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How do we communicate?

Just like our close ape relatives, we communicate with each other through facial expressions, gestures, and touch. But one way of communicating —spoken language—is unique to humans. Our vocal cords create sounds that are shaped into words by the tongue and lips. These words are picked up by the ears and sent to the brain, where they are interpreted into the language that we understand.

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Mouth cavity, throat, and nasal cavity: Make sounds louder

Lips: Change shape to alter sounds

Motor area: Sends signals to muscles that produce speech

Broca’s area:

Controls speech production

Tongue: Changes position to alter sounds

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Holding a conversation

01: When sound waves arrive in your pinna (ear flap), they are directed into your inner ear via the ear canal.

02: The sound waves are converted into electrical nerve impulses by the cochlea and sent to the auditory area of your brain.

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03: The auditory area, analyses speech sounds and voice tones and sends the information on to Wernicke’s area to make sense of what was said.

04:. This information then goes to Broca’s area of your brain, which will figurę out a suitable response. It instructs your brain’s motor area to tell the muscles in your larynx to activate your vocal corcłs.

05: Broca’s area also tells breathing muscles to force air past the vocal cords to make them vibrate and produce sounds and instructs the muscles in your tongue, lower jaw, and lips to move so that you can respond.

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