vocal tract

A general term used in PHONETICS to refer to the whole of the air passage above the LARYNX, the shape of which is the main factor affecting the QUALITY of speech sounds. It can be divided into the NASAL tract (the air passage above the soft PALATE, within the nose) and the ORAL tract (the mouth and pharyngeal areas, or CAVITIES). In a more general application, the term is used in the sense of VOCAL ORGANS, including all the features of the respiratory tract involved in the production of sounds, i.e. lungs, trachea and larynx as well.