One of the chief characteristics of human beings is their ability to communicate with their fellow beings; they convey Complex messages concerning every aspect of a child's life, even at a very early age. Learns to communicate by imitating the recurrent sound she has become familiar with. It is the only letter that she Learns the visual representation of speech that i. e., writing.
The analysis of the spoken form of a language is by no means simple because each of us uses an infinite number of speech sounds which combine in different ways to form the strings of words we utter. for the convenience of description and analysis. Even though most Indians can use at least two languages as a means of communication, they generally take speech for granted and seldom stop to think about the complex speech mechanisms that spoken language possible. Therefore, we need to break up the strings of utterances into the smallest unit of sounds possible. Phonetics is the study of sounds of human speech. When we produce speech sound, we use the speech mechanism, which comprises certain organs of the body such as the muscles of the chest, the tongue, the lips, and so on. The movement of these organs causes some disturbance that travels to the listener's ear in the form of sound waves. The listener then interprets them as sound. The organs of speech perform a different function in the production of speech. In other words, the air that we breathe is modified in different ways to result in various combinations of consonants and vowels. That is probably why speech is popularly known as 'modified breathing.' The organs of speech and their functions can be described concerning three systems: the respiratory, monetary, and articulatory systems.
1. THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
The organs of speech of which the respiratory system is comprised are the lungs, the muscles of the chest, and the windpipe or trachea. The primary function of the lungs, as we all know, is to enable us to breathe or respire. The chest muscles expand, and consequently, the lungs expand and draw the outside air in. Thus we breathe in or inhale the air which passes through the trachea into the lungs. When the muscles of the chest contract, the lungs are compressed and through the air out. Thus we breathe out exhale the air we have breathed. The function of the respiratory system is to provide the air stream, which is the basis for the production of speech sounds. The airstream acts as a source of energy and is modified by the speech organs as it passes in and out the lungs during the normal course of breathing. Besides the lungs, other organs can also provide an airstream for producing speech sounds, such as the glottis and the velum.
2. THE PHONATORY SYSTEM
The Monetary system is comprised of the larynx in the throat. As we have already said, the air that comes out of the lungs is modified before it meets the outside air. At first, the air is modified in the upper part of the trachea, where the larynx is situated. The larynx is a muscular structure. The front part of this is the structure that can be felt in the neck and is commonly known as the 'Adam's Apple.' The Adam's apple is more prominent in men than in women. The larynx contains a pair of muscular bands or folds called the vocal cord. These are placed horizontally from front to back, joined at the front but separated at the back. The space between the cords is called the glottis.
3. THE ARTICULATORY SYSTEM
After passing through the larynx, the air is modified by the various shapes that the articulators above the larynx assume before it meets the air outside. Each modification affects the quality of the sound produced. These articulators together constitute the Articulatory System. The parts of the articulatory system are The pharynx, The lips, The teeth ridge, The hard palate, The soft palate, The uvula, The tongue. The function of the organs of speech that comprise the three systems, i. e. The Respiratory system, the Phonetary system, and the Articulatory system of the speech mechanism. Each of these organs has an important role to play in the production of speech sounds.
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