Fonética y Teorías Fonológicas I DATE: ………………

TP1: ORGANS OF SPEEC

SPEECH

1. Complete the diagram below with the corresponding organs of speech.

1. ………………………………….
2. ………………………………….
3. ………………………………….
4. ………………………………….
5. ………………………………….
6. ………………………………….
7. ………………………………….
8. ………………………………….
9. ………………………………….
10. ………………………………….
11. ………………………………….
12. ………………………………….
13. ………………………………….
14. ………………………………….
15. ………………………………….
16. ………………………………….
17. …………………………………

2. Look at these
se two pictures.

a. What do they represent? …………………………………………………………………………….

b. What are their roles in the act of speech making?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Write the definitions for the following organs of speech:

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Fonética y Teorías Fonológicas I DATE: ………………

4. How can articulators be classified? ………………………………………………………………………

5. Which one is the most active articulator and why? Describe its parts.

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What is the epiglottis?

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What is the glottis?

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What is the ‘pitch’ of the voice?

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Can pitch vary? How?

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6. Provide at least two examples for each of the phonemes below:

Word Symbol
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Fonética y Teorías Fonológicas I DATE: ………………

TP1: KEY

1.
2. a. The two sources of energy
for sound production.

b. They are responsible for

the production of sound and
ultimately for human speech.

3.. Larynxs: casing form of

cartilage and muscle situated in the
upper part of the trachea with a
protruding portion, the thyroid
cartilage, which is commonly called
‘Adam’s apple’.

Vocal cords: two band of muscle,

ligament and elastic tissue which
are responsible for the process of phonation.

Resonators: hollow cavities partly responsible for shaping the vibrating air
going through the vocal folds into a sound which is called phonetic substance or
human voice as we know it.

4. They can be classified into passive articulators which are unable to produce
any kind of movement (teeth, hard palate, alveolar ridge and the pharynx wall)
and active articulators (lips, tongue, soft palate, uvula). The active and passive
articulators work with each other to produce different sounds.
5. The tongue is the most important active articulator. For descriptive purposes it
can be divided into: the tip, the blade, the front, the back and the root of the
tongue.
6. The epiglottis is a valve made of cartilage which has no specific function in the
production of sound. Rather, its function is to protect the breathing system
while swallowing
wallowing so that no strange body accidentally finds its way towards the
lungs.
7. It is the opening between the vocal folds which can vary in size according with
the intention of the speaker: it can be wide open as in normal breathing,
slightly closed as when
when the vocal cords are vibrating or completely closed as
when the vocal cords are held tightly together and no phonation is produced.
8. The sound of the voice changes as the rate of vibrations varies. As the number
of vibrations per second increases, so does the pitch, meaning the voice would
sound higher. Faster rates form higher voices, or higher pitches, while slower
rates elicit deeper voices, or lower pitches.
9. The vibrations, and the speed at which they vibrate, are dependent on the
length and thickness of the vocal cords, as well as the tightening and relaxation
of the muscles surrounding them. This explains why women generally have
higher voices than men do; women tend to have higher voices because they
have shorter vocal cords. The length and thickness of the vocal cords, however,
are not the only factors that affect one's pitch.