Biology of Communication Respiratory System Thorax: the region of the body’s truck from below the neck to just above the diaphragm Diaphragm: the muscular-tendenous partition that separates the thorax from the abdomen, serving as the primary muscle of respiration. It contracts on inspiration, increasing the vertical dimension of the lungs and expanding the lower dimension of the rib cage. Intercostals: the muscles between the ribs (internal and external) help increase the horizontal dimension of the thorax. Lungs Trachea Consider the effect of these muscles on speech vs. life function Articulatory Mechanism Tongue: a composite of intrinsic muscles which enable us to change its shape easily. The tongue influences the overall sound and resonance of the voice and is critical for the production of individual speech sounds. Lips: (orbicularis oris): The lips are involved in creating facial expressions and oral behaviors (i.e.sucking, kissing, chewing). They also contribute to the resonance of the voice and individual sound production. Teeth: important for chewing, they also play a secondary role in articulations (i.e.sounds such as “f” and “th” involve contact of the lips or tongue with the teeth). Alveolar ridge: the bony ridge behind the maxillary (upper) teeth involved in the articulation of sounds such as “n”, “s”, “z”, “t”, and “d”. Maxilla: the upper jaw Mandible: the lower jaw, contributes to the shape and size of the oral cavity needed for the production of different vowels. Palate: the roof of the mouth, made up of the hard and soft palates. The tongue contacts the palate to produce various sounds. Phonatory System Larynx: the structure which contains the mechanisms for speech production. Cricoid Cartilage: the ring of cartilage that fors the base of the larynx. Thyroid Cartilage: the shield shaped outer cartilage protecting the larynx, often called the Adam’s Apple. Vocal folds originate just below the thyroid notch. Arytenoid Cartilages: the paired, pyramid shaped cartilages that sit on the signet portion of the cricoid cartilage and help open and close vocal folds. Glottis: the area between the vocal folds Epiglottis: Cartilage that sits at top of larynx and covers its opening during swallowing. Subglottal pressure: the air pressure within the airway between/below the vocal folds. Outgoing air moves between the vocal folds when pressure below the folds is greater than pressure above them, causing the vocal folds to vibrate, generating sound. Changes in subglottal pressure result in changes in intensity. Vocal Folds:Vocalis muscle and vocal ligament that when set into vibration, produces voice. Resonance System Pharynx: space above the larynx but below the nasal cavities (i.e. back of throat) Mandible: the lower jaw. Positioning of mandible determines the oral opening. Hard Palate: the bony structure which forms the anterior (front) portion of he roof of the oral cavity. Velum (soft palate): the muscular, posterior (back) portion of the roof of the oral cavity Velopharyngeal Port: the closing site where the elevated velum makes contact with the pharyngeal wall, separating the oral and nasal cavities. Videoendoscopy: a procedure which uses special fiber-optic equipment to view the internal structures o the larynx.

Nervous System Central nervous system: the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord Brain: the part of the central nervous system that allows humans to engage in high level functioning, such as learning from the environment and synthesizing information. It consists of the cerebrum and the cerebellum. Cerebrum: the largest division of the brain. It contains the right and left cerebral hemisphere and the corpus callosum. Cerebellum: a brain structure that sits below the cerebrum and above the lower brainstem. It is divided into a right and left hemisphere and is important for muscular coordination. Corpus Callosum: a large band of fibers that carry information between the cerebral hemispheres Frontal lobe: located in the anterior (front) portion of the cerebrum, it contains the primary motor cortex, and other regioins associated with attention, impulse control and judgement. Parietal lobe: located just posterior to (behind) the frontal lobe, it contains the primary sensory cortex, which receives sensory information from the body, as well as other regions that support a number of cognitive functions. Temporal lobe: located inferior to (below) the parietal lobe, it contains the primary auditory cortex, as well as regions important for language comprehension and memory. Occipital lobe: located in the posterior (back) cerebrum, it receives and processes visual information. Cortex: the surface layer of the brain Subcortex: the deeper layers of the brain. Cite of lesion: the area of the brain damaged in an accident, stroke, etc. Different cite of lesions will result in different symptoms Peripheral nervous system: the nervous system that extends beyond the brain and spinal cord, including peripheral sensory nerves that send impulses to the central nervous system and motor nerves that carry impulses to peripheral structures (I.e.arms, legs, diaphragm): –A) Cranial nerves: 12 paired nerves that come to and from the cranium –B) Spinal nerves: 31 pairs of nerves that enter or exit the spinal cord