The "articulatory system" refers to the physical structures involved in the production of speech, including the lips, tongue, and vocal cords. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is spelled /ɑrtɪkjələtɔri sɪstəm/. The "a" in "articulatory" is pronounced as the "a" in "father," while the "i" is pronounced as the "i" in "sit." The "t" and "c" in "articulatory" are both pronounced with a "ch" sound, as in "church." The final "ory" is pronounced as "ore-ree."
The articulatory system refers to the anatomical structures and physiological processes involved in the production of speech sounds. It encompasses the various components responsible for creating and modifying the airflow that generates sounds in human speech. These components work together to produce specific sounds by controlling the movement and position of the articulators.
The primary articulators within the system include the lips, teeth, tongue, alveolar ridge, hard and soft palate, vocal folds, and the respiratory system. These structures interact and coordinate their movements to create a wide range of speech sounds. For instance, the lips and teeth contribute to the formation of plosive sounds, while the tongue plays a key role in shaping vowels and consonants by contacting or nearing other structures.
The articulatory system relies on muscular actions, controlled by the brain, to manipulate breath flow and positioning of the articulators. These muscles include the facial muscles, tongue muscles, and throat muscles, among others. For example, muscles in the tongue allow it to move forward, backward, up, down, and curl to create different speech sounds.
Understanding the articulatory system is crucial for studying speech production and phonetics. It helps explain how humans shape their vocal tract to produce the vast array of speech sounds found in different languages. By manipulating the articulators within the system, individuals can articulate words and convey meaning through spoken language.
The word "articulatory system" is derived from the combination of two terms: "articulatory" and "system".
1. "Articulatory" is from the Latin word "articulāre", which means "to divide into joints or parts". It is ultimately derived from the Latin word "articulus", meaning "a joint, a member, a division", derived from "artus", meaning "a joint". The term "articulatory" refers to something related to the act or process of articulating or producing speech sounds.
2. "System" comes from the Latin word "systema" or the Greek word "sustēma", which means "an organized whole", "a whole compounded of parts", or "a network". It conveys the idea of a set of connected or related components working together to perform a function.