Organs of speech

Organs of speech

These can be divided into three groups as below:

(i) Respiratory system

It comprises of:
 Lungs
 Muscles of the chest
 Windpipe

Since people are well aware of these parts, no further details are necessary.

ii) Phonatory system
It comprises of:

(a) Larynx
These are two vocal cords that look like a pair of lips placed horizontally from front to back. It is located on top of the windpipe through which the air stream comes out after it is released by the lungs. They are joined in the front but separated at the back and the opening between the two cords is called „glottis‟.

The vocal cords are held loosely together. When air comes from the lungs, it is under pressure that vibrates the cords producing the sound. The frequency of the vibration is directly related to the number of times these cords open and close. The frequency of vibrations determines the pitch of the voice.