PHONETICS
An Introduction to Linguistics
Phonetics
The study
of speech
sounds
•How to ‘write down’ sounds
A transcription system should be consistent and
unambiguous.
One
sound
One
symbol
•Is English a good transcription system?
The same sound is spelled differently. • Sea, see, receive
The same letter represents different • Sign, pleasure, resign
sounds
A single sound is spelled by more
than one letter.
A single letter represents more than
one sound.
• Shop, chair, special
• Exit, use
Letters might represents no sound at • Doubt, psychology
all.
•What do we use to transcribe the sounds?
• IPA
•
International Phonetic Alphabet
•An anatomy of articulation
•CONSONANTS
•How to describe consonants
Voicing
Place of
articulation
Manner of
articulation
•PLACE OF ARTICULATION
•labials/bilabials
[p], [b],
[m]
•dentals/interdentals
[ð] [θ]
•labiodentals
[f], [v]
•alveolars
[t], [d],
[s], [z],
[n], [l],
•palatals
[ž]/[ʒ],
[š]/[ʃ],
[ʧ]/[č],
[ʤ],
•velars
[k], [g], [ŋ]
•glottals
[h]
•Summary: place of articulation
category
places
examples
bilabials
Two lips
[b], [p], [m]
Labiodentals
Lip & teeth
[f], [v],
Inter-dentals Between teeth
[θ], [ð]
alveolars
Alveolar ridge
palatals
palate
[t], [d], [n], [l]
[s], [z]
[ž]/[ʒ], [š]/[ʃ],
[ʤ], [ʧ]/[č]
velars
Velum
[k]. [g], [ŋ]
glottals
glottis
[h]
•MANNER OF ARTICULATION
•Manner of articulation 1
stops
• By forming the complete obstruction of the
airstream in the oral cavity
• [p, b, t, d, k, g]
fricatives
•By forming the nearly complete obstruction of the
airstream in the vocal tract and therefore
producing slight ‘friction’ or ‘turbulence’.
•[s, z, ʃ, ʒ]
affricates
• By shortly obstructing the airstream completely
and then releasing it [a stop + a fricative]
• [ʤ, ʧ]
•Manner of articulation 2
liquids
• The constriction of the airstream is not narrow
enough to block the vocal tract or cause turbulence.
• [l], [r]
glides
• By forming a slight closure of the articulators. Little
or no obstruction of the airstream with the
tongue in gliding fashion
• [j], [w]
Nasals
• By lowering the velum so that the airstream goes
through the nasal cavity only.
• [m], [n], [ŋ]
•Manner of articulation (1)
category
distinction
example
Voiced vs.
voiceless
Vibration of
vocal cord
[p] vs. [b]
Aspirated vs.
unaspirated
The ‘timing’ of
vocal cord
closure
Top vs. stop
Nasal vs. oral
Air thru nose
[m], [n], [ŋ]
•Web Resources
•
Phonetic flash
•
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ho
me/johnm/flash/flashin.htm
•VOICING
voicing
The
vibration of
vocal cords
voiced
voiceless
•How to describe a sound
Voicing
Place of
articulation
Manner of
articulation
Consonant
description
•Exercise 1
[p]=voiceless bilabial stop
• [v]=
• [g]=
• [z]=
• [ʤ]=
• [ŋ]=
•
•Exercise 2
• Voiceless
interdental fricative= [ ]
• Voiced palatal affricate= [ ]
• Voiceless alveolar stop= [ ]
• Voiceless labiodental fricative = [ ]
• Bilabial nasal=[ ]
• Voiceless palatal fricative= [ ]
• Voiced velar stop= [ ]
•VOWELS
•How to describe vowels: criteria
• Height
•
High, mid, low
• The
•
of tongue
part of the tongue is involved
Front, central, back
• Position
•
of lips
Rounded, non-rounded
• Tense
vs. lax
•Vowel Chart
FRONT
BACK
ROUND
HIGH
[i] (T)
[I]
[u] (T)
[U]
MID
[e] (T)
[ɛ]
[o] (T)
[ɔ]
LOW
[æ]
[a]
•How to describe a vowel
• [vowel]=
•
Tense/lax + (Rounded) + High/mid/low +
front/back
• [æ]=
low front vowel
• [o]= tense rounded mid back vowel
•SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES
Segmental
• Individual
sounds
suprasegmental
• length
• Intonation
• Tone
• Stress
• Pitch
•Length
• The
contrast of meaning due to length
difference
• Inherent differences
High vowels are shorter than low vowels
• [i] < [æ]
•
• Influenced
•
by the sounds around.
Bead > beat
•Intonation
• The
pattern of pitch movements across a
stretch of speech
• Two intonational patterns
Pitch accents
• Edge tones
•
Pitch accents:
The word with particularly higher or lower pitch.
JOHN
loves
Mary.
John
LOVES
Mary.
John loves
MARY.
John
loves
Mary
Edge tones:
Occurs at the end of the phrase
John loves
Mary!
John loves
Mary, Alice,
and Doris.
John loves
Mary?.
John
loves
Mary
•Tone
• The
pitch variation that causes the contrast of
meaning.
• Level tones
•
A relatively fixed tone
• Contour
•
tones
A single syllable produced with tones that glide
from one level to another.
•Mandarin Chinese: a tone language
segments
[ma]
[ma]
[ma]
[ma]
Tone pattern
High level
High rising
Low falling rising
High falling
Tone type
Level
Contour
Contour
Contour
•Web Resources
•
Online Intonation
•
•
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ho
me/johnm/oi/oiin.htm
Pitch
•
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/cgi
-bin/wtutor?tutorial=pitch
•Summary
• Describing
consonants
Place of articulation
• Manner of articulation
• Voicing
•
• Describing
•
vowels
Height, front, roundness
• Suprasegmental
•
features
pitch, tone, intonation
Questions?