Sound generation
Speech as audible gesture
How is sound generated within the vocal tract?
- vibration of vocal folds
- turbulence noise (rush of air through slit)
- release of cavity under high pressure
Airflow
All these sound generation mechanisms in the vocal tract require getting air to flow.
Initiation is the mechanism by which air is caused to flow within the vocal tract.
(Ladefoged's airstream mechanisms)
English
Airflow caused by a single mechanism (action of the lungs).
Other languages
Alternate methods for getting air to flow, which involve gestures, or combinations of gestures that do not occur in English.
Basic Aerodyamics
(aerodyamics = movement, or flow, or air)
Initiators within vocal tract
Cause of airflow is change in volume of some part of the vocal tract.
System that acts to produce this change in volume is called the initiator of the flow (Catford, 1977).
Initiators in vocal tract:
lungs
pulmonic
larynx
glottalic
tongue body
velaric
Mode (direction) of initiator action
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pressure: |
suction: |
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pulmonic |
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glottalic | ||
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velaric |
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