Directional Terms
Near the head
Rostral
Divides the body into front and back portions, like slices of bread
Coronal
The driving force for speech/voice
Respiratory mechanism
The process of moving gases into and out of the lungs
Ventilation
Near the tail
Caudal
Divides the body into left and right portions
Sagittal
Regulates resonance
Velum and pharynx
Exchange of gases
Respiration
The point farthest away
Distal
Divides the body into upper and lower portions
Horizonal or transverse
Source of phonation
Laryngeal mechanism
Also known as the windpipe
Trachea
The point closest to the truck
Proximal
The bottom in quadrupeds or the front in bipeds
Ventral
Mobile articulators
Tongue, lips, jaw
Major muscle of inspiration which divides the thorax and the abdomen
Diaphragm
The opposite of superficial
Deep
The back or upper side
Dorsal
Conveys meaning through intonation
Prosody
Posterior, bony support structure of the thorax
Vertebral column