Articulators involved in sound production

Articulators are the parts of your body that you use to produce speech sounds. The main ones are:

Lips: Important for bilabial sounds like /p/, /b/, /m/ and for labiodental sounds like /f/ and /v/.

Teeth: Participate in the production of dental sounds like /θ/ (as in "thin") and /ð/ (as in "this"), and also influence alveolar sounds.

Tongue: The most mobile and versatile articulator. Its position and shape determine many sounds. We distinguish the tip, apex, dorsum, and root of the tongue, each with specific functions.

Alveolar ridge: The ridge behind the upper teeth. Crucial for alveolar sounds like /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/, /l/.

Hard palate: The roof of the mouth, behind the alveolar ridge. Influences palatal sounds like /j/ (as in "yes") and /ɲ/ (as in the Spanish "año").

Soft palate (velum): The back part of the roof of the mouth. Its movement controls the airflow to the nose or mouth, determining whether a sound is nasal or not.

Uvula: The final part of the soft palate. Participates in the production of some guttural sounds.

Pharynx: The back of the throat. Influences the resonance of some sounds.

Larynx: Contains the vocal cords, which vibrate to produce voiced sounds.