THE ORGANS OF SPEECH:

For the production of speech sounds we need an air-stream mechanism and most languages in
the world are produced with a pulmonic eggressive air-stream mechanism. The air that we
breathe out comes out of the lungs. Before it gets out into the outer atmosphere, various organs
in our body convert it into speech sounds. These are called organs of speech.

The organs of speech can be divided into three groups.

1.The respiratory system
This comprises of the lungs, the muscles of the chest and the wind pipe (wind pipe is also
called trachea).
2.The phonatory system
This comprises the Larynx.
3.The articulatory system
This comprises the nose, the teeth, the tongue, the roof of the mouth and the lips.
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

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 The Larynx- It is also called Adam`s apple. It is situated at the top of the wind pipe and
the larynx. In the larynx there are lip-like structures. They are called vocal cords. They are
placed horizontally from front to back. They are joined in the front but can be separated at the
back. The opening place between them is called the glottis.

GLOTTIS DIAGRAM

OPEN GLOTTIS CLOSED GLOTTIS

The vocal cords can be opened and closed (because they can be separated at the back). When we
breathe in and out, the vocal cords are drawn wide apart and the glottis is open. When we
produce some speech sounds with the vocal cords drawn apart and the glottis is open, such
sounds are called breathe or voiceless sounds.

THE ARTICULATORY SYSTEM

The articulatory system comprises the nose, the teeth, the tongue, the palate ( roof of the
mouth) and the lips. Palate is divided into three parts.

1.The hard convex surface just behind the upper front teeth is called Teeth ridge. It is also
called the Alveolar ridge or the Alveolum.

2. Immediately after the teeth ridge, the roof of the mouth becomes concave and it is hard and
bony. The hard concave surface is called hard palate.

3. The roof of the mouth then becomes soft and fleshy. It is called the soft palate or the velum.
The fleshy structure hanging loose at the extreme end of the roof of the mouth is called the
uvula.

4. The Tongue:

The tongue also plays a vital role in articulation of sounds. It takes up a large number of different
positions while articulating different vowels and consonant sounds. For the sake of
understanding, we can devide it into the tip, the blade, the front, the back and the roof of the
tongue. The extreme edge of the tongue is called the tip. Immediately after the tip is the blade
and it is the part of the tongue that it lies opposite the hard palate when speech organs are at rest.

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The part opposite the hard palate is called the front of the tongue. The part opposite to the soft
palate is called the back of the tongue.

5. The Lips:

The lips take their part in the articulation of some consonants. For example, the initial sounds in
the English word

AIR STREAM MECHANISATION:

For the production of speech sounds air-stream is necessary. The air that flows out of your
mouth is modified into speech sounds by the action of certain organs of your body. Air-stream
mechanism is of three types.

1. Pulmonic-lung
2. Glottalic
3. Velaric

1. Pulmonic air-stream:

Pulmonic air-stream is being used in a large percentage of speech sounds in all the languages.
The air stream involving lung-air is called pulmonic air-stream. The pulmonic air-stream
mechanism consists of the lungs and the respiratory muscles. The walls of the lungs act as the
initiator. They are moved by the respiratory muscles. So that air is drawn into the lungs or
pushed out of them. When the air-stream mechanism is used push air out, it is called eggressive
and when it is used to draw air in, it is called ingressive. Most speech sounds make use of a
pulmonic eggressive air-stream mechanism. Ingressive mechanism is used mainly for yawning
and snoring.

2. Glottalic air-stream: The closed glottis acts as the initiator and the air in the pharynx is used.
Sindhi has sounds articulated with a glottalic air-stream mechanism.

3.Velaric air-stream: The back of the tongue is the initiator and the air in the mouth is set in
motion during this air-stream. Velaric ingressive mechanism exists in several African languages.

VOWELS AND CONSONANTS

1. Introduction to Phonetics

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Language has an important social purpose, because it is mainly used for linguistic
communication. Communication which is possible with the use of language is called linguistic
communication. Communication is also possible without the use of language. A language can be
used in two ways for the purposes of communication-spoken or written. The medium of speech
is more important than the medium of writing because speech comes first in the history of any
language community. Speech as a medium of communication is used much more than the
medium of writing. Written language is only an attempt to represent the sounds used in spoken
language.

Phonetics is the science or study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, and
reception, and their analysis, classification, and transcription. Phonetics includes the description
and classification of the actual sounds that speakers produce. Phonology concerns itself with
those sounds that can convey different meanings as well as how sounds combine with other
sounds. The sounds that distinguish meaning are called phonemes.

The sounds of English: English has 26 letters in its alphabet, among them there are 5 vowel
letters (a, e, i, o, u) and 21 consonant letters. British speakers use 44 sounds in their speech.
Generally, one letter will have to be pronounced in different ways, but certainly there cannot be
any one-to-one correspondence between them.
Importance of Pronunciation: Pronunciation training is a very important part of mastering any
foreign language, including English. The main objective of such training is to learn how to hear
yourself and others. Poor pronunciation creates additional barrier in understanding between you
and a person you are talking to. Good pronunciation undoubtedly an ornament to the speech and
passport to the sophisticated society.
Need for Teaching Pronunciation: India is a very vast country. The pronunciation of English
of the Indian people differs from North to South and from East to West. In order to make Spoken
English intelligible, a standardized form of English sound should be produced and some
knowledge of the English Phonemes is necessary for that purpose. Ears should be trained to
listen well to English sounds.

VOWELS

Definition:
If a mouth passage is left so open as not to cause audible friction voiced breathe is sent through it
we have an vowel.
Out of 44 phonetic sounds 20 sounds are called as vowels. These sounds are classified into two
types
1. Monophthongs / Pure Vowels 2. Diphthongs / Impure vowels

Monophthongs / Pure Vowels diagram:

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 Short Vowels
IPA Symbol Word Examples
I Thin, sit, rich, kick, hit.
e Went, intend, send, letter.
æ Cat, hand, nap, flat, have.
ʌ Fun, love, money, one, London, come.
ʊ Put, look, should, cook, book, look.
ɒ Rob, top, watch, squat, sausage.
ə Alive, again, mother.

Long Vowels
IPA Symbol Word Examples
i: Need, beat, team.
ɜ: Third, turn, worse, world, word
a: Glass, half, car, arch, hard.
ɔ: Talk, law, bored, yawn, jaw
U: Few, boot, lose, gloomy, fruit, chew.

Diphthongs / Impure vowels diagram

Diphthong Vowels
IPA Symbol Word Examples
ɪə Near, ear, clear, weird, disappear.
eə There, air, care, bear, stairs.
ʊə Cure, pure, tourist.
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 eɪ Face, space, grace, case, eight.
ɔɪ Joy, employ, toy, coil, oyster.
aɪ My, time, life, high, fly, wide.
əʊ No, don’t, stones, alone, hole.
aʊ Mouth, house, brown, couch.

CONSONANTS
Definition:
Consonants are result of audible friction stopping of the breath either in some part of the mouth
or throat.
Out of 44 phonetic sounds, 24 sounds are called as Consonants. Based on Manner of
articulation ( means, the stricture involved during the articulation of a sound). So, according to
the manner of articulation, consonants are classified into six categories. They are
1. Plosives – 6
2. Affricates – 2
3. Fricatives – 9
4. Lateral – 1
5. Approximants – 3
6. Nasals - 3
1. Plosives – 6
A consonant sounds made by closing the air passage and then releasing the air in a way that can be
heard are called plosives.
S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final
01 p pot apt cup
02 b bath rubbed cub
03 t ten sits cut
04 d drink reading good
05 k kite cooking cook
06 g good ragging mug
2. Affricates– 2
Affricates are pronounced with a stricture of complete closure and slow release.
S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final
07 tʃ church catching catch
08 dʒ jeep judging judge
3. Fricatives – 9
Fricatives are pronounced by forcing breath out through a narrow space in the mouth with the
lips, teeth, tongue etc., in a certain position.

S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final

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 09 f first offering off
10 v vein loving love
11 θ think bathing bath
12 ð then bother bathe
13 s sing hissing rise
14 z zip buzzing buzz
15 ʃ ship fishing fish
16 ʒ genre pleasure rogue
17 h him behind ---

4. Lateral
The tip of the tongue makes a firm contact with the teeth ridge there by blocking the oral passage of
air the sides of the tongue are lowered and the air escapes along the sides of the tongue without any
friction.
S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final
18 l lit feeling fill

5. Approximants
Approximants are pronounced with a stricture of open approximation i.e. they are vowel like in their
articulation but they are classified as a consonants.
S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final
19 r ring caring car
20 j yellow stupid ---
21 w wet sweet ---

6. Nasals – 3
Nasal consonants are pronounced with a stricture of complete oral closure. The active and passive
articulators make a firm contact with each other, but there is opening so that the air escapes freely
through the nostrils.
S.No Sound Symbol Initial Middle Final
22 m much coming am
23 n nose winning an
24 ŋ --- singing sung

PLACE OF ARTICULATION OF CONSONANTS

The place of articulation refers to the two articulators involved in the production of a
consonant called active articulator and passive articulator.

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 1. Bilabial:

The upper lip and the lower lip are articulators. The initial sounds in the English words,
pat, bat, mat are bilabial sounds.

2. Labio-dental:

The lower lip is the active articulator and the upper front teeth are the passive articulators.
The initial sounds in the English words five, vain are labio-dental sounds (f), (v).

3. Dental:

The tip of the tongue is the active articulator. The upper front teeth are the passive
articulators. The initial sounds in the English words such as thick, that are Dental sounds
/ θ/ / ð/

4. Alveolar:

The tip or the blade of the tongue is the active articulator. The teeth ridge or the alveolar
ridge is the passive articulator. For eg. Initial sounds in the words tip, sun, zip, love, nice
are alveolar sounds (t, d, s, z, l, n).

5. Post-Alveolar:

The tip of the tongue is the active articulator. The part of the roof of the mouth that lies
immediately behind the alveolar ridge is the passive articulator eg: the sound represented
by the letter r in the words try, fry.

6. Palato-Avleolar:

The tip of the blade and front of the tongue are the active articulators and the teeth ridge
is the passive articulator. For eg. the sounds in English words shade (ʃ), measure (ʒ),
chair (tʃ),, judge (dʒ).

7. Palatal:

The front of the tongue is the active articulator. The hard palate is the passive articulator.
For eg: yard (j).

8. Velar:

The back of the tongue is the active articulator. The soft palate is the passive articulator and
the soft palate (velum) is the passive articulator. Velar sounds are (k), (g), (ŋ)

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9. Glottal: Glottis sounds are produced at the glottis and the two vocal cords are the articulators,
by completely or partially contacting the glottis. The initial sound in the English word hat (h) is
Glottal sound.

Consonants Chart :

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