Communication and Swallowing Disorders (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/1421584-Communication-and-Swallowing-Disorders Speech is the oral production of standard sounds to communicate. Speech sounds are formed as the airflow from the lungs is shaped by the tongue, teeth, and lips. The soft palate raises and lowers to change nasality (/m/ is nasal, /b/ is not). The vocal folds vibrate off and on for particular sounds (/b/ is voiced, /p/ is not). Some sounds, ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 May 2008 22:46:08 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582982 Language is the expression of concrete information and abstract concepts using conventional symbols and rules. Language may be written, spoken, or expressed manually (sign language). Though many animals communicate basic information to each other--such as warning of predators or calling out to attract a mate--humans are able to convey complex idea...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 May 2008 23:57:32 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582985 Your vocal folds are bands of tissue attached to your larynx and stretching across the top of your airway (trachea). When you breathe in and out silently, the larynx is relaxed so the vocal folds are open and the air flows freely. When you speak, the larynx moves so that the vocal folds are closed together, but loose enough that air can be ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 May 2008 02:59:19 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582983 Fluency refers to the continuity of speech production. The most common disfluency is stuttering. Stuttering is characterized by repetitions (of sounds or of words), prolongations, and blocks (in which the speech sound cannot be produced). Most children experience a period of normal dysfluency around 3 or 4 years of age as their speech and l...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 May 2008 01:39:18 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582989 Swallowing is so automatic that we usually swallow several times a minute without even thinking about it. It happens in several stages, each one a complicated set of muscle movements that rely on split-second timing. The oral phase begins when food or liquid is taken into the mouth. The lips seal together tightly and the teeth chew. The tongue moves t...[Read Full Post] Sat, 03 May 2008 00:28:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582988 The human hearing system has several components. The outer ear consists of the cartilaginous external pinna which funnels sound to the auditory canal. The tympanic membrane (eardrum) at the end vibrates as sound waves strike it. Those vibrations are transmitted to the tiniest bones in the human body--the stapes, malleus, and incus...[Read Full Post] Fri, 02 May 2008 23:19:00 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/582971