Vocal tract

Vocal Tract

The Vocal Tract is the cavity in human beings and other animals where sound that is produced at the sound source is filtered. In humans, it includes the vocal folds, the throat, the mouth, and the nasal cavity. The vocal tract can be adjusted to control the characteristics of the sounds it produces.

Etymology

The term "vocal tract" is derived from the Latin vocalis (of voice) and the Old French tract (track, course, path).

Anatomy

The vocal tract is composed of several key components, each playing a crucial role in the production of sound. These include:

• Larynx: Also known as the voice box, the larynx houses the vocal folds. The larynx is responsible for sound production, pitch regulation, and preventing food and drink from entering the trachea.

• Pharynx: The pharynx is a part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and larynx – the tubes running down from the back of the nasal cavity and the back of the mouth.

• Oral Cavity: The oral cavity, or the mouth, is where sound is shaped into speech. It is bounded at the sides and in front by the alveolar process (containing the teeth) and at the back by the isthmus of the fauces.

• Nasal Cavity: The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the respiratory tract areas and to protect the respiratory tract from contaminants in the air.

Function

The vocal tract functions as a resonant cavity used to modify the sounds produced by the vocal folds. The shape and length of the vocal tract can be changed to articulate different speech sounds. The shape of the vocal tract changes for each different place of articulation, and combines with the manner of articulation and phonation to create different speech sounds.

Related Terms

• Articulatory phonetics: The study of how humans produce speech sounds via the interaction of different physiological structures.
• Formant: The spectral shaping that results from an acoustic resonance of the human vocal tract.
• Speech production: The process by which thoughts are translated into speech.

See Also

• Speech science
• Vocal resonance
• Human voice

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