Production of Speech Sounds_Lesson 1

Summary

This introductory lecture delves into the speech production mechanism, explaining how language is communicated through speech sounds. It covers the basics of phonetics, distinguishing between vowels and consonants, and the role of various organs in speech. The lecture highlights the importance of the vocal cords, air stream, and mouth cavity shape in sound articulation, providing insights into the creation of voiced and voiceless sounds. It concludes by emphasizing the significance of the air stream, vocal cord state, and positions of the soft palate, tongue, and lips in speech sound production.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Language is a system of communication that includes speech, written language, visual symbols, and nonverbal cues.
• 📚 The smallest meaningful unit in language is called a morpheme, which is composed of phonemes or distinct sounds.
• 🎶 Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds and is intrinsic to understanding the speech mechanism.
• 🌬️ Speech sounds are produced by an air stream from the lungs, passing through the vocal apparatus.
• 🎙️ The vocal cords vibrate to produce voice, which is a key component in the production of speech sounds.
• 📊 Speech sounds are categorized into vowels and consonants, with vowels being voiced and consonants being either voiced or voiceless.
• 👄 The shape of the oral cavity, which affects sound production, is determined by the position of the tongue and lips.
• 🔊 Vowel sounds are produced with an unobstructed air passage, allowing for continuous airflow and vocal cord vibration.
• 🔧 Consonant sounds involve the obstruction or narrowing of the air passage, which may or may not involve vocal cord vibration.
• 👅 The tongue has three sections (blade, tip, and body) that interact with the roof of the mouth to produce different consonant sounds.
• 🏭 To describe a speech sound, one must consider the air stream, the state of the vocal cords, and the positions of the soft palate, tongue, and lips.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the introductory lecture on speech mechanism?

The lecture focuses on understanding how speech sounds are produced and the basic difference between vowel and consonant sounds in terms of articulation.

What is language according to the lecture?

Language is a system of communication that includes speech, written language, visual symbols, and various aspects of nonverbal communication such as body language, facial expressions, gestures, and postures.

What are morphemes in the context of language?

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units in a particular language, which are used to construct words.

What is phonetics and how does it relate to speech mechanism?

Phonetics is the scientific and systematic study of speech sounds. The speech mechanism is an intrinsic part of phonetics, dealing with the production of speech sounds.

What provides the energy for the production of speech sound?

The energy for the production of speech sound is provided by the air stream that comes out of the lungs.

What is the glottis and its role in speech production?

The glottis is the opening between the vocal cords. It plays a crucial role in speech production as it can be tightly closed or held open, affecting the passage of air and the production of sound.

How are vowel sounds different from consonant sounds in terms of voice production?

Vowel sounds are always voiced, meaning the vocal cords vibrate during their production. Consonant sounds can be either voiced or voiceless, depending on whether the vocal cords vibrate or not.

What are the two main categories of speech sounds?

The two main categories of speech sounds are vowel sounds and consonant sounds.

How does the shape of the mouth cavity affect speech sound production?

The shape of the mouth cavity, which depends on the position of the tongue and lips, affects the production of speech sounds by altering the resonance and the flow of air.

What are the three sections of the roof of the mouth?

The three sections of the roof of the mouth are the alveolar ridge (just behind the upper teeth), the hard palate, and the soft palate, with the end of the soft palate being called the uvula.

How do the positions of the tongue and lips contribute to the production of different sounds?

The tongue can be positioned in various ways (e.g., against the teeth, near the palate, etc.) and the lips can be brought together or kept apart, spread, neutral, open, or rounded, all of which contribute to the articulation of different consonant and vowel sounds.

Outlines

00:00

🗣 Introduction to Speech Mechanism

This paragraph introduces the lecture's focus on the production of speech sounds and the distinction between vowels and consonants. It explains that language is a complex system involving speech, written symbols, and nonverbal cues. Morphemes, the smallest meaningful units in language, are composed of phonemes or distinct sounds, which are the core of phonetics—the scientific study of speech sounds. The paragraph also describes the physiological process of speech production, involving the organs of speech and the role of the vocal cords in creating voiced sounds. Vowels and consonants are differentiated based on the presence or absence of vocal cord vibration and the shape of the oral cavity during articulation.

05:02

👄 Articulation and Speech Sound Production

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of articulation, discussing the role of the oral cavity, including the hard and soft palates, and how the position of the soft palate affects nasal sounds. It details the functions of the lips and tongue in sound production, describing the various positions and movements that create different consonant sounds. The tongue is divided into sections—the blade, tip, front, and back—which interact with the roof of the mouth to articulate speech sounds. The summary concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the air stream, vocal cord state, and positions of the soft palate, tongue, and lips in describing the articulation of both vowel and consonant sounds.

Keywords

💡Speech Mechanism

Speech Mechanism refers to the physiological process by which humans produce speech sounds. It is central to the video's theme as it sets the stage for understanding how sounds are created using various parts of the vocal tract. The script discusses how the lips, teeth, tongue, and mouth work together with the airflow from the lungs to produce speech sounds, emphasizing the importance of the vocal cords and the glottis in voice production.

💡Phonetics

Phonetics is the scientific study of speech sounds. It is a key concept in the script as it defines the academic discipline that the lecture is focused on. The script explains that phonetics involves the analysis of the production of speech sounds, differentiating it from other aspects of language study such as syntax or semantics.

💡Morphemes

Morphemes are identified in the script as the smallest meaningful units in a language. They are essential to the construction of words and, by extension, sentences. The concept is important for understanding how complex linguistic structures are built from these basic units, which are composed of phonemes or distinct sounds.

💡Vowel Sounds

Vowel sounds are a category of speech sounds that are characterized by the continuous flow of air through the mouth without any obstruction. The script uses the word 'bad' to illustrate the presence of a vowel sound ('a') and contrasts it with consonant sounds, highlighting the fundamental difference in articulation between vowels and consonants.

💡Consonant Sounds

Consonant sounds are speech sounds that involve some degree of obstruction or constriction of the airflow through the vocal tract. The script provides examples such as 'b' and 'd' in 'bad' and 'h' and 't' in 'hot', explaining that they can be either voiced or voiceless, depending on whether the vocal cords vibrate during their production.

💡Voiced and Voiceless

The terms 'voiced' and 'voiceless' describe the presence or absence of vocal cord vibration during the production of speech sounds. The script explains that all vowel sounds are voiced, as the vocal cords vibrate to produce voice. In contrast, consonant sounds can be either voiced or voiceless, as illustrated by the difference between the sounds in the words 'bad' and 'hot'.

💡Oral Cavity

The oral cavity is the part of the vocal tract involved in the production of speech sounds. The script describes its shape as being influenced by the position of the tongue and lips, and it is where the actual articulation of sounds takes place. The explanation of the oral cavity's anatomy, including the hard and soft palates and the uvula, is crucial for understanding how different sounds are formed.

💡Articulation

Articulation refers to the way in which speech sounds are formed in the vocal tract. The script discusses the role of the lips and tongue in the production of various sounds, explaining how their positions and movements contribute to the creation of distinct phonemes. Articulation is a central concept in phonetics and is essential for understanding speech production.

💡Glottis

The glottis is the opening between the vocal cords. It plays a critical role in the script's explanation of voice production, as it is the space through which air from the lungs passes to create vibration in the vocal cords. The script uses the glottis to illustrate the difference between breathing and coughing, as well as the process of voice production during speech.

💡Air Stream

Air Stream is the flow of air that provides the energy for the production of speech sounds. The script describes it as originating from the lungs and being modulated by the speech organs to create different sounds. The concept of air stream mechanics is fundamental to phonetics, as it underlies the physical process of sound production.

💡Nasal Sounds

Nasal sounds are speech sounds produced when the air from the lungs escapes through the nose rather than the mouth. The script mentions 'm' and 'n' in the word 'man' as examples of nasal sounds, which are produced when the soft palate is lowered, allowing air to pass through the nasal cavity. This concept is important for understanding the variety of sounds that can be produced in speech.

Highlights

Introduction to the lecture on speech mechanism and production of speech sounds.

Explanation of language as a system of communication involving speech, written language, and nonverbal cues.

Definition of morphemes as the smallest meaningful units in language, composed of phonemes or distinct sounds.

Introduction to phonetics as the scientific study of speech sounds.

Description of the speech mechanism involving various organs like lips, teeth, tongue, and mouth.

Explanation of the air stream from the lungs as the energy source for speech sound production.

Details on the larynx, vocal cords, and the process of voice production through vocal cord vibration.

Classification of speech sounds into vowels and consonants with examples.

Differentiation between voiced and voiceless sounds, with all vowels being voiced.

Discussion on the oral cavity's role in speech sound production, including the division into three sections.

Importance of the soft palate in distinguishing between nasal and non-nasal sounds.

Articulation of sounds using the lips in various positions such as close, apart, spread, neutral, open, or rounded.

Division of the tongue into three sections and its role in producing different consonant sounds.

Summary of the factors needed to describe speech sound articulation: air stream nature, vocal cord state, and positions of the soft palate, tongue, and lips.

Anticipation of more lectures in the area of phonetics to deepen understanding.

Conclusion and thanks for listening to the introductory lecture on speech mechanism.

Transcripts

dear students welcome to this

introductory lecture on the speech

mechanism that is production of speech

sounds this lecture shall enable the

students to understand how speech sounds

are produced as well as the basic

difference between vowel sounds and

consonant sounds as far as articulation

is concerned so let us begin language is

a syst system of communication through

speech written language visual symbols

as well as different aspects of

nonverbal communication like body

language facial expressions gestures and

postures when we speak we utter

sentences these sentences are made up of

words words are again made up of

morphemes now what are morphemes

morphe is the smallest meaningful unit

in a particular language and the

morphemes are again made up of smaller

units known as phes or distinct sounds

in a

language this lecture will primarily

deal with the mechanism of the

production of speech sounds in a

particular language the scientific and

systematic study of speech sounds is

known as phonetics th speech mechanism

is an intrinsic part of the area of

study which is known as

phonetics now let us consider a single

utterance a single utterance is the

result of a series of operations

involving the different organs of speech

like lips teeth tongue mouth Etc the

energy for the production of speech

sound is provided by the Air Stream that

comes out of the lungs just at the top

of the wind pipe or the tracha is the

larynx containing the vocal cords or the

vocal folds the vocal cords can be

brought together or kept apart and the

opening between them is called the

glotus g l o t t i s for instance when

we cough the glotus is tightly closed

and the air from the lungs is unable to

pass through and is held up beneath it

and then suddenly released whereas while

we breathe out the glaus is held open

that is the vocal cords are kept apart

and not brought

together when the vocal cords are very

closely held together and when the air

from the lungs passes between them the

vocal cords

vibrate this vibration of the vocal

cords produces

Voice Now speech sounds are broadly

classified into two important categories

that is the vowel sounds and the

consonant sounds for example in the word

bad b a d bad the initial and the final

sounds are two consonant sounds B and du

and the middle sound is a v Vel sound

that is a similarly in the word hot h o

t hot the initial and the final sounds

are the two consonant sounds H and T and

the middle sound is a vowel sound

o now in the production of the vowel

sounds the air from the lungs comes out

in a continuous stream through the mouth

and the vocal cords vibrate to produce

voice speech sounds can either be voiced

or voiceless th we may see that all

vowel sounds are

voiced unlike the consonant sounds there

is no closure of the air passage and

also no narrowing that would cause

friction in case of the vowel sounds

whereas the consonant sounds are either

voiced or voiceless depending upon

whether the vocal cords vibrate or do

not

vibrate now let let us try to get the

picture of our oral cavity our mouth

cavity the shape of the mouth cavity

always depends on the position of the

tongue and lips if we stand in front of

the mirror and open our mouth widely we

will notice that the roof of our mouth

is divided into three parts or three

sections they are the alular rich or the

ti rich which is just behind the upper

teeth the hard pallet and the soft

pallet the end of which is called the

uula when the soft pallet is lowed the

air from the lungs escapes through the

nose this is the normal position in

breathing if no air escapes through the

mouth then a nasal sound is produced for

instance m

n in the word

man now let us try to understand the two

organs of articulation that is lips and

tongue while articulating various sounds

the lips can be held close together or

kept far apart those lips can be spread

it can be neutral it can also be open or

rounded if we observe our tongue closely

we will notice that the tongue can be

said to have three

sections the part that is opposite to

the teeth Rd is called the blade of the

tongue the end of which is called the

tip of the tongue the part that is

opposite to the heart pallet is called

the front of the tongue and the part

opposite to the soft pallet is called

the back of the tongue the various parts

of the tongue can make a contact with or

can be brought very near towards the

roof of the mouth in order to produce

different consonant

sounds thus to sum up this introductory

lecture on speech mechanism it can be

said that in order to describe the

production or the articulation of a

speech sound either a vowel sound or a

consonant sound we have to indicate

firstly the nature of the Air Stream

secondly the state of the vocal cords

and finally the position s of the soft

palette the tongue as well as the

lips Hope to come up with more lectures

in the area of Fanatics thanks for

listening