English Phonetics
Branches of Linguistics
Pintér Gábor
www.pinlab.info/courses
ver08, 2015/04/14
Language
and
Linguistics
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What is Linguistics?
Definition (tentative)
Linguistics is the study of language.
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What is Language?
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C, C++, Java, Perl, Python, Ada?
→ programming languages
dog barking, cat mewing, bird singing, bee dance?
→ animal language
hand gestures, face expressions
→ body language
English, Japanese, Korean, French
→ natural languages
sign languages
Are these all languages?
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Language

wide sense
communication
system
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narrow sense
→ subject of linguistics
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used by humans
naturally acquired (=learned)
based on speech
communication
… compositional, abstract
communication system ≠ language
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Semiotics & Linguistics
communication
system
(signs)
language
semiotics
linguistics
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What is Linguistics?
Definition (final)
 Linguistics is the scientific study
of human language.

Semiotics is the study
of signs (= communication systems)
→ more general
→ linguistics is part of semiotics
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Fields of Linguistics
– and their problems –
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Phonetics in Phonology
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Where is phonology/phonetics in linguistics?
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How is it different phonetics from phonology?
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How are they related to other fields?
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What are their common problems?
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Approaches to Linguistics
(1) Prescriptive linguistics
(2) Descriptive linguistics
(3) Theoretical linguistics
(4) Applied linguistics
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Prescriptive linguistics
これ食べれない！
こないだ
You was here.
It ain't no funny.
→ これたべられない
→ このあいだ
→ You were here.
→ It isn't funny.
Prescriptive linguistics 規範言語学

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taught it in schools (so called grammars)
tells you how language should be used:
good ↔ bad
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Descriptive linguistics
食べれない
こないだ
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〜
〜
食べられない
このあいだ
both forms are correct
there is no good vs. bad
variation in dialects, social class, age...
Descriptive linguistics 記述言語学
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describes only facts, no judgments
Provides description of language
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Theoretical linguistics
Data
Theory
explains
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Is there any explanation for the data?
Why are some forms are present others not?
Theoretical linguistics
理論言語学
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Theoretical linguistics: example
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Data
innumerable, immortal, irreversible, illegal
→ similar meaning negative = NOT
→ different forms in-, im-, ir-, il-?
→ why not uniform: innumerable, *inmortal, *inreversible, *inlegal ?
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Theory
prefix ( 接頭辞 ) {IN}
 N copies the following consonant → easier to pronounce
i n + n umerable
i m + m ortal
{IN}
i r + r eversible
i l + l egal

*copies the place of articulation
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Theoretical Linguistics
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models of linguistic knowledge
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more than just a description
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how do humans use/understand language
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a model is good if
→ can explain all the correct forms
→ can explain the incorrect forms
→ can predict if new forms are correct or not
→ psychologically valid
(acquisition, aphasia, experiment results)
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Theoretical Linguistics
Theoretical → theories (models) to describe...
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phonology
sounds
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morphology
words
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syntax
sentences
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semantics
meaning
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Theoretical Linguistics
Main branches of theoretical linguistics
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(Phonetics
音声学 )
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Phonology
音韻論
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Morphology
形態論
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Syntax
統語論
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Semantics
意味論
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(Pragmatics
語用論 )
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(Cognitive Linguistics
認知言語学 )
core
fields
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Theoretical Linguistics
Main branches of theoretical linguistics
Sentence
Verb Phrase
Noun
+
Verb
Noun
LOVE
+
-s
SHE
i
l
ʌ
v
z
h
h e
l
o v e s
HE
h
+
ɜː
→ syntax
-ACC
r
→ morphology
→ phonology
h e r
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Applied Linguistics
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interdisciplinary field: linguistics + α
attempts to solves language-related problems
applies language theories → theory in use
linguistics
α
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Applied Linguistics
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linguistics + education
→ language pedagogy
言語教授法
linguistics + computer science
→ computational linguistics
→ corpus linguistics
計算言語学
コーパス言語学
linguistics + law
→ forensic linguistics
法方言語学
linguistics + developmental psychology
→ first / second language acquisition
第１・第２言語習得
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linguistics + anthropology
→ linguistic anthropology
言語人類学
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Forensic Linguistics
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Accident of Exxon Valdez (oil tanker)
run aground in 1989 → oil spill
phonetic analysis of
the captain's speech
he was drunk!
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used as forensic evidence
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Main Divisions of Linguistics
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Prescriptive linguistics
規範文法
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Descriptive linguistics
記述言語学
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Theoretical linguistics
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historical linguistics
phonetics
phonology
morphology
syntax
semantics
Applied linguistics
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computational linguistics
forensic linguistics
language education
歴史言語学
音声学
論理言語学
音韻論
形態論
統語論
意味論
応用言語学
コンピューター言語学
法言語学
言語教育
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Phonetics
and
Phonology
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What is Phonetics?
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Phonetics
the study of human sounds
→ physical/physiological properties of sounds
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Main branches
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Articulatory phonetics （調音音声学）
→ how we pronounce speech sounds
e.g., how to pronounce English /r/?
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Acoustic phonetics （音響音声学）
→ physics of sounds, sound waves
e.g., frequency, height (pitch)
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Perceptual phonetics （聴覚音声学）
→ how we perceive (hear) sounds
e.g., why /si/ and /she/ sounds similar in Japanese?
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What is Phonology?
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Phonology
the study of systems of speech sounds
(cf. phonetics describe speech sounds themselves)
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Typical Problems
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Sound inventories ( 目録 )
Is /ts/ a single unit in English or /t/+/s/?
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How sounds can be combined
'brick', 'split', 'strike' → OK in English
'rbick', 'pslti', 'rtskei' → wrong in English
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How sounds distributed and pronounced
'paper'
'spring'
the first / p / is aspirated → [phaper]
the first / p / is NOT aspirated
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Phonetics vs. Phonology
phonetics
 concrete
 studies concrete
sounds
 concerned with
measurable
properties

it is like:
numismatics ( 通貨学 )
phonology
 abstract
 studies sound
systems in the mind
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it is like:
economics ( 経済学 )
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Morphology
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What is Morphology?
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Morphology
the study (of the structure) of words
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Typical Problem
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inner structure of words:
→ smaller meaningful units within “words”
e.g., unbelievable : un+believe+able
→ 3 units → 3 morphemes
{un}
believe
{able}
prefix
ROOT
suffix
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Typical Morphological Problem
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word meaning is compositional
→ meaning can be predicted from parts
e.g., un+believ+able
pattern
un+X+able
“can't be X-ed”
un+imagine+able
un+touch+able
{un}
prefix
X
ROOT
{able}
suffix
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Typical Morphological Problem
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Typical Problems
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how new words are born
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typist → OK
typer → WRONG
writer → OK
→ blocking of the derivation: if there is a word with the
same meaning, no new word can be derived
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Related fields
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phonology
syntax
semantics (meaning)
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Syntax
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What is Syntax?
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Syntax
the study how sentences are formed
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Typical Problems
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Word order: how words can be combined
'I saw the car'
'Car the I saw'
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→ OK in English
→ wrong in English
Word order
English → Subject Verb Object (SVO) order
Japanese→ Subject Object Verb (SOV) order
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What is Syntax?
Typical problem
 syntactic ambiguity: more than 1 meaning
I saw him with a telescope.
(a) When I saw him, he had a telescope with him.
(b) I used a telescope to see him.
I saw [him with a telescope]
I saw him [with a telescope]
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Semantics
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What is Semantics?
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Semantics
the study of meaning of words and sentences
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Typical Problems
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categorization
cup or mug
→ distinctive / common features
penguin is a bird? → prototypes
whale is a fish?
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meaning of words, phrases, sentences
→ can meaning be derived from structure?
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Mug versus Cup
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when do we use the word “mug”?
when do we use the word “cup”?
what is the difference?
what features are important
(e.g., size, shape, color?)
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Summary
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Branches of Theoretical Linguistics
Theoretical linguistics
phonetics
phonology
syntax
morphology
semantics
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Summary
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Phonology
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it is a branch in theoretical linguistics
study of human sound systems
abstract systems/sounds
it is closely related to phonetics
it is NOT phonetics
Phonetics
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it is a branch of descriptive linguistics
it is a study of human speech
it is concerned with concrete properties of speech:
physical, acoustic, auditory, physiological,
properties
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Contact & Info
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e-mail
g-pinter@shark.kobe-u.ac.jp
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course homepage
slides + other materials
www.pinlab.info/courses
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