Speech Production

Question 1

What is speech?

Answer 1

“Speech is the sound of spoken language. It’s the oral form of communicating. Speech is talking: using the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaw and vocal tract in a very precise and coordinated way to produce the recognizable sounds that make up language”

Question 2

What are the 3 brain regions for speech production?

Answer 2

Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, Angular gyrus.

Question 3

Location and function of Broca’s area?

Answer 3

Left frontal lobe, used for speech production/programming

Question 4

Location and function of Wernicke’s area?

Answer 4

Left temporal lobe, comprehension

Question 5

Location and function of Angular gyrus?

Answer 5

Left parietal lobe, receives sensory info from auditory/visual vortices+ transfers to wernicke’s area.

Question 6

Location and function of arcuate fasciculus?

Answer 6

It is the axon bundle between broca’s and wernicke’s area, bidirectional connection between frontal and temporal cortices.

Question 7

Location and function of brain stem?

Answer 7

Located at the base of brain, contains nuclei for cranial nerves which are critical for speech production. Motor messages sent to cranial nerve nuclei and then to the musculature for speech production.

Question 8

Speech system components?

Answer 8

Respiration, phonation, resonation and articulation. These all work in sync to produce effective speech.

Question 9

Respiration and it’s importance in speech production?

Answer 9

Main source of power for speech.

Involves the diaphragm, trachea, rib cage, thorax, abdomen and lungs.

Inhalation
• Diaphragm contracts
• volume of thorax increases
• air pressure decreases
• air flows in (air pressure in atmosphere > thoracic cavity)

Exhalation
• Diaphragm relaxes
• Pressure in thorax increases
• air flows out

• Normal breathing (tidal) – 40% inhale, 60% exhale, diaphragm and thorax
• Speech breathing- 10% inhale, 90% exhale , diaphragm, thoracic and abdominal muscles

Question 10

Phonation and it’s importance in speech production

Answer 10

• Production of sound for speech
• Occurs in the larynx or voice box
• Larynx= vibrating mechanism for sound production
• Air +vibratory source = sound waves

Process of phonation
• Focal folds brought together to form build up of air pressure

• Air from the lungs then pushed through the glottis
• Pressure drops and vocal folds vibrate
• Laryngeal muscles rotate the arytenoid cartilages to open and close vocal folds

When breathing vocal cords abducted (open)
When speaking vocal cords adducted (closed)

Question 11

Structure of focal folds in larynx?

Answer 11

• Folds of tissue that lie horizontally in the larynx
• Attach anteriorly to thyroid cartilage and posteriorly to arytenoid cartilages.
• The opening in the middle of the vocal folds is the glottis

Question 12

Pitch and frequency and how its altered?

Answer 12

• Frequency of vocal fold vibration is perceived as sound pitch
• Higher frequency = higher pitch
• Frequency of vibrations depend on vocal fold length and tension

➢Elongated, tense vocal folds—> faster vibration—> higher pitch/ frequency
➢Shortening, relaxation of vocal folds—> slower vibration—> lower pitch

Question 13

What is sound intensity?

Answer 13

• Sound intensity perceived as loudness
• Intensity increases when air pressure from lungs increases
• Air pressure keeps vocal folds apart longer during vibratory cycle
• amplitude of sound pressure wave increases

Question 14

What is resonance?

Answer 14

• Modification of sound generated by vocal folds

• Airflow from the larynx shaped by the size and shape of the vocal tract cavities:
➢ Pharynx
➢Nasal cavity
➢Oral cavity

• Quality of perceived sound during speech

Question 15

What is articulation?

Answer 15

• Shaping/modifying sound by articulators
• Oral cavity most important for articulation
• Where and how sounds are articulated allows for differentiation of speech sounds.

Question 16

Different types of articulators in oral cavity?

Answer 16

Lips: Bilabial consonant sounds using upper and lower lips. ‘p’, ‘b’, ‘m’.

teeth: Sounds produced with upper teeth and lower lip
• labiodental consonant sounds= ‘f’, ‘v’
interdental sounds formed with tongue between upper and lower teeth
• initial sound in words ‘thin’ and ‘then’

alveolar ridge: Rough section right behind top teeth
• Sounds formed when tongue makes contact area
• Alveolar sounds =‘t’, ‘d’, ‘s’, ‘z’, ‘l’

hard palate: Hard area at the roof of the mouth, just after alveolar ridge. Tongue touches hard palate to produce several sounds ‘sh’, ‘ch’ ‘j’, ‘y’

soft palate (velum): Softer part of the roof of the mouth. Sounds produced with back of
tongue against velum. ‘k’, ‘g’

Question 17

Tongue function in speech?

Answer 17

• Most flexible articulator

• Involved in producing almost all
sounds for English

• tip for dental sounds = ‘th’
• Front for alveolar sounds = ‘t’, ‘d’, ‘l’, ‘z’
• Blade for palatal sounds = ‘y’ ‘j’
• Back of tongue for velar sounds = ’k’, ‘g

Question 18

What are glottal sounds?

Answer 18

• ’H’ sound produced without use of the tongue and other articulators in the mouth
• Produced when glottis is open, air flows out of mouth with no manipulation/obstructions