Organs Of Speech : Meaning, Parts Of Organs Of Speech, Functions

This article contain information generally on the organs of speech: the meaning of the organs of speech, parts of the organs of speech and functions

Organs of Speech are simply the organs in the body that produce sounds or sounds  of speech.

 This article contain information generally on the organs of speech: the meaning of the organs of speech, the parts of the organs of speech and their functions to producing speech.

Meaning Of Organs Of Speech

Organs of speech can be defined as any part of the body, as the tongue, velum, diaphragm, or lungs, that participates, actively or passively, voluntarily or involuntarily, in the production of the sounds of speech. 

They are the organs of our mouth which are being used to produce sounds. They are also called speech organs.

Organs of speech can also be referred to as 'The Articulators'

Parts Of The Organs Of Speech

The organs of speech are made up of:

• Lips
• Tongue
• Alveolar ridge
• Teeth
• Hard palate
•  Velum
• Uvula
• Glottis

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Functions Of The Organs Of Speech

Each part of the organs of speech serve a particular function that is relevant to producing sounds. The study of these parts of organs of speech provides a fundamental idea about speech and sounds.

Thus, in furtherance of the aforementioned parts of the organs of speech, the following provides as short description on each organ and their functions.

• Lips

The lips as organ of speech create two different sounds which are mainly the labial, bilabial and labio-dental consonant sounds. Thus, both the upper lips and the lower lips are considered important apparatus in producing a speech sound.

• Teeth

Just like the lips, the teeth as one of the organs of speech are important. Both the upper teeth and lower teeth are used in producing sounds like dental and labio-dental consonant sounds.

• Tongue

The tongue is considered the most important apparatus out of the organs of speech. The tongue is divided into fiver parts. They are:

1. Tip
2. Blade
3. Front
4. Back
5. Root

The tongue is effective in moving in different directions or shapes in order to make speech sounds.

• Alveolar Ridge

This is the between the upper front teeth and hard palate. Thus, to produce speech sounds, the alveolar ridge and the blade of the tongue are used.

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• Hard Palate

This is a bong plate located at the roof of the mouth. The interaction between the hard palate and the tongue is necessary for the production of certain sounds. They are, d, t and j.

• Pharynx

This helps manipulate the vocal structure.

• Uvula

This helps preventing air from escaping through the nose while producing sounds.