The vocal organs are those parts of the body that are involved in the production of speech. The name ‘vocal organs’ is not entirely appropriate, as their main function is fulfilling the basic biological needs of breathing and eating. But there seems to have been considerable evolutionary development in their form, which enables them to function efficiently for act and speech. Perhaps the most striking feature of any diagram of the vocal organs is the amount of the body involved in speech. It is not simply the mouth and throat; we have to show the involvement of the lungs, the trachea (or windpipe) and the nose. Inside the mouth, we have to distinguish the tongue, and the various parts of palate. Inside the throat, we need to distinguish the upper part, or pharynx, from the lower part, or larynx, which contains the vocal folds – commonly called the vocal ‘cord’. The pharynx, mouth, and nose from a system of hollow areas, or cavities, known as the vocal tract (though this term sometimes includes larynx and lungs as well) . When we move the organs in vocal tract, we alter its shape, and it is this which enables the many different sounds of spoken language to be produced.