Lecturer: Ms Y. Chorfi 			Sétif-2- University 		1st Year Classes 		2016-2017

1. The Production of Speech Sounds
	Most of the speech sounds are the result of movements of the tongue and the lips. Producing any sound requires energy and the basic source of this energy is the respiratory system pushing air out of the lungs. The air stream goes from the lungs up to the windpipe (trachea) and into the larynx, at this point the air passes through two small muscular folds known as the vocal folds. The larynx, together with the vocal folds, constitutes the phonatory system.
	After passing through the larynx, the air goes through the vocal tract also known as the articulatory system, which ends at the mouth and nostrils and the air escapes into the atmosphere. The parts of the vocal tract that can be used to form sounds, such as the tongue and the lips are called articulators. 
1. The phonatory system 
	The main function of the larynx, along with the vocal folds, is to provide voice out of the air released from the lungs. The air passes from the bronchial tubes into the trachea, which consists of rings of cartilages, to reach the larynx which is a box-like organ that is also made of cartilages (See Figure fig. 1.1).     
          
Fig 1.1 Side view of the larynx (Roach 2009, P 22) 	
Inside the larynx there are the vocal folds which are two flaps of muscles attached to the cartilages. A larynx top view (See Fig 1.2.) shows that the vocal folds at the front are attached to the thyroid cartilage and at the back they are attached to a pair of small cartilages known as the arytenoids which can move forward and backward, and from side to side allowing the vocal folds to move also. The opening between the vocal folds   
		 
Fig. 1.2 Top view of the larynx (Roach 2009, P 23)