Anatomy of the vocal tract

In addition to their normal names, many of the parts of the vocal tract have fancy names derived from Latin and Greek. The adjectives we use to describe sounds made with each part are usually based on the Latin/Greek name.

alveolar ridge

A short distance behind the upper teeth is a change in the angle of the roof of the mouth. (In some people it's quite abrupt, in others very slight.) This is the alveolar ridge. Sounds which involve the area between the upper teeth and this ridge are called alveolars.

(hard) palate

the hard portion of the roof of the mouth. The term "palate" by itself usually refers to the hard palate.

soft palate/velum

the soft portion of the roof of the mouth, lying behind the hard palate. The tongue hits the velum in the sounds [k], [g], and []. The velum can also move and serves as the "gatekeeper" of the nasal cavity. Normally during speech, the velum is in a raised position and does not allow air into the nose, but during some sounds (the nasal sounds) it lowers and allows air to flow through the nose.

uvula

the small, dangly thing at the back of the soft palate. The uvula vibrates during the r sound in many French dialects.

pharynx

the cavity between the root of the tongue and the walls of the upper throat.

tongue blade

the flat surface of the tongue just behind the tip.

tongue body/dorsum

the main part of the tongue, lying below the hard and soft palate. The body, specifically the back part of the body (hence "dorsum", Latin for "back"), moves to make vowels and many consonants. [note]

tongue root

the lowest part of the tongue in the throat

epiglottis

the fold of tissue below the root of the tongue. The epiglottis helps cover the larynx during swallowing, making sure (usually!) that food goes into the stomach and not the lungs. A few languages use the epiglottis in making sounds. English is fortunately not one of them.

vocal folds/vocal cords

folds of tissue stretched across the airway to the lungs. They can vibrate against each other, providing much of the sound during speech.

glottis

the opening between the vocal cords. During a glottal stop, the vocal cords are held together and there is no opening between them.

larynx

the structure that holds and manipulates the vocal cords. The "Adam's apple" in males is the bump formed by the front part of the larynx.

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