THE PRODUCTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SPEECH SOUNDS


Unit 2: The Production and Classification of Speech Sounds

Unit 2 summarises the principles of articulatory phonetics, describing the process that takes place between our lungs and our lips in the production of speech sounds.

Introduction

The organs of speech are described in relation to the function each plays in the articulation of speech sounds, noting that these organs are also involved in the realisation of other primary biological functions (e.g. breathing, licking and biting), as well as in the production of noises which are not speech sounds (e.g. coughing, sneezing and whistling). Both the written and audio exercises help the student explore the speech organs and the air-stream mechanisms that are used to produce (pulmonic, glottalic and velaric) speech sounds, noting the action of the vocal cords that is responsible for the distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds, as well as different phonation modes.