In the context of speech, what does articulatory movement refer to?

Articulatory movement specifically pertains to the movement of speech organs, which are responsible for the production of sounds during speech. This includes the coordinated actions of the tongue, lips, jaw, and soft palate, among other structures, to shape and modify airflow from the lungs, creating different phonemes.

The other concepts relate to different aspects of speech production. Vocal cord tension involves the adjustment of the vocal folds during sound production but does not encompass the broader range of movements involved in articulation. Nasal airflow refers to the passage of air through the nasal cavity and its contribution to speech sounds, particularly in nasal sounds, but again, this does not fully represent articulatory movement itself. Phonation control is related to how the voice is produced by regulating vocal fold vibration, which is important for voice quality but does not address the physical movement of the articulators needed to form words and sounds. Thus, the focus on articulatory movement is distinctly about the dynamic actions of the speech organs involved in sound production.