Airstream Mechanisms

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From www.indiana.edu
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Airstream Mechanisms

• Ways of initiating airflow

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Creating Pressure

• We initiate airflow by creating pressure in the
  vocal tract.
• Direction of initiatory movement creates 2 types
  of pressure
• Positive Pressure Egressive Outgoing
• Negative Pressure Ingressive Incoming

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3 Locations of Initiation

• Intitation at lungs
• Initiation at glottis
• Initiation at velum

• Six Initiation Types
• Pulmonic Egressive (common)
• Pulmonic Ingressive (rare)
• Glottalic Egressive (Ejectives)
• Glottalic Ingressive (Implosives)
• Velaric Egressive (Clicks)
• Velaric Ingressive (Not used)

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Pulmonic Initiation

• Pulmonic Egressive most common mechanism
• Air comes from lungs, through trachea and larynx
  and out mouth or nose
• Plosives, Stops in English, all vowels
• p, b, t, d, k, g, etc.
• Pulmonic Ingressive very rare
• Speaking while sucking in

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From Ladefoged 1993
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Glottalic Initiation

• Air is trapped between glottis (vocal folds)
  somewhere above in the vocal tract.
• The larynx is then either raised or lowered,
  which makes air more or less dense.
• The oral closure is released, and glottalic
  initiation is produced.

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• Glottalic Egressive Ejectives
• Also known as glottalized
• Raised laryrnx closed glottis pushes upwards,
  compresses air, pushes air out
• p, b, t, d, k, g, etc.
• Glotallic Ingressive Implosives
• Lowered laryrnx closed glottis pushes
  downwards, makes air less dense, sucks air in
• ?, ?, ?

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Steps in Glottalic Initiation

• Ejectives
• Close glottis
• Make closure in oral tract
• Raise larynx
• Release oral closure
• Open glottis

• Implosives
• Close glottis
• Make closure in oral tract
• Lower larynx
• Release oral closure
• Open glottis

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Ejective
From Ladefoged 1993
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Implosive
From Ladefoged 1993
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Velaric Initiation

• Tongue dorsum (back) closes at velum, as if
  making a k (Hence velaric)
• Make closure somewhere else, more forward, in
  mouth
• Move tongue down (which decreases pressure)
• Release front closure
• Air rushes into mouth
• Release velaric closure
• Known as clicks

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• It is only possible to have ingressive velaric
  initiation egressive is not possible
• It is possible to overlay nasalization on clicks
  by sending air through nasal cavity

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From Ladefoged 1993
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Practice

• Practice glottal stops (uh-oh)
• Practice raising glottis (singing high)
• Practice lowering glottis (singing low)
• Put together for Ejectives Implosives
• Make glottal stop Make oral closure
• Raise/Lower Larynx Release oral closure
• Release glottal stop

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• Many have made clicks as sound effects
• Bilabial clicks slight kissing sound
• Dental clicks Tsk tsk sound
• Alveolar lateral clicks horse-calling sound

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Self-Test

• Which initiation type?
• Pressure builds completely in mouth
• Air in pharynx is rarified (made less dense)
• First step is glottal closure
• Most commonly made sounds
• Compressed air in pharynx causes air to release
  with outwards with force

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• Also known as plosives
• Common in some South African languages
• First step is closure at soft palate
• Also known as glottalized
• Possible ingressives
• Impossible sounds

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• Pressure builds completely in mouth
• VELARIC INGRESSIVE (CLICKS)
• Air in pharynx is rarified (made less dense)
• GLOTTALIC INGRESSIVE (IMPLOSIVES)
• First step is glottal closure
• GLOTTALIC INGRESSIVE EGRESSIVE (IMPLOSIVES
  EJECTIVES)
• Most commonly made sounds
• PULMONIC EGRESSIVES (PLOSIVES)
• Compressed air in pharynx causes air to release
  outwards with force
• GLOTTALIC EGRESSIVE (EJECTIVES)

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• Also known as plosives
• PULMONIC EGRESSIVE (PLOSIVES)
• Common in some South African languages
• VELARIC INGRESSIVES (CLICKS)
• First step is closure at soft palate
• VELARIC INGRESSIVE (CLICKS)
• Also known as glottalized
• GLOTTALIC EGRESSIVE (EJECTIVES)
• Possible ingressives
• PULMONIC INGRESSIVES (RARE), VELARIC
  INGRESSIVES (CLICKS), GLOTTALIC INGRESSIVES
  (IMPLOSIVES)
• Impossible sounds
• VELARIC EGRESSIVES