How Speech is Produced
The Importance of Proper Breathing
Online References & Other Useful Links
This web site has been created by Verena Tay for the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL), National University of Singapore.
The views expressed in these web pages are meant as general self-help advice and do not necessarily reflect the views of CDTL or NUS. If you encounter any difficulties, please consult a trained medical and/or voice professional immediately.
Last modified:
26 March 2003
Copyright © 2002-2003, Verena Tay
How Speech Is Produced
In order to produce sound when you speak, four components are needed:
A. Breath, that functions as a force of power
The secret of speech/voice projection is to use your breath to support your voice as you speak. The more efficiently you breathe, the more air you will have to sustain your voice and project it to all your listeners.
B. Vocal cords, that make sound when vibrated
When you make sound, your breath passes through the vocal cords in your voice box and causes them to vibrate. To achieve free vibration of the vocal cords, you need a relaxed throat: a tensed throat can cause your vocal cords to tighten and force the pitch of your voice to go up. When you are ill, depressed and/or low in vitality, you do not have the energy to breathe properly; the voice then lacks power, has a limited range, and sounds low.
C. Resonators (e.g. neck/head cavities), that amplify the resulting sound
The cavities of your head and neck act as resonators that determine the tone/quality of your voice. The aim is to have a balanced used of all resonators. If there is too much resonance in the throat, you can sound gruff/harsh/strangled and you may find it difficult to project your voice. If there is too much resonance in the mouth, your voice may sound as if it lacks foundation. To produce a good, resonant voice, you should:
- have a good alignment of the head, neck and spine so that all channels are open;
- keep up the pressure of breath from below;
- aim to fill all cavities with sound on its way out; and
- project the channel of sound through the mask/front of your face and forwards towards the listener.
D. Oral cavity, that moulds sound to form words
You
can change the size and shape of your oral cavity by moving your lips, tongue,
lower jaw and soft palate. Such actions change the relative position of your
teeth, tongue, soft palate and hard palate accordingly and shape sound into
speech/words. To speak clearly, you should have a relaxed jaw. For good
articulation, you should also exercise your lips and tongue regularly to
improve the agility of these two sets of muscles.
For more detailed, graphical descriptions of the anatomy and physiology of the human vocal tract, some web sites (last accessed on 4 June 2002) that may be worth visiting are as follows:
- 'The Larynx, Basic Anatomy'. (2002). The Voice Center, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
- 'Anatomy of the Vocal Tract'. (1997). By Kevin Russell, University of Manitoba.
- 'Vocal Anatomy'. (1997-2001). The Singing Voice. By Mark D. Williams.
For a full list of references to this section, please see Book & Other References and Online References.