Speech organs

The pharynx is a tube which begins above the larynx.

The velum or soft palate is, most of the time, raised so that the airflow cannot escape thru the nose. It can be touched by the tongue. When we make k and g , the back of the tongue is in contact with the lower side of the velum, and we call these velar consonants.

The hard palate is often called "the roof of the mouth" . We feel its smooth curved surface with our tongues.

The alveolar ridge is immediadely behind the upper front teeth. Its surface is rough and is covered with little ridges. When the tip of the tongue touches it, alveolar sounds such as ( t- d ) are produced.

The tongue can be moved into many different places and different shapes. The parts of the tongue are : tip, blade, center, back and root.

The teeth ( lower and upper ) . When the tip of the tongue is in contact with the upper teeth dental sounds are made.

 
The lips can have many different shapes and positions:

1. Rounded: ( this is clearly seen in U:)

2. Spread: (this is clearly seen in i: )

3. Neutral, where the lips are neither rounded nor spread.

The cardinal vowels are a standard reference system, and people being trained in phonetics have to recognize them correctly and accurately.

Close means high in the sense that the front part orthe back part of the tongue goes high a little bit towards the palate

Open means low in the sense that the front or the back part of the tongue goes down a little bit.

 
i: is a close front vowel.

u: is a close back vowel.

ae is an open front vowel.

a: is an open back vowel.


We said last time that close means high in the sense that the front part of the tongue goes high a little bit towards the palate. This is seen in i: .e.g: meet / heat / beat...etc. In a: the back part of the tongue goes down a liitle bit . e.g: father / car

Vowels are of two types. There are short vowels and long vowels. The short vowels are I-e-ae-a- u

 
Long vowels

i:as in mean beat . It is more close and front than the vowel in bit and hit . The lips are spread.


a: as in card and pass . It is a back open vowel. The lip position is neutral


u: as in soon and food . It is a back close vowel. The lips are moderately rounded.

Sounds which consist of a movement or a glide from one vowel to another are called diphthongs. Normally , the first part of the diphthong is much longer and stronger than the second part. English has 8 diphthongs. There are two types of diphthongs: centring diphthongs and closing diphthongs.

Centring diphthongs glide towards the schwa vowel. The schwa is a central vowel. the dipthongs in inthe following words chair, here, poor are centring dipthongs. The closing diphthongs end with a glide towards a close vowel, namely I-U . I - U are close vowels. eI is a closing dipthong.