As the air flows from the lungs it passes over the vocal folds and into the pharynx. This has three parts - the laryngo pharynx, the oropharynx and the nasal pharynx. These areas are our main resonating spaces. Voice anatomist Merebeth Dayme calls the pharynx a ‘‘mobile muscular sleeve’’ because of its capacity to shorten lengthen and change shape with the movement of the articulating organs, as well as the up and down movement of the larynx itself.



This diagram shows the airflow out of the nose and the mouth. The nasal sounds of the English language M, N and Ng are made when the tongue is pressed against the soft palate and stops the air flowing out of the mouth. Try holding your nose and saying these sounds. However when you seal the soft palate against the back wall of the pharynx generally no air escapes down the nose and you can make the open vowel sounds A E I O U. In normal speech these activities are constant as we say words that contain both nasal and oral sounds.