The speech apparatus is a set of interacting human organs that are actively involved in the emergence of sounds and speech breathing, thereby forming speech. The speech apparatus includes organs of hearing, articulation, respiration and the central nervous system. Today we will learn more about the structure of the speech apparatus and the nature of human speech.
Sound education
To date, the structure of the speech apparatus can be safely considered 100% studied. Thanks to this, we are able to find out how sound is born and what causes speech disorders.
Sounds are born due to the contraction of the muscle tissue of the peripheral speech apparatus. Starting a conversation, a person automatically breathes in air. From the lungs, a stream of air enters the larynx, nerve impulses cause vibration of the vocal cords, and they, in turn, create sounds. Sounds add up to words. Words are in sentences. And the proposals - in intimate conversations.
The structure of the speech apparatus
The speech, or, as it is also called, voice, the device has two departments: central and peripheral (executive). The first consists of the brain and its cortex, subcortical nodes, pathways, nuclei of the trunk and nerves. Peripheral, in turn, is represented by a set of executive organs of speech. It includes: bones, muscles, ligaments, cartilage and nerves. Thanks to the nerves, these organs receive tasks.
Central department
Like other manifestations of the nervous system, speech occurs through reflexes, which, in turn, are associated with the brain. The most important parts of the brain responsible for the reproduction of speech are: the frontal lobe, temporal part, parietal and occipital region. For right-handed people, the right hemisphere plays this role, and for left-handers, the left.
Frontal (lower) gyrus are responsible for the creation of oral speech. The convolutions located in the temporal zone perceive all sound irritations, that is, they are responsible for hearing. The process of understanding the sounds heard occurs in the parietal region of the cerebral cortex. Well, the occipital part is responsible for the function of the visual perception of written language. If we consider the child’s speech apparatus in more detail, we can see that his occipital part is especially actively developing. Thanks to her, the child visually captures the articulation of the elders, which leads to the development of his oral speech.
The brain interacts with the peripheral part through centripetal and centrifugal paths. The second send brain signals to the organs of the speech apparatus. Well, the first are responsible for the delivery of the response signal.
The peripheral speech apparatus consists of three more departments. Let's consider each of them.
Respiratory department
We all know that breathing is the most important physiological process. A person breathes reflexively without thinking about it. The breathing process is regulated by special centers of the nervous system. It consists of three stages, continuously following each other: inhalation, a short pause, exhalation.
Speech is always formed on exhalation. Therefore, the air flow created by a person during a conversation, performs articulatory and voice-forming functions at the same time. If this principle is violated in any way, speech is immediately distorted. That is why many speakers pay attention to speech breathing.
The respiratory organs of the vocal apparatus are represented by the lungs, bronchi, intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is an elastic muscle, which in a relaxed state has the shape of a dome. When it contracts with the intercostal muscles, the chest increases in volume and inspiration occurs. Accordingly, when it relaxes, exhale.
Voice department
We continue to consider the departments of the speech apparatus. So, the voice has three main characteristics: strength, timbre and pitch. Vibration of the vocal cords leads to the fact that the air flow from the lungs turns into vibrations of small air particles. These pulsations, transmitted to the environment, create the sound of a voice.
The strength of the voice mainly depends on the amplitude of the vibrations of the vocal cords, which is regulated by the strength of the air flow.
The timbre can be called sound coloring. For all people, it is different and depends on the shape of the vibrator, which creates vibrations of the ligaments.
As for the pitch of the voice, it is due to the degree of tension of the vocal folds. That is, it depends on how strong the air flow can have on them.
Articulation Department
The speech articulatory device is simply called sound-producing. It includes two groups of organs: active and passive.
Active organs
As the name implies, these organs can be mobile and are directly involved in the formation of voice. They are represented by the tongue, lips, soft palate and lower jaw. Since these organs are composed of muscle fibers, they lend themselves to exercise.
When the organs of speech change their position, constrictions and closures occur in various parts of the sound-producing apparatus. This leads to the formation of sound of a different nature.
The soft palate and lower jaw of a person can rise and fall. With this movement, they open or close the passage into the nasal cavity. The lower jaw is responsible for the formation of stressed vowels, namely sounds: “A”, “O”, “U”, “I”, “S”, “E”.
The main organ of articulation is language. Due to the abundance of muscles, it is extremely mobile. The language can: shorten and lengthen, become narrower and wider, be flat and curved.
Human lips, being a mobile formation, take an active part in the formation of words and sounds. Lips change their shape and size, providing pronunciation of vowels.
The soft palate, or, as it is also called, the palatine curtain, is a continuation of the hard palate and lies at the top of the mouth. It, like the lower jaw, can lower and rise, separating the pharynx from the nasopharynx. The soft palate originates behind the alveoli, near the upper teeth and ends with a small tongue. When a person makes any sounds except “M” and “H”, the palatine curtain rises. If for some reason it is omitted or motionless, the sound comes out “nasal”. The voice is nasal. The reason is simple - when the palatine curtain is lowered, sound waves along with the air enter the nasopharynx.
Passive organs
The human speech apparatus, or rather its articulation department, also includes immobile organs, which are a support for the mobile. These are teeth, nasal cavity, hard palate, alveoli, larynx and pharynx. Despite the fact that these organs are passive, they have a huge impact on the technique of speech.
Speech Disorder
Now that we know what the human vocal apparatus consists of and how it works, we will consider the main problems that may affect it. Problems with the pronunciation of words, as a rule, arise from the lack of formation of the speech apparatus. When certain parts of the articulation department become ill, this affects the accuracy of the resonance and the clarity of pronunciation of sounds. Therefore, it is important that the organs that are involved in the formation of speech are healthy and work in full coordination.
The speech apparatus can be disturbed for various reasons, since this is a rather complex mechanism of our body. However, among them there are problems that occur most often:
- Defects in the structure of organs and tissues.
- Improper use of the speech apparatus.
- Disorders of the corresponding parts of the central nervous system.
If you have problems with speech, do not put them off the bat. And the reason here is not only that speech is the most important factor in the formation of human relations. Usually people who have a disturbed speech apparatus not only speak poorly, but also have difficulty breathing, chewing food, and other processes. Therefore, eliminating the lack of speech, you can get rid of a number of problems.
Preparation of the organs of speech for work
To make the speech beautiful and relaxed, you need to take care of it. Usually this takes place in preparation for public speaking, when any stumble and mistake can cost a reputation. Speech organs are prepared in work with the goal of activation (tuning) of the main muscle fibers. Namely, the muscles that participate in speech breathing, the resonators responsible for the sonority of the voice, and the active organs, on whose shoulders lies a distinct pronunciation of sounds.
The first thing to remember is that a person’s speech apparatus functions better with proper posture. This is a simple but important principle. To make the speech clearer, you need to keep your head straight and your back straight. The shoulders should be relaxed and the shoulder blades slightly flattened. Now nothing prevents you from saying beautiful words. Accustomed to correct posture, you can not only take care of the clarity of speech, but also find a more favorable appearance.
For those who talk a lot by the nature of their activity, an important skill is to relax the organs responsible for the quality of speech and restore their full working capacity. The relaxation of the speech apparatus is ensured by the implementation of special exercises. It is recommended to do them immediately after a long conversation, when the voice organs are very tired.
Relaxation pose
You may have already come across concepts such as posture and a mask of relaxation. These two exercises are aimed at relaxing the muscles or, as they say, removing muscle clamps. In fact, they are not a big deal. So, to take a pose of relaxation, you need to sit on a chair and bend forward slightly, bowing your head. In this case, the legs should stand with the whole foot and form a right angle with each other. They must also bend at right angles. This can be achieved by selecting a suitable chair. Hands hang down, slightly resting on the hips of the forearms. Now you need to close your eyes and relax as much as possible.
To rest and relaxation were as complete as possible, you can do some forms of auto-training. At first glance it seems that this is a posture of a dejected person, but in fact it is quite effective for relaxing the whole body, including the speech apparatus.
Mask of relaxation
This simple trick is also very important for speakers and those who speak a lot about the specifics of their activities. There is also nothing complicated. The essence of the exercise is the alternating tension of various muscles of the face. It is necessary to “put on” various “masks”: joy, surprise, longing, anger, and so on. Having done all this, you need to relax the muscles. This is not at all difficult to do. Just pronounce the sound “T” on a weak exhalation and leave the jaw in a free lowered position.
Relaxation is one of the elements of hygiene of the speech apparatus. In addition to her, this concept includes protection against colds and hypothermia, avoidance of irritants of the mucous membrane and speech training.
Conclusion
So interesting and complex is our speech apparatus. In order to fully enjoy one of the most important gifts of a person - the ability to communicate, you need to monitor the hygiene of the voice apparatus and treat it with care.