Speech organ

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Speech organs produce the many sounds needed for language. Organs used include the lips, teeth, tongue, alveolar ridge, hard palate, velum (soft palate), uvula and glottis.

Speech organs - otherwise articulators - are divide into two: passive articulators and active articulators. Passive articulators are those which remains static during the articulation of sound. Upper lips, upper teeth, alveolar ridge, hard palate etc. are the passive articulators. Active articulators move towards these passive articulators to produce various speech sounds, in different manner. The most important active articulator is tongue. Uvula, lower jaw which include lower teeth and lower lip are the other active articulators.

See also

articulatory phonetics

vocal loading

places of articulation and manner of articulation

human anatomy

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