Here's a breakdown of the main components:
1. Respiratory System:
* Lungs: Provide the air supply.
* Diaphragm & Intercostal Muscles: Control airflow by expanding and contracting the chest cavity.
* Trachea: Conducts air to and from the lungs.
2. Phonatory System:
* Larynx (Voice Box): Contains the vocal cords, which vibrate to produce sound.
* Vocal Cords: Two folds of tissue that stretch across the larynx.
* Glottis: The opening between the vocal cords.
3. Articulatory System:
* Pharyngeal Cavity (Throat): Acts as a resonance chamber.
* Oral Cavity (Mouth): Shapes the sound waves.
* Nasal Cavity (Nose): Also contributes to resonance, especially for nasal sounds.
* Articulators: These are the movable parts that manipulate the airflow and create different speech sounds:
* Tongue: Most flexible and important articulator.
* Lips: Form sounds like /b/, /p/, and /m/.
* Teeth: Involved in producing sounds like /f/, /v/, and /θ/.
* Hard Palate (Roof of mouth): Involved in producing sounds like /k/, /g/, and /ŋ/.
* Soft Palate (Velum): Controls whether air exits through the nose or mouth.
How it Works:
1. Inspiration: Air is inhaled into the lungs.
2. Expiration: Air is expelled from the lungs and passes through the trachea.
3. Vocal Cord Vibration: The vocal cords are brought together and air pressure builds up below them. When the pressure exceeds the tension of the cords, they vibrate, producing sound.
4. Articulation: The airflow is modified by the articulators in the mouth and throat, creating different speech sounds.
It's a complex interplay of these systems that allows us to produce the sounds of speech.