Week 2

Question 1

What are speech sounds?

Answer 1

Vibrations moving through air.

Question 2

What is the division of the breathing cycle during quiet breathing vs during speech?

Answer 2

During quiet breathing 40% breathing in and 60% breathing out. During speech 10% breathing in 90% breathing out.

Question 3

Describe the subglottal system.

Answer 3

Contains the trachea, lungs, and diaphragm. When breathing in, the diaphragm moves downward and the ribs move up and outward. When breathing out, the diaphragm passively expires back to the rest position. During speech, muscles maintain stable air pressure and muscle activity slows down the process of breathing out.

Question 4

Describe the larynx.

Answer 4

The larynx is a conduit for air between the lungs and the mouth. Vocal folds attach to the cartilages. The glottis is the space between the vocal folds. Adjusting the position of the arytenoid cartilages moves the vocal folds, controlling opening, length and tension, muscles in vocal folds only control shape/tension.

Question 5

What are the active articulators in the vocal tract?

Answer 5

Lips, tongue, velum, epiglottis, larynx/vocal folds.

Question 6

What are the passive articulators in the vocal tract?

Answer 6

Lips, teeth, alveolar ridge, palate, velum, uvula, pharynx wall.

Question 7

What does the vocal tract consist of?

Answer 7

The oral cavity, nasal cavity, pharynx, active articulators, and passive articulators.

Question 8

What does the velopharyngeal port do?

Answer 8

The velopharyngeal port open and closes, controlling the flow of air so that it exits either the oral or nasal cavities.

Question 9

What are the parts of the tongue?

Answer 9

The tip (apex), blade (lamina), front, centre, back (dorsum), root (radix).