PHONETICS
LI 2023
NATHALIE F. MARTIN
Introduction: Spoken Language
 Language can be spoken, written,
manually signed, mechanically
reproduced and synthesized by
computer
 Spoken language is the main way
humans express themselves
Introduction: Spoken Language
 Humans spoke before they wrote
Reason why linguists start with
the study of spoken rather than
written language
Made to Speak
Made to Speak
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 2.
 Lungs: to supply air for speech
 Trachea /treɪkiə/: wide pipe
 Vocal cords: to produce vibrations for speech
sounds. Also known as “vocal folds”
(found within the larynx /lærɪŋks/)
 Tongue: to articulate vowels and consonants
 Teeth: to provide place of articulation
 Lips: to articulate vowels and consonants
 Nose: to provide nasal resonance during speech
Specialization for Language
Contemporary
Linguistics
Analysis: p. 14-15
Organ
Survival
Speech
Lungs
Exchange CO2
for O2
Air flow
Vocal
Cords
Cover tube to
lungs
Vibration
Tongue
Move food in
mouth
Articulation
Teeth
Chew food
Articulation
Lips
Seal oral cavity
Articulation
Nose
Breathing
Nasal
resonance
Sound-Producing System: Features
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 18.
 Segments are produced by coordinating
a number of individual articulatory
gestures including:
 Jaw
movement
 Lip shape
 Tongue placement
Sound-producing System
 Sound is produced when air is set
in motion
 Sets of filters modify the sound in various ways
 Pharynx
/færɪŋks/ (tube between larynx and
oral cavity)
 Oral cavity
 Nasal cavity
Sound-producing system
 Lungs
 Vocal cords
(or vocal folds)
 Larynx (vocal folds
are within larynx)
(the velum /viləm/ is the soft area
Towards the rear of the roof
of the mouth)
The Tongue
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 23.
 Primary articulation organ
 It can be:
 Raised,
lowered, thrust forward, retracted
or rolled back
 Five areas of the tongue:
 Tip,
blade,
body, back & root
Introduction to Phonetics
-D E F I N I T I O N
-- P H O N E S & S E G M E N T S
- IPA
Thinking Phonetically
Exercise (p. 53)
1.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Find four words that show four alternative spellings of
the sound [f]
Find six words that have the letter ‘a’ pronounced
differently.
Find four words in which different groups of letters
represent only one sound.
Find two words in which two different sounds are
pronounced but not spelled out.
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 53.
The Onederful Werld ov Words
 Beware if heard, a dreadful word.
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
 Watch out for meat and great and threat.
They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.
 /hɜrd/
/mit/
/swit/
 /wɜrd//greɪt/
/streɪt/
 /bɪərd/
/θrɛt/
/dɛt/
 /bɜrd/
Phonetics
 Definition:
study of the inventory and
structure of the sounds of speech.
 The
the production of all human
speech sounds,
 Analyzes
Regardless
of language.
Approaches to Phonetics
 Articulatory phonetics

Studies the physiological mechanisms of speech
production
 Acoustic phonetics
 Measuring and analyzing
the physical properties of
the sound waves we
produce when we speak
 Auditory phonetics
BEFORE WE GET STARTED
Read: The Onederful Werld ov Words
CHALLENGE:
 Find words (end/parts of words) that are written
the same but that sound different.

Find words (end/parts of words) that are written
differently but sound alike.
Phones
 Definition:
 Speech
 Infinite
sounds
or finite possibilities of sounds?
Finite
The
possibilities of sounds is limited by the
vocal tract
According to one estimate: 600 consonants and
200 vowels
Units of representation
 Break up the flow of speech into individual sounds
 Segments (individual phones or speech sounds)
 Syllables
 Cat
 Class
 Book
 Extra

Nota: Some writing systems are phonetic and syllabic
International Phonetic Alphabet
 The IPA is a system of transcription
 Represent each sound of human speech
with a single symbol
«
One sound, one symbol »
 Important:
 Enclosed
in square brackets [ ]
Explore the IPA
 Go through pronunciation of different
sounds:

http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/consonants.html (cons.)

http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/vowels.html (vowels)
 Nota
bene: Sometimes two phonemes need to be
used to represent a vowel.
 IPA Chart
IPA - Transcription
 Broad transcription
 Uses a relatively simple set of symbols to represent
contrasting segments but does not show all phonetic
detail
 Narrow transcription
 Show phonetic detail using an elaborate set of
symbols

Here are fonts that you will need to see the IPA symbols:
IPA - Diacritics
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 635.
 « Marks added to a phonetic symbol to alter
its value in some way »
 Example:
a circle under a symbol to indicate
voicelessness.
 See
your IPA chart
 http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/diacritics.ht
ml
For help with phonetics
Linking sounds to symbols:
IPA Help, SIL International
http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/index.html
http://www.sil.org/computing/speechtools/ipahelp.htm
Identifying articulatory features:
Interactive Sagittal Section, Daniel Hall, University of
Toronto
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~danhall/phonetics/sammy
* a bit confusing
Practice transcribing:
Canadian, American & British Dictionaries
 When checking your transcription, be careful:
 Remember that you are transcribing something that you have
actually heard  … so sometimes you just might be right!
 Always check if this is an American or British dictionary.
 Even if it is American, it doesn’t mean that the transcription is
the same as what would be typically used in Canada.

Boat:


http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/boat
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/boat
Contemporary
Linguistic: p. 38-40
Glottal States
Sound-producing system
Glottal States
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 20.
Sound-producing system
Glottal States
 Glottis: Space between the vocal folds
 Vocal folds may be positioned in a number of ways
to produce different glottal states
Glottal States: Voicelessness
 When the vocal folds are pulled apart.
 The air passes directly through the glottis.
 Any sound produced when the folds are in this
position are said to be voiceless.
 Put your fingertips to your larynx.
 Fish
 Sing
 House
Glottal States: Voicing
 When the vocal folds are brought together, but
not tightly closed.
 Air passes through and causes them to vibrate.
 Any sound produced when the folds are in this
position are said to be voiced.
 Put your fingertips to your larynx.
 Zip
 Vow

Or any vowel
Glottal States: Whisper
 Whispering is voiceless.
 No vibration of the cords.
 The vocal cords are almost
completely closed
(though slightly apart at the back).
Glottal States: Murmur
 Known as a breathy voice
 Murmuring is voiced
 Vibration of the vocal cords
 Vocal folds are relaxed to allow air to escape to
produce a breathy effect.
Voiced or Voiceless?
[p]
[g]
[B]
[f]
[b]
[h]
[t]
[v]
[H]
[s]
[d]
[z]
[k]
[i]
Look up these
sounds on your
chart, then try
to produce
them. Then
note whether
they are voided
or voiceless.
IPA: Voiced and Voiceless
 [p]
& [b]
 [t] & [d]
 [k] & [g]
 [f] & [v]
 [s] & [z]
 Etc.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/#
Exercise 3: Voiced or Voiceless?
a) Ex: Though
a) /ox/ Voiced (vowel)
b) Thought
b) /t/ voiceless
c) Form
c) /m/ voiced *
d) View
e) Zoom
f) Silk
g) Pan
h) Boat
d) /u/ voiced
e) /m/ voiced
f) /k/ voiceless
g) /n/ voiced
h) /t/ voiceless
(Contemporary Linguistic analysis: An Introduction – O’Grady et al., 2009)
Voiced & Voiceless
 Contemporary Linguistic analysis: An Introduction
– O’Grady et al., 2009

Table 2.12 (p. 33) (consonants and glides)
 1st
of pairs on IPA chart (left) – voiceless
 2nd of pairs on IPA chart (right) - voiced
 English Nasals - voiced
 Glides - voiced
 Usually English liquids (‘r’ & ‘l’) are voiced
 *but can also be voiceless
 Vowels
Sound Classes
CONSONANTS
VOWELS
GLIDES
Challenge
CONSONANTS
GLIDES
(semi-consonants or
semi-vowels)
VOWELS
Nota: Fill in the missing information with information given in book.
Challenge
Glides
Consonants
Vowels
Nota: Fill in the missing information with information given in book.
Sound classes: CONSONANTS
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 21
 Articulatory difference:
 May be voiced or voiceless
 May be made with either a complete closure or a
narrowing of the vocal tract
 The airflow is either blocked momentarily or restricted
so much that the noise is produced as air flows past the
constriction.
 Consonants cannot be the nucleus of a syllable

Ex: “cup”

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html

[b] & [s]
Sound classes: VOWELS
 Articulatory difference:
 Vowels are produced with little obstruction in the vocal
tract and are usually voiced
 Acoustic Difference:
 Vowels are more sonorous (acoustically powerful)
 Perceived as louder and longer lasting
 Ex: “happy”
 Vowels can be the nucleus of a syllable.
 http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
 /u/
Sound classes: GLIDES
 Shows properties of both consonants and
vowels
 May be thought of a rapidly articulated vowel
(auditory impression they produce)
 Produced with an articulation like that of a vowel
 Glides can never be the nucleus of a syllable
 Aka. Semi-consonants, semi-vowels
Place of Articulation
Articulation Organs : Tongue
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 23.
 Primary articulation organ
 It can be:
 Raised, lowered, thrust forward, retracted or rolled back
 Five areas of the tongue:
 Tip, blade, body, back and root
Consonants: Place of Articulation
 Also called points
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 24
of articulation
 Each point at which air stream can be modified to
produce a different sound is called a place of
articulation
 Places of articulation are found at the lips, within
the oral cavity, in the pharynx /færɪŋks/ and at
the glottis /glɒtɪs/.
Consonants: Place of Articulation
Consonants: Place of Articulation
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
Let’s Start Filling out our Chart
Place of articulation: Bilabial
/baɪleɪbiəl/
 Any sound made with closure or near-closure of
the lips is said to be labial.
 Bilabial:
sounds involving both lips
Example: [p], [b] & [m]
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
Place of articulation: Labiodental
 /leɪbioʊdɛntl/
 Any sound made with closure or near-closure of
the lips is said to be labial.
Labiodental
 sounds involving the lower lip and the upper
teeth
Example: [f] & [v]
Place of articulation: Dental and Interdental
 /dɛntl/
 Dental: Sounds produced with the tongue placed
against or near the teeth


[t], [d], [s] & [z] (in European French)
Example: European French (temps, dire, sept, zizi)
 Interdental: Produced with the tongue between
the teeth


[θ] & [ð]
Example: The words thing & this
Place of articulation: Alveolar
/ælviələr/
 Sounds produced when the tongue touches or is
brought near to the alveolar ridge
 Example: [t], [d], [n], [ɹ], [r], [ɾ]
[s], [z] & [l]
Spanish “r” = [r]

http://www.uiowa.edu:80/~acadtech/phonetics/spanish/frameset.html
(Vibrante)
Place of articulation: Alveopalatal & palatal
 /ælvioʊpælətl/
 Alveopalatal area: Just behind the alveolar ridge the
roof of the mouth rises sharply
 Alveopalatal consonants:


[ʃ], [ʒ], [ʧ] & [ʤ]
Example: Show, measure, chip & judge
 Palatal glide:
 [j]
 Example: Yes & yours
Place of articulation: Velar
/vilər/
 Velum : Soft area towards the back of the mouth
 Velar: Sounds produced with tongue touching or
near this position


[k], [g] & [ŋ]
Example: Call, guy & hang
 Labiovelar: Sounds produced with tongue raised
near the velum and the lips rounded at the
same time

[w] like in wet
Place of articulation: Uvular
/juvjələr/
 Uvula: Small fleshly flap
of tissue that hangs
down from the velum.
 Uvular: Sounds produced with the tongue touching
or near this position.


None in English
European French « r » = [R]
Place of articulation: Pharyngeal
/fərɪndʒiəl/
Pharynx: Area of the throat between the uvula and
the larynx.
Sounds made through the modification of the air flow
in the pharynx by retracting the tongue or
constricting the pharynx
[ʕ]
 Example: The Arabic letter « ‫ » ع‬like in Jesus

Place of articulation: Glottal
/glɒtl/
 Sounds produced using the vocal
articulation


[h]
Example: Hog, heave
folds as primary
Same or Different Place of Articulation?
 Exercise 5 (O’Grady):
a)
[s] : [l]
b)
c)
d)
e)
[p] : [g]
[l] : [r]
[m] : [n]
f)
g)
h)
[f] : [h]
[w] : [j]
(…)
 Answers:
Manner of Articulation
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 26
Manner of articulation: Oral vs Nasal
 Oral: Velum is raised cutting of the airflow to the
nasal passages
 Nasal: Velum is lowered to allow air to pass
through the nasal passages
 Both consonants ([n] [m] [ŋ]) and vowels ([ã] [õ]
etc.) can be nasal and are generally voiced



Example: Sun, sum, sung
No nasal vowels in English
French: “in”
“an”
“on”
Manner of articulation: Stops
 Stops are made with a complete
closure either in
the oral cavity or at the glottis
 In English: Bilabial, alveolar and velar oral and nasal
stops


[p], [b], [m], [t], [d], [n], [k], [g], [ŋ] & [ʔ]
Examples: Glottal stop in the sound [ʔ] like in the expression
uh-uh (meaning “no”) or like in some British dialects [ʔ] is
heard instead of a “t” (example: bottle)
Manner of articulation: Fricatives
/frɪkətɪv/
 Fricatives: Consonants produced with a
continuous airflow through the mouth
 Part of a larger class called continuants
 English fricatives:

[f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z],
[ʃ], [ʒ] & [h]
Manner of articulation: Affricates
/æfrɪkɪt/ or /æfrɪkeɪt/
 Affricate: Non-continuous consonant that show a
slow release of the closure.
 Affication: A process in which palatalized stops
become afficates


[ʧ] & [ʤ]
Example: Church & Joke
Manner of articulation: Liquids
 Different variants of « r » and « l »
 Lateral: Varieties of « l »
 As laterals are articulated, air escapes through the mouth
along the lower sides of the tongue
 English « r »
 Curling the tongue tip back into the mouth or by bunching
the tongue upwards and back in the mouth
Manner of articulation: Liquids (continued)
 English « r »
 “Retroflex” [ɹ] or [r] = Curling the tongue tip back into the
mouth or by bunching the tongue upwards and back in the
mouth
Example: car & ride
 Transcribed as [r] in textbook


Flap [ɾ] = Tongue tip strikes the alveolar ridge as it
passes across it

Example: North American pronunciation of bitter & butter
Manner of articulation: Voice Lag & Aspiration
 Lag: After the release of certain voiceless stops in
English, you can hear a lag or brief delay before
voicing the following vowel

Aspiration: Since the lag in the onset of vocalic voicing is
accompanied by the release of air
 Transcribed with a small [h]
 Examples: pat [phæt], tub [thʌb] and cope [ khoxp]
 Examples of unaspirated: spat [spæt], stub [stʌb] and scope
[ skoxp]
Glides
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 33
Manner of articulation: Glides
 Glide: Very rapidly articulated non-syllabic segment
 Jod or y-glide [j]: Palatal glide
 W-glide [w]: Tongue raised and pulled back near the
velum and with lips protruding or rounded.
 [M]: Voiceless (labio)velar fricative glide

Example: When, where, which (but not in witch)
Let’s Practice
 Tell me the place of articulation and the manner of
articulation of these sounds:
p
t
b
h
C
B
G
Vowels
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 34
Vowels
 Vowels: Sonorous, syllabic sounds made with the
vocal tract more open than it is for consonants
and glide articulation
 Produced by varying the placement of the body of the
tongue and shaping the lips
 Can be altered by protruding or rounding the lips, by
lowering the velum to produce nasal vowels or by
constriction.
Vowel Qualities
 The placement of the body of the tongue:

Vertical: high – mid – low

Horizontal: front – central – back
 The shape of the lips:

Rounded – Unrounded
 The lowering of the velum: Nasal vowel
 The degree of the vocal tract constriction:

Tense – Lax
IPA Vowel Chart
Tongue Placement
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
Vowels: Simple vowels & Diphthongs
Diphthongs
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/frameset.html
Vowels: Diphthongs
 American vs. English:
http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/diphthongs.html
Vowels: Tense and lax
African American Vernacular
English (AAVE)
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
 Listen and write down what you notice:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqohw8nR6qE
 Discussion
 General:
 Double negatives;
 Omission of certain auxiliary verbs;
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
 Phonetically:
 Final “ng” /ŋ / = / n /
Ex.
“Tripping ” = [trɪpɪn])
 Exception:
not in one syllable words like “sing”
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
 May not use dental fricatives in some
instances: /θ/ & /ð/
/ θ / (same)
word-initially / ð / = /d /
 ex: “the” = [də]
Word-medially or final / θ / = /t/ or /f/
 ex: “month” = [mʌnt]
Word-medially or final / ð / = /v/
 ex: “smooth” = [smu:v]
word-initially
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
 Word-final devoicing of /b/, /d/ & /g/ (ex: “cub”
= [kʌp])
 Reduction of diphthongs (into monophthongs):
= /a:/
 /ɔɪ/ = /ɔ:/ (ex: “boil” = [bɔ:l] )
 /aɪ/
 Diphthongation:

Simple vowel = diphthong (ex: “coach” = [koɪtʃ])
African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
 How do you think
speakers of AAVE would
pronounce the words:
Nothing
Road
Soil
Right
Teaching AAVE
 Fox News and Black English – Ebonics:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_KKLkmIrDk
 Hooked on Ebonics:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leau1eGZW7Q
 Education of AAVE (African American Vernacular
English)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2nEmglo6c
Write the spelling of the following
transcription
/ʍɛn praɪd kʌmz dɪsgreɪs kʌmz
bʌt wɪθ ðə hʌmbl ɪz wɪzdʌm/
/prɒvɝbz əlɛvɪn tu/
When pride comes, disgrace comes, but with the
humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)
♥ David ♥
 David’s father (Anglophone) calls him:
 /deɪvɪd/
 His mother (Francophone) calls him:
 /de:vəd/
 Explain his mother’s pronunciation in comparison to
his dad’s (the English pronunciation).
Note: In French, we say /david/
Carole 
 Carole is a Francophone learning English.
 Wanting
to ask for the / ʃit /
 She asks for the / ʃɪt /
 Explain her pronunciation. What happened?
And the Canadian Accent?
CANADIAN RISING
CANADIAN SHIFT
FA S T S P E E C H
Canadian English
Contemporary
Linguistic: p. 38-40
 Canadian rising:
/a/ becomes/ y / in Canadian English (in /yx/
and /yɪ/ )
“Right”

[r aɪt] = [r ʌ ɪt]
Go to chart and see if they are close and if they have the
same features.
Suprasegmentals
LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO MARK
PROSODIC PROPERTIES OF SOUNDS.
PITCH:
- TONE
- INTONATION
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 40
Prosodie: Like a Song
 Listen: Could there be different meanings?

/naɪs drɛs/
 How would you say these sentences?
 Nice
dress.
 Nice dress!
 Nice dress?
Suprasegmentals
 All phones have suprasegmental (or
prosodic) properties
 Pitch
 Loudness
 Length
http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/suprasegmentals.html
Suprasegmentals: Pitch
 All humans have the ability to control the level of
pitch in their speech

By controlling the tension of the vocal folds and the amount of
air that passes through the glottis

Tense vocal folds + greater air pressure = higher pitch
 There are two kinds of controlled pitch movements:
Tone and Intonation
Suprasegmentals: Pitch - Tone
 Tone language: A language where differences in
word meaning are signaled by differences in pitch

Ex: Mandarin

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-_P_H9gMmo
Suprasegmentals: Pitch - Tone
 Register tones: Level tones that signal meaning
differences


Some tone language have 2 or 3, even 4 tones
Ex: High tone, middle tone, low tone
 Marked with diacritic
 [´] for high tones
 [`] for low tones
 Contour tones:
 Ex: Mandarin
 Rising
pitch
 Falling pitch
Suprasegmentals: Pitch - Intonation
 Intonation: Pitch movement in spoken utterances
that is not related to differences in word
meaning
 Often does serve to convey information

Terminal (intonation) contour


Final intonation at the end = signals that the utterance is complete
Non-terminal (intonation) contour

Rising or level intonation at the end = often signals
incompleteness
Suprasegmentals: Pitch - Intonation
 Different intonation rules depending on
English speaker:
 Ex:
“Exact change, please” (West Indian bus
driver)
 How would we say it in Canada?
Discourse and language education, Evelyn Marcussen Hatch (1992)
Suprasegmentals: Length
 Length: Vowels and consonants whose articulation
takes longer relative to that of other vowels and
consonants
 Marked with diacritic:

[:] or IPA colon
 Nota: Not the same as English long and short
vowels

Ex: Hat [hæt] & hate [hejt]
Suprasegmentals: Stress
 Some vowels are perceived as more
prominent than others
 Ex:
[thɛləgræfɪk] = [ɛ] and [æ]
 Vowel nuclei that are more prominent than
other are [ɛ] and [æ]
Suprasegmentals: Stress
 Stress: A cover term for the combined effect of
pitch, loudness and length
 Marked by diacritics:
 [´]
|
[ ] for the most prominent or primary
stress
 [`] [ ]for the second most prominent or
|
secondary stress
 Examples
in book (p. 45)
 Examples in www.dictionary.com
Suprasegmentals: Stress
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~krussll/138/sec3/stress.htm
Suprasegmental/Prosodic properties
 Pitch:
 Tone: Pitch movement that is related to differences
in word meaning.
 Intonation: Pitch movement that is not related to
differences in word meaning.
 Stress:
 (an) export vs. (to) export
 (an) object vs. (to) object
Let’s Practice: Suprasegmentals
 Mark the PRIMARYand secondary stresses on the
following words:
 Telegraphic
 Balloons
 Within
 Popsicle
 Protection
 Primary
 Secondary







MY TRICK: Rapper Stress Test 
TeleGRAphic
BaLLOONS
WithIN
POPsicle
ProTECtion
PRImary
SEcondary
HOMEWORK - Ex. 12
 Mark the PRIMARYand secondary stresses on the
following words:

 Arrive

 Defy

 Summary

 Canadian

 Reject

ARRIVE
DeFY
SUMMary
CaNAdian
ReJECT (v.)
REject (n.)
James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the
sudden disappearance of the island’s Governor and his
assistant. When he arrives, 007 begins to suspect that
the Governor’s absence is in some way linked to Dr No,
the reclusive owner of a remote island which lies
between Cuba and Jamaica.
Review: Suprasegmentals
 What is pitch?
 What is the difference between tone and intonation?
 What is a tone language?
 How is length marked?
 What is a common word for stress?
Speech Production
Contemporary
Linguistics: p. 46
Speech Production
 Is not a series of isolated events
 Complex:
 Articulatory
organs are operating independently
of each other
 Many fine adjustments are carried out very
rapidly as we speak.
 As a consequence, speech production often
results in the articulation of one sound affecting
that of another sound
Speech Production: Coarticulation
 Coarticulation: More than one articulator is active
 Example:
The sound [pl]
 [pl] = [p] (bilabial- no tongue) + [l] (alveolar– with tongue)

Resulting in the tongue moving to the alveolar
ridge (early) during the pronunciation of [p]
Speech Production: Processes
 Processes: Articulatory adjustments that
occur during the production of connected
speech
 Result in :
A
more efficient articulation
- or  A more distinct output
Speech Production: Processes
 Making articulation more efficient
 Example:
Bank = [bæŋk]
 [æ]
(oral vowel) + [ŋ] (nasal consonant)
of the nasal consonant [ŋ] results
in the nasalization of the vowel [æ]
 Anticiption
Key = [k] (velar) + [i] (Front, high and tense)
 Results in a more palatal [k]
Speech Production: Processes
 Other examples:
Parade = [pəreɪd]
 More efficient articulation results in the
dropping of the unstressed vowel [ə] = [preɪd]

[p] (voiceless stop) + [r] (voiced lateral) =
Voicelessness carried to [r]
Speech Production: Processes
 Making articulation less efficient
 Lengthen
consonants and vowels when they are
asked to repeat a word
 Example:
« It’s Fred. »
« Did you say ‘red’? »
« No, it’s ‘Fffreeed’! »
 Greater articulatory effort, but …
 Results in a more distinct form that is easier to
perceive
Speech Production: Processes
 Adding a segment
 Example:
«
Stop screaming! »
« What? Stop dreaming? »
« I said, ‘Stop sc[ə]reaming!’ »
You’re
b[i]eautiful!
Speech Production:
Common Articulatory Speech Processes
ASSIMILATION
- REGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION
- PROGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION
- NASALIZATION
- VOICING ASSIMILATION
-
-
Devoicing
Voicing
- FLAPPING
DISSIMILATION
DELETION
EPENTHESIS
METATHESIS
Speech Production:
Common Articulatory Processes
 Assimilation:
A
number of different processes that are the
result of the influence of one segment on
another
 A sound becoming more like another nearby
sound in terms of one or more phonetic
characteristics
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Regressive assimilation: Assimilation in
which a sound influences a preceding
segment (e.g., nasalization in English)
 Progressive assimilation: Assimilation in
which a sound influences a following
segment (e.g., liquid-glide devoicing in
English)
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Assimilation - Nasalization
 Nasalization
of a vowel before a nasal consonant
is caused by speakers anticipating the lowering
of the velum
 Example: Can’t [khænt]
[æ] + [n] = nasalized [æ]

Regressive assimilation or progressive
assimilation?
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Assimilation - Voicing assimilation
Devoicing:
Example
[p]
of Please [pliz]
(voiceless) + [l] (voiced) = devoiced [l]
Voicing:
Example
Afbellen
of[af] (off or over) in Dutch
(to cancel): [f] (voiceless) + [b]
(voiced) = [vb] (both voiced)
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Assimilation – Flapping
A Process in which a dental or alveolar stop articulation
changes to a flap [ɾ] articulation
 Example:
 Butter, writer, fatter, wader & waiter
 Example : “I bought it” [ajbɑtɪt]
 [ɑ] (stressed vowel) + [t] (dental consonant) = [ɾ] (flap)

 Flapping is considered a type of assimilation since
it changes a non-continuant segment to a
continuant segment
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Dissimilation: The opposite of assimilation.
It results in two sounds becoming less alike
in articulatory or acoustic terms.
 Results in a sequence of sounds that are
easier to articulate and distinguish
 Example:
[f]
Fifths [fɪfθs]
+ [θ] + [s] = [fts]
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Deletion: Is a process that removes a
segment from certain phonetic contexts
 Occurs in everyday rapid speech
 In English, the schwa [ə] is often deleted
when the next vowel in the word is stressed
 Examples:
parade, corrode, suppose
[preid],
[krowd] & [spowz]
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
Epenthesis /ə|pɛnθəsɪs/ :
 Is a process that inserts a syllabic
segment within an existing string of
segments
 Example: warmth [wormθ]
• [wormpθ]

Example: Something [sʌmθɪŋ]
• [sʌmpθɪŋ]
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Examples:
 Warmth
[wormpθ] = [m] + [p] + [θ]
 Length [lɛŋkθ]
= [ŋ] + [k] + [θ]
 Prince [prɪnts]
= [n] + [t] + [s]
 Tenth [tɛntθ]
= [n] + [t] + [θ]
 Nota:

In English the epenthesized consonant have the same:
 place of articulation as the consonant to their left
 voicing as the consonant to their right
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
|
Metathesis /mə tæθəsɪs /:
 Is a process that reorders a sequence of segments
 Often results in a sequence of phones that are
easier to articulate
 Common amongst children
 Examples:
 Spaghetti
= “pesghetti” [pəskɛɾi]
 Prescribe = “perscribe” [pərskraɪb]
 Prescription = “perscription” [pərskrɪpʃən]
Speech Production
Common Articulatory Processes
 Vowel reduction: A process that moves the
articulation of a vowel (typically unstressed
vowel) to a more central position
 In English: Reduction of a full vowel to a
schwa [ə]
 Example:
Canada [khænədə] (stressed vowel = æ)
 Canadian [khənejdiən] (stressed vowel = ej)
HOMEWORK - Ex. 15
e) Balloons
Popsicle
g) Sit down
h) My advice
f)
Careful speech
[bəlunz]
[phɒpsɪkəl]
[sɪtdaʊn]
[maɪədvʌɪs]
Rapid speech
[blunz]
[phɒpskəl]
[sɪɾaʊn]
[maɪævʌɪs]
LET’S PRACTICE
GO OVER THE FIRST SLIDES OF THIS
SECTION ON SPEECH PRODUCTION AND
IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT PROCESSES
Speech Production
Articulatory Processes?
 The sound [pl]
 [pl]

= [p] (bilabial- no tongue) + [l] (alveolar– with tongue)
Resulting in the tongue moving to the alveolar
ridge (early) during the pronunciation of [p]
Speech Production
Articulatory Processes?
Bank =
[bæŋk]
~ ]
 [bæŋk

[æ] (oral vowel) + [ŋ] (nasal consonant)

Anticiption of the nasal consonant [ŋ]
Key = [k] (velar) + [i] (Front, high and tense)

Results in a more palatal [k]
Speech Production
Articulatory Processes?
Parade = [pəreɪd]  [preɪd]
 [p] (voiceless stop) + [r] (voiced lateral) =
Voicelessness carried to [r]
Speech Production
Articulatory Processes?
 Example:
«
It’s Fred. »
 « Did you say ‘red’? »
 « No, it’s ‘Ffff[ə]reeed’! »
Speech Production
Articulatory Processes?
 Example:
«
Stop screaming! »
 « What? Stop dreaming? »
 « I said, ‘Stop sc[ə]reaming!’ »