Human speech device

Speech apparatus is a set of interacting human organs, which actively participate in the occurrence of sounds and speech breathing, thereby forming speech. Speech apparatus includes the organs of hearing, articulation, respiration and the central nervous system. Today we will become more familiar with the structure of the speech apparatus and the nature of human speech.

Formation of sounds

To date, the structure of the speech apparatus can be safely assumed to be 100% studied. Thanks to this, we have the opportunity to learn how sound is born and what causes speech disturbances.

Sounds are born because of the contraction of the muscular tissues of the peripheral speech apparatus. Starting a conversation, a person automatically breathes in air. From the lungs, the air stream enters the larynx, the nerve impulses cause vibration of the vocal cords, and they, in turn, create sounds. Sounds form in words. Words are in sentences. A sentence - in a hearty conversation.

Structure of the speech apparatus

Speech, or, as it is also called, voice, the apparatus has two departments: central and peripheral (executive). The first consists of the brain and its cortex, subcortical nodes, conductive 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 get tasks.

Central Department

Like other manifestations of the work of the nervous system, speech arises through reflexes, which, in turn, are connected with the brain. The most important parts of the brain responsible for the reproduction of speech are: the frontal lobe, the temporal part, parietal and occipital regions. In right-handers, this role is played by the right hemisphere, and left-handed players are left-handed.

Frontal (lower) gyruses are responsible for the creation of oral speech. The convolutions located in the temporal zone, perceive all the sound stimuli, 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 visual perception of written speech. If we consider in more detail the speech apparatus of a child, it can be seen that the occipital part of it develops particularly actively. Thanks to her, the child visually fixes 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 pathways. The second sends the brain signals to the organs of the speech apparatus. Well, the first are responsible for the delivery of the response signal.

Peripheral speech apparatus consists of three more sections. 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 process of breathing is regulated by special centers of the nervous system. It consists of three stages, continuously following one after another: inhalation, a small pause, exhalation.

Speech is always formed on exhalation. Therefore, the airflow created by a person during a conversation performs articulatory and voice-forming functions simultaneously. If this principle is violated in some way, the speech is immediately distorted. That is why many speakers pay attention to speech breathing.

The respiratory organs of the speech apparatus are represented by the lungs, bronchi, intercostal muscles and diaphragm. The diaphragm is an elastic muscle, which in the relaxed state has the shape of a dome. When it is contracted together with the intercostal muscles, the thorax increases in volume and inhales. Accordingly, when relaxes - exhalation.

Voice Department

We continue to consider the departments of the speech apparatus. So, the voice has three main characteristics: strength, timbre and height. Oscillation of the vocal cords leads to the fact that the flow of air from the lungs turns into vibrations of small air particles. These pulsations, transmitted to the environment, create a sound of voice.

The strength of the voice mainly depends on the amplitude of the oscillations of the vocal cords, which is regulated by the strength of the airflow.

The timbre can be called a sound color. In all people it is different and depends on the shape of the vibrator, which creates the oscillations of the ligaments.

As for the height of the voice, it is due to the degree of tension of the vocal folds. That is, it depends on how much influence the air flow can have on them.

Articulation department

Speech articulation apparatus is simply called sound-producing. It includes two groups of organs: active and passive.

Active organs

As one can understand from the title, these bodies can be mobile and take a direct part in the formation of the voice. They are represented by tongue, lips, soft palate and lower jaw. Since these organs consist of muscle fibers, they are amenable to training.

When the organs of speech change their position, narrowings and closures appear in different parts of the sound-producing apparatus. This leads to the formation of a 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", "Y", "E".

The main organ of articulation is the language. Thanks to the abundance of muscles, he is extremely mobile. The tongue 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 the pronunciation of vowel sounds.

The soft palate, or, as it is also called, the palatal curtain, is a continuation of the hard palate and lies above the oral cavity. It, like the lower jaw, can descend and rise, separating the pharynx from the nasopharynx. The soft sky originates from the alveoli, near the upper teeth and ends with a small tongue. When a person utters any sounds other than "M" and "H", the palatal curtain rises. If it is omitted or immobile for some reason, the sound comes out "nasal". The voice is nasal. The reason for this is simple - when the palatal curtain is lowered, the sound waves along with the air enter the nasopharynx.

Passive organs

The speech apparatus of man, or rather his articulatory department, includes also immovable organs, which are the support for the mobile. These are teeth, nasal cavity, hard palate, alveoli, larynx and pharynx. Despite the fact that these bodies are passive, they have a huge impact on speech technology.

Violation of the speech apparatus

Now that we know what the human voice system consists of and how it works, let's look at the main problems that can affect it. Problems with the pronunciation of words, as a rule, arise from the unformatted speech apparatus. When parts of the articulatory department become ill, this affects the correctness of the resonance and clarity of pronunciation of sounds. Therefore, it is important that the bodies involved in the formation of speech are healthy and work in full coordination.

Speech apparatus can be disrupted for various reasons, since it is a rather complex mechanism of our body. However, among them there are problems that occur most often:

1. Defects in the structure of organs and tissues.
2. Incorrect use of the speech device.
3. Disorders of the corresponding parts of the central nervous system.

If you have problems with speech, do not put them off in a long box. 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 broken speech apparatus are not only poorly spoken, but also have difficulty in 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 hesitation and error can cost a reputation. Speech organs are prepared in order to activate (adjust) the basic muscle fibers. Namely, the muscles that participate in speech breathing, the resonators responsible for the sonority of the voice, and active organs, on whose shoulders lies the distinct pronunciation of sounds.

The first thing to remember is that the human speech apparatus works better with proper posture. This is a simple but important principle. To make the speech more clear, you need to keep your head straight and your back straight. The shoulders should be relaxed, and the shoulder blades should be slightly folded. Now nothing prevents you from saying beautiful words. Accustomed to the correct posture, you can not only take care of the clarity of speech, but also find a more attractive appearance.

For those who, according to their work, say a lot, it is important to relax the organs responsible for the quality of speech and restore their full performance. Relaxation of the speech device is provided by the implementation of special exercises. It is recommended to do them immediately after a long conversation, when the vocal organs become very tired.

Pose of relaxation

Perhaps you have already encountered such concepts as posture and relaxation mask. These two exercises are aimed at relaxing the muscles or, as they say, lifting the muscle clamps. In fact, they do not represent anything complicated. So, in order to adopt a relaxation posture, you need to sit on a chair and bend slightly forward with your head bowed. In this case, the legs should stand with the entire foot and form a right angle with each other. They must also bend at right angles. This can be achieved by selecting the right chair. Hands hang down, slightly leaning forearms on the hips. Now you need to close your eyes and relax as much as possible.

To rest and relaxation were as full as possible, you can do some forms of auto-training. At first glance it seems that this is the pose of a dejected person, but in fact it is quite effective for relaxing the whole body, including the speech apparatus.

Relaxation mask

This simple reception is also very important for speakers and those who, according to the specifics of their activities, speak a lot. There is also nothing complicated here. The essence of the exercise is the alternating tension of the various facial muscles. You need to "wear" on yourself a variety of "masks": joy, surprise, anguish, anger and so on. Having done all this, you need to relax the muscles. It is not difficult at all. Simply pronounce the "T" sound on a weak exhalation and leave the jaw in a loose, lowered position.

Relaxation is one of the elements of the hygiene of the speech apparatus. In addition to this, this concept includes protection from colds and hypothermia, avoidance of mucosal irritants and speech training.

Conclusion

That's how interesting and complex is our speech apparatus. To fully enjoy one of the most important gifts of man - the ability to communicate, you need to monitor the hygiene of the voice device and treat it with care.