2.

The Production of Speech Sounds: Practice Exercises

Study Questions: discuss the following questions briefly.

1. What are the stages involved in the speech sounds production?
2. To what stage does the larynx belong?
3. What are the three resonators above the larynx?
4. Describe in more details the available cavities involved in speech sound production?
5. Describe briefly the speech sound production from the very early stage to the most advanced one?
6. What is the system of rules and mental representations that underlies out ability to speak and understand a
human language?

Exercise 1

Choose an appropriate term from the list, and insert it into one (or more) of the gaps in the paragraph
that follows :( bronchi, glottis, larynx, lungs, trachea, and vocal folds).

The ……………… (1) …………..………….……….supply the air for almost speech sounds. Air passes
from them into the…………...…………. (2) ……………..…... one from each of the
two…………………… (3)…………….……………., and these two air streams merge in the
………………… (4)………….……., a short tube situated in the lower part of the neck. On top of this is a
valve known as the ……………… (5) ……………………..………………Here the supply of air to the
throat and mouth is controlled by opening or closing the ……………… (6) ………………….. The gap
between the two ………………… (7) …………………. In ordinary quite breathing the …………………
(8) …………………… is open; for swallowing it is closed in order to protect the ………………… (9)
…………………..…. A noteworthy evolutionary adaptation in humans allows voice to be produced by
positioning the ………….……… (10) ……………………in such a way that passage of air between them
causes them to vibrate.

Exercise 2

Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE, if false; say how the correct
statement should be.

1. The lungs are not part of the vocal tract …….. ………...………..…….……………….
2. The lungs are called the voice box ……….. ……………………………..…………….
3. The larynx is called as the air box ………… ……………………………………………
4. The uvula is the extreme tip of the soft palate …………… …………………………….
5. The vocal tract refers to the air passage above the larynx ………. ……………………..
6. Larynx is the alternative name for the teeth-ridge ……….. ……...……………………
7. The pharynx is a cartilaginous structure attached to the trachea …… …..………………
8. The vocal tract refers to the air passage taking place under the larynx ……………………
9. The mental stage is a peripheral idea to the properties of phonetics domain……………....
10. Most sounds of English language are said to be pulmonic and egressive ……. ……….
11. Air is an alternative component for sound production ……. …….…………...………..
12. In order to produce sounds, it is enough to have the vocal tract and other speech organs under the larynx
…….. ………...…………………………………………………..……
13. When we speak, all the articulators are moving to each other …………………….………
14. The vocal folds are very important organs for sound production ……….. ………………
15. The nose is similar to the mouth in that they both change their size and shape ……...……
16. There is one cavity under the larynx, and three above ……………...……………………..
17. The oral quality is made by the actions of the vocal folds ………. …...……………….

1
18. The nasal quality is made by the actions of the velum …………... …………………….
19. The vocal tract refers to the laryngeal and oral/nasal mechanism ……...….. …………....
20. The vocal tract is composed of three interrelated mechanisms ……….. …..……………
21. Oral sounds are made when the soft palate is raised ……….. …………………….…….
22. Nasal sounds are made when the velum is raised …………. …………………..……….
23. The velum and the soft palate are two distinctive speech organs ……… ……….………
24. The soft palate actions determine the oral and nasal quality of sounds ………………..…..
25. The voicing and devoicing quality is determined by the actions of the vocal cords ………
26. The vocal tract refers to the interaction of the following mechanisms; respiratory, laryngeal, oral, and
nasal ……. ……………...………………………………………….
27. The lungs are the source of sounds …………. ………………...………………………..
28. Just and only in the larynx, the sound is generated ………………………………………..

Exercise 3

Read the following statements and then name the speech production stage corresponding to the
description.

1. The action of storing the air in the lungs: ……………………………………….…………

2. A windpipe which represents an air passage between the lungs and the larynx: …...……..
3. The air escapes through the opening in the larynx: ……………………….……………….
4. The first steps of the sound production in the vocal tract: …………………………………
5. The air used for producing speech sounds reaches the organs inside the vocal cords: ……
6. The air now is just directly behind the larynx: ………………………………….…………
7. The air reaches an essential speech organ at the top end of the trachea: ……..…………...
8. The air used for speech sounds is under the manipulation of what is described as an agile speech organ
since it can be moved into many different places and different shapes. It can be raised, lowered, thrust
forward or retracted, and even rolled back: …………...………..
9. The air used for speech sounds is in within a piece of flesh behind the velum which can function at the
same time as a point of articulation: ……………….………………………
10. The creation of the message at the level of the mind……………………………………….
11. It is said that in all languages most of sounds are described as pulmonic……………...…..
12. When the vocal folds are close together and vibrating against each other: in such a case the sound
produced is said to be voiced……………………………………………………
13. When the air moves either to the nasal or the oral cavity, the sound is said to be……..…..
14. It is the process through which we can differentiate most speech sounds since they are well identified,
audible and concrete…………………..…………………………………...