Human speech apparatus: what it is, parts and functions

Broadly speaking, we could define language as a structured communication system for which there is a context of its use and certain formal principles on which it is based. Human beings articulate, on average, about 18,500 words a day (27,000 in women and 10,000 in men), thus that conceiving the society and responses of our species without the voice and listening is a practically impossible.

In any case, before entering the world of human phonation, it is essential to emphasize that communication is not exclusive to the human being. Homo sapiens. Zoosemiotics refutes this anthropocentric preconception, since it is in charge of studying the methods that other animals use to communicate with each other. In any case, the rest of living beings do not use words: they base their communication on chemical, acoustic, visual signals, vibrations, electrical impulses and even physical dances. When the word is not an option, natural selection looks for other equally effective methods.

Speaking of communication and language, it is impossible for us not to think about what produces it, beyond the social and evolutionary bases on which it is based. Today we come to tell you all about

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the speech apparatus and, incidentally, we explain how human communication distances itself from that of other species on the planet.

Related article: "The 12 types of language (and their characteristics)"

What is human language?

A language is a communication system. You and I, as members of the same species, transmit ideas and perceptions to each other. using linguistic signs (written and articulated words), but not everything is communicated through phonation.

For example, you may be surprised to know that studies, when exploring the ability to transmit concepts in the human being, they put much more burden on how things are said than on the words that are emitting. According to various scientific publications, 55% of communication in humans is due to body language, 38% supposes the tone of voice and only the remaining 7% of the content is contained in the words that are actually being saying.

So that, the importance of the speech apparatus does not only lie in the articulated words, but in the tonality of the message and in the action of the facial muscles that accompany it. After all, we don't stop being animals, right? On the other hand, there are certain elements that separate human language from that presented by other species. These are the following:

The human being has double articulation. Words and phonemes are two different things, since the latter do not have their own meaning by themselves.
Signals from communication systems in other animals are usually produced only in response to external stimuli. This is not the case in humans.
The rest of the animals cannot refer to past events and events. His language is purely immediate.
Animal communication systems are rarely learned. In most cases they are innate and are encoded in the body's genetic imprint.
Human language is creative, as new signals are continually created by mixing persistent elements.

We stand out from the rest of living animals based on many concepts, but in many others we cannot avoid realize that, no matter how rational we are, intrinsic and subconscious elements continue to dominate our day day. Once we have explored this interesting terrain, we are ready to briefly tell you about the characteristics of the human speech apparatus.

What is the human speech apparatus?

The speech apparatus refers to the set of organs of the human body responsible for generating (and amplifying) the sound that is produced when speaking. It is necessary to emphasize that almost none of these structures is designed solely for this task, since they fulfill another essential function for the metabolism and survival of the human being. For example, the primary function of the larynx is to prevent water and solid food from entering the lungs, but it is also essential to understanding phonation in our species.

Thus, we cannot conceive of the speech apparatus as a set of organs solely focused on speech. These are also basic in the respiratory and digestive system, for example, by participating in swallowing and the respiratory mechanism.

Parts of the speech apparatus

We are not going to dwell on the exact physiology of each structure involved in speech, but we can divide this complex system into different blocks. Go for it.

1. Respiratory mechanism

The human voice is a rigid sound that is essentially air coming out of the lungs. Thus, the same organs that allow you to breathe are what make you able to speak, which includes the lungs, diaphragm, intercostal muscles, bronchi and trachea, among others.

From a technical point of view, these elements are known as “infraglottic cavities”. They provide the air necessary to produce speech sounds (power generation) and are also responsible for the intensity of the voice and the duration of the tones generated. Without inspiration and aspiration, the human communication mechanism would be practically impossible to conceive.

2. Speaking mechanism

The larynx and vocal cords are the specialized structures for the production of sounds in humans. The set of areas responsible for producing the words is known as the "glottic cavity", and in it are the larynx, vocal folds, glottis and epiglottis.

When these organs are together, the current of air from the lungs during expiration sets them into vibration, which actually generates phonation and voice production. The vocal cords vibrate, giving rise to an audible sound wave, while the vocal folds are responsible for the generation of the tone.

3. Resonance mechanism

Up to this point, what is generated is a basic sound. That exhaled air and the sound wave produced lacks “something”, because from a guttural sound to an intoned melody there is a world of difference. Here the supraglottic cavities or resonance mechanisms come into play, which encompass the pharyngeal, oral, nasal and labial cavity.

As their name suggests, these structures are responsible for amplifying and modulating the sound produced. Together they act as a filter: they amplify or attenuate certain components of the sound wave generated in the larynx and modify the quality of the sound.

You may be interested in: "Respiratory system: characteristics, parts, functions and diseases"

4. Articulation mechanisms

Last (but not least), we have the articulating organs, located in the cavity supraglottic, that is, the palate, tongue, teeth, lips and all those structures what help us to outline and emit sounds in the most correct way possible.

Perhaps the most important structure of all when it comes to articulation is the tongue. It is by far the most flexible articulator (it is involved in the production of most sounds) and, Therefore, in the study of human phonetics, different lingual parts are distinguished to understand the speech of the patient. Its areas of greatest sensitivity are located in the anterior part.

Yes, you read that correctly, teeth are also included in this conglomerate. As surprising as it may seem, the incisors, based on 100% work, perform 20% in chewing, while the remaining 80% corresponds to the individual's speech and aesthetic functionality. Thus, in many cases orthodontics are not merely intended to beautify the patient, but also to help him improve speech.

Resume

The study of language in the human being is truly fascinating, since there are so many parameters that take us away from the rest of living beings as subconscious mechanisms that bring us closer to the most natural and intrinsic part of our species. Language is not only reduced to speech, because, as we have said, expression and tonality have a greater load than the articulated message itself in most cases.

Despite this, the human speech apparatus is still a true work of biological engineering. This is based on the use of structures: although they were not there with the task of initially speaking (but of breathing and swallowing safely), These have evolved together with society to transmit in the simplest and most efficient way the entire range of sounds in the form of words that we know in the present.

Bibliographic references:

The speech apparatus, virtuniversidad.com. Picked up on February 11 at https://www.virtuniversidad.com/greenstone/collect/ingles/import/CuatrimestreV/Fon%C3%A9tica%20y%20Fonolog%C3%ADa%20%20I/Aparato%20fonador.pdf.
Morante, M. D. C. AND. (2001). The voice: resource for education, rehabilitation and therapy in the human being. Interuniversity journal of teacher training, (42) Torres, J. L. F. (1990). Palaeoanthropology, neurobiology and linguistics: strategies for the study of the evolution of human language. American Anthropology Bulletin, (21), 161-171., 67-75.
Torres, B. (2007). Functional anatomy of the voice. Chapter 1 of the book: Medicine of Singing. URL: http://www. medicinedelcant. com / cast / llibre. htm #.
Torres Gallardo, B. (2013). The voice and our body. Journal of Research in Vocal Technique, 1.