What Are The Vocal Organs That Affect Your Speech Capacity?

There are different physical aspects of your vocal utility and talents.

Your body is a wonderful enabler of speech process and outcome.

There is great interplay of a couple of individual and collective “organs” if you will, to effect speech.

We take a quick, brief overview at some of them.

Larynx:

• It can be found at the top ring of the windpipe, the two shield cartilages, and epiglottis or lid.
• It contains the voice-box and vocal cords for producing sounds

The pharynx:

• The cavity into which the mouth and nose open

The glottis:

• Mouth of the larynx (membranous or muscular crevice)
• The edges of the larynx which constitute the vocal cords or glottis lips.

The vocal cords:

• Often described as two slight, elastic bands
• They are both situated in the larynx,
• Immediately below the “Adam’s apple.”  
• To produce sound they vibrate and  are thrust forward into the air-stream escaping from the lungs

The trachea or windpipe:

• A cylindrical, cartilaginous  and membranous  tube
• It is the common  air passage to the lungs   
• Partly situated in the neck and partly in the chest area
• Measures about four and a half inches in length.

The epiglottis:

• The lid of the glottis
• Protective functioning mainly
• Prevents all foreign bodies from entering the larynx
• When you breathe it is raised
• It closes to allow food to pass over it into the gullet

The ‘Articulate/Articulation’ organs:

• Tongue, teeth and lips

Your Beating Heart:

• This muscle-organ is situated between the two lungs under the breast-bone, slightly inclined and positioned to the left.
• It mainly functions to regulate the passage of the blood;
• After passing through the lungs, the blood then passes through to the outmost outposts and extremities of the body
• Circulates through the heart to repeat the process all over again.

Your chest area and its surrounding cavities

• The chest-area can easily be spotted. (put your hand on your heart) and you are right there!
• It is that part of your upper torso that is formed by the backbone, ribs, breast-bone and collar-bone.  
• It is lined and covered with membranes
• It is supported and worked by muscles.   
• Vital organs like the lungs, heart and principal arteries and veins are found here.

Capacity of lungs/lungs:

• Lungs are vital organs to effect and enable life. You need to breathe and take in air to survive
• Your organs known as ‘lungs’ are conical shaped,
• They are made up of five lobes, honeycombed with hexagonal cells of various sizes
• Their main purpose is to contain air.
• Form and function work together to supply oxygen to, and take up carbon from, the blood.

The soft palate:

• The curtain at the back of the mouth (membranous, muscular)
• Partitioning the mouth below and the nasal passages above it.

The functions of soft palate are:

UP: When it is raised as high as possible, it closes the opening from the back of the mouth to the nostrils; the vocal current then finds its way and passes out entirely through the mouth

DOWN: When it is allowed to fall upon the tongue, the passage to the mouth is closed, and the vocal current escapes by the nostrils, producing a nasal tone

The Uvula:

• This is the pendent portion of the soft palate.

The hard palate:

• The hard portion of the roof of the mouth
• It is above the upper teeth.

The diaphragm:

• This consists of two muscles and a central tendon, with a slanting direction from the breastbone to the loins.
• It forms a foundation on which the lungs rest (convex) and partitioning them from the abdominal organs (concave).
• It contracts, pressing the abdominal organs downward and outward,
• It makes room for the lungs to expand when you inhale.
• When you exhale it returns to its original spot and shape.
• It draws air out and allows the lungs to ‘collapse’ back to its rested state (deflate).
• It is like the bellows on an organ.