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Phonetics Overview

Phonetics Overview

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MOHD ZAINUL ISLAM
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27 views

Phonetics Overview

Phonetics Overview

Uploaded by

MOHD ZAINUL ISLAM
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Phonetics

Ling 203 - Languages of the World


9/03/2010
What is phonetics?
Definition: The study of speech sounds

Branches:
1. acoustic (the physics of sound)
2. auditory (how the ear processes sound)
3. articulatory (how we produce speech sounds)
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
English: Czech

<c> [k] <c> [ts]


cat co ‘what’
cord Václav (name)
cup třicet ‘thirty’
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
In English:

<a> ball <t> tall


sand stop
make later
patience
train
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
In English:

<ea> health each


wealth meal

<ck> back
bucket
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
In English:

<e> late

<h> hour

<k> knee
Why do we need a phonetic
alphabet?
In English:

Vowel letters: <a, e, i, o, u>

Vowel sounds:
monophthongs: beat, bit, bate, bet, bat, boot, bull, boat,
bought, (ro)bot, but, bulemic, *bird

diphthongs: bow, bout, bide, bike, boy


International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA)
• single alphabet with symbols to represent
sounds from all languages
• one-to-one correspondence between sounds
and symbols
• includes special symbols to indicate minor
variation and things like tone, stress, etc.
• most symbols from Latin and Greek alphabets
International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA)

This is only part of the IPA. A full chart will be handed out later.
International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA)
• IPA is not the only phonetic alphabet used,
though it is the most common
Describing English Consonants
We can distinguish all English consonants from
each other using three features:
1. place of articulation
2. manner of articulation
3. voicing
Places of Articulation
• refers to which parts of the vocal tract are
used to make consonant sounds

Source: Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996:13)


Places of Articulation
English uses the following places of articulation:
1. bilabial
2. labiodental
3. interdental
4. alveolar
5. postalveolar
6. palatal
7. velar
8. glottal
Manners of Articulation
• refers to how the air is manipulated when
makings sounds
Manners of Articulation
English uses the following manners of articulation
1. plosive (= stop)
2. fricative
3. affricate
4. nasal
5. approximant
6. lateral approximant
7. flap
Manners of Articulation
Rather than using the terms “approximant” and
“lateral approximant”, you will frequently see
the following:
• liquid = [l] and [ɹ]
• glide = [j] and [w]
Voicing
• refers to whether the vocal cords (=glottis) are
vibrating or not when making sounds
• lets us distinguish many plosives, affricates
and fricatives in English
• (technically, this could be considered a
‘manner’)
Voicing
Consonant sounds can be:
1. voiced (vibration)
2. voiceless/unvoiced (no vibration)
The Consonants of English
bilabial labiodental interdental alveolar post-alveolar palatal velar glottal
plosive p b t d k g ʔ
affricate tʃ dʒ
fricative f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h
flap ɾ
nasal m n ŋ
approximant w ɹ j
lateral
l
approximant

Notes:
The handout I gave you lists [w] as a velar sound. Actually, it is a co-articulated sound, in this case
using two places of articulation at the same time. In reality, it is labio-velar, so there is no perfect place
to put it.
Also note that I include a glottal plosive [ʔ] that was not on the handout. This is usually called a
‘glottal stop’.
When writing about English, people frequently use [r] in place of [ɹ]. Technically, this is not correct ([r]
is a different sound in the IPA), but be aware that you will see it.
Describing English Vowels
We can distinguish most English consonants from
each other using three features:
1. height
2. frontness/backness
3. tenseness

Additionally, we frequently talk about roundedness


of vowels, though this is less important in English
than other languages.
Height
• refers to the relative height of the relevant
part of the tongue when producing a sound
Height
• English vowels can be
1. high
2. mid
3. low
Frontness/Backness
• refers to the part of the mouth part of the
tongue move toward
Frontness/Backness
English vowels can be
1. front
2. central
3. back
Tenseness
• refers to whether the lip/tongue muscles are
relatively tensed or relaxed when producing a
vowel sound
Tenseness
English vowels can be
1. tense
2. lax
Roundedness
• refers to whether the lips are rounded or not
when producing a vowel sound
Roundedness
English vowels can be
1. round(ed)
2. unround(ed)
The Vowels of English
• The chart below shows the monophthongs of
English

Modified from Language Files 10.

*[e] and [o] are actually pronounced as diphthongs in English, but we will ignore this.
Other languages?
• The distinctions here are relevant for English.

• Other languages may have distinctions English


doesn’t have.

• Not all languages have all the distinctions that


English has.
References
Ladefoged, Peter & Ian Maddieson. (1996). The Sounds of the World’s
Languages. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers Inc.

Bergmann, A., K. Hall, & S. Ross. (Eds.). Language Files 10: Materials for an
Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Columbus, OK: The Ohio State
University Press.

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