing the nasal sounds /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/. For these sounds, the airstream moves up and out through the nose instead of the mouth.

RESONATORY SYSTEM

Once the phonation has begun the air pressure from the lungs and sound energy from the vocal fold travel in the air a superior direction in the vocal trait. The sound energy vibrates throughout the cavities of the supraglottic tract beginning with the pharyngeal cavity and then including the oral cavity/nasal cavity.  The resultant vibration of sound energy adds the resonance quality of speech.

The structures that are important for normal speech and resonance include facial structures, oral structures and pharyngeal structures.

 

PHONATORY SYSTEM

The phonatory system is the source of voiced sound phonation is the generation of voiced sound phonation is accomplished with the larynx (voice box), which is attached to the top of the trachea and is the outlet of the respiratory pump into the upper airway.

LARYNX is the structure at the entrance to the trachea that functions as a valve biologically and as the source of voice for speech, it can close tightly, as when we lift a heavy object, to make the thorax rigid with compressed air – providing stability to the body during heavy muscular activity.it can accomplish the explosive movements of a cough, expelling mucus and irritants at great velocity into the airway, .it can valve the air stream so as to produce finely controlled vibrations of two fleshy cushions called the vocal folds

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The respiratory system (called also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for the process of respiration in an organism. The respiratory system is involved in the intake and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between an organism and the environment.

In air-breathing vertebrates like human beings, respiration takes place in the respiratory organs called lungs. The passage of air into the lungs to supply the body with oxygen is known as inhalation and the passage of air out of the lungs to expel carbon dioxide is known as exhalation; this process is collectively called breathing or ventilation. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs, and diaphragm. Molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide are passively exchanged, by diffusion, between the gaseous external environment and the blood. This exchange process occurs in the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs.