Vocal anatomy

This video just has a plain transcript, not time-aligned to the videoAlthough we think about using our mouths when we talk, speech production requires the use of anatomical structures from the diaphragm through the nose. Taken together, all of the anatomy that is required for speech is known as the vocal tract.
At the center of the vocal tract is the larynx, commonly known as the “voice box”. The larynx sits in the front center the neck and is the source of the vibrations that are known as the voice.
The anatomical structures below the larynx make up the sublaryngeal vocal tract and includes the lungs, diaphragm and trachea, while everything above the larynx is known as the supralaryngeal vocal tract.
The rest of this video will focus on the names of the anatomical structures and articulators above the larynx.
The supralaryngeal vocal tract can be divided into two main regions, the oral cavity and the nasal cavity. The oral tract is where most of the articulatory action takes place.
The articulators in the supralaryngeal vocal tract are the anatomical structures that shape and influence the quality of sound that emerges from the mouth during speech.
These articulators can be divided into two major types: Active and Passive.
The active articulators are those that move during speech production including the lips, tongue, epiglottis, velum and larynx.
In most speech sounds, the tongue is the active articulator. Because it is so mobile and active during speech, it is further subdivided into regions that can move somewhat independently of each other: the tip, blade, body, and root.
The Passive articulators remain stationary during speech production. These are the teeth, the alveolar ridge, the hard palate, the soft palate (or velum), the uvula, and the pharyngeal wall.
In some cases, certain articulators are classified as both passive and active, depending on how they are used for a given sound.