1 Phonetics: How do we describe the sounds in a language?

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1 NOTE: The first quiz is given in tutorial next Tuesday, January 27. The quiz, worth 5% is on the topics covered in the first two lectures (not today s lecture). For the quiz: Lectures 1 and 2, textbook chapters 1,2,3, and 4. Make sure you study the textbook and think about the study questions and Discussion Topics at the end of the chapters. Answers to the Study Questions are at the end of the book. HANDOUT 3 Yule chapter 5 PHONETICS: THE SOUNDS OF LANGUAGE Articulatory Phonetics: How and where are sounds produced. Acoustic Phonetics: physical aspects of sounds as sound waves Auditory (perceptual) phonetics: perception of speech sounds, what do we hear? Forensic Phonetics: identification of individuals through their speech patterns, for instance pitch, phrasal stress 1 Phonetics: How do we describe the sounds in a language? a. Spelling and sounds do not correspond. s: sure, see, leisure g: big, origin ie: believe, lied,. ng: sing, language u: but, sure, tenure b. Several symbols can represent the same sound sound: [f] letters: fish, phone, enough c. combination of letters may represent a single sound: shoot character physical thomas d. some letters have no sound (silent letters) whole resign lamb island e. some sounds have no corresponding letter cute is not pronounced identical to root; also compare the initial sounds of: you and utility We need a system to represent sounds in a consistent manner. The phonetic alphabet gives us a one-to-one correspondence between sounds and written symbols. Phonetic symbols are written in square brackets. They represent phones/sounds. Important: Phones are not letters! Phonetic symbols are NOT letters! 1

2 The full chart of all phonetic symbols (International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be found at the following web site The IPA font can be downloaded from: NOTE: The system used in this course is a version of the IPA. The book also allows the North American version, which substitutes certain symbols. We will only use the IPA symbols in this course. Please ignore the North American symbols. 2 Producing sounds Most speech sounds are produced by pushing air through the opening between the vocal cords (the glottis). The glottis is located is located in the larynx (popular: the voice box), through the pharynx, and out of the oral cavity (popular: the mouth) and sometimes through the nose. Since it is air from the lungs the sounds are called pulmonic; they are also called egressive because the air is being pushed out. All English sounds are egressive. Other languages use ejectives, implosives, and clicks. Air is being sucked in (ingressive) to produce implosives and clicks. Air is moved in the oral cavity to produce ejectives. 2.1 Consonants: Place of Articulation Different consonants are the result of the manipulation of the air stream by the articulators. Articulators: tongue, teeth, alveolar ridge, palate, velum Consonants can be classified according to the place of articulation: Bilabials are formed by putting the lips together: [p] [b] [m] Labiodentals are formed by putting the upper front teeth to the lower lip: [f] [v] 2

3 (Inter) Dentals are formed by putting the tip of the tongue between the front teeth: [ ] [ ] Alveolars are formed by putting the tongue to the alveolar ridge: [t] [d] [s] [z] [n] Alveo-palatals are formed by putting the tongue to the front of the palate, near the alveolar ridge: [ß] [tß] [Ω] [dω] Velars are formed by putting the back of the tongue to the velum: [k] [g] [ ] NOTE: The book includes the palatal glide [j] with the alveopalatals. In this course, we make a distinction. 2.2 Consonants: Manner of Articulation Consonants can be further classified according to the manner of articulation. Stops: Interrupting the air flow completely: [p] [b] [t] [d] [k] [g] Fricatives: Manipulating (redirecting) the air flow with tongue, teeth, alveolars : [f] [v] [ ] [ ] [ß] [Ω] [s] [z] Affricates: A combination of stop and fricative where there is a quick release after the stop into a manipulated air flow: [tß] [dω] Nasals: Where the air flow escapes through the nose: [m] [n] [ ] Compare [p]/[b] and [s]/[z]. What distinguishes the members of each pair? Can you find other pairs? 3

4 2.3 Voicing Voiced versus Voiceless fine thigh sip dilution vine thy zip delusion Voiced: Voiceless: Approximants: The opening is wider than for fricatives but not as wide as for vowels. They can be broken down to glides and liquids. Glides: [w] bilabial/labiovelar glide [j] palatal glide Liquids: [l] lateral liquid [r] retroflex liquid Voiceless approximant: [h] 2.4 Vowels There is no obstruction of the airflow. You can sing them. They are always voiced; therefore, we cannot distinguish them according to voiced or voiceless. They are classified according to the position of the tongue (high, mid, low) manipulated at the front, central or back of the tongue. So, when we classify vowels, we ask the following questions: How high is the tongue? What part of the tongue is involved? Height High Frontness Front Central Back i u ˆ Mid e \ o Low æ å 4

5 For example, if the front of the tongue is raised to mid height, we have a front mid vowel [e]. Associate the vowel symbols with the following descriptions and add an example for each: high front: mid front: low front: high central: mid central: low central: high back: mid back: low back: NOTE: In the book and in some English dialects, there is a distinction between the vowel in bought and the vowel in pot. In this course, we follow the Canadian pronunciation, where both words are pronounced with the vowel [å]. 2.5 Tenseness Vowels can also be distinguished according to tenseness. Tense vowels are produced with greater muscle tension and tend to be longer. Tense vowels are circled in the above chart. Add the feature tense to the description when appropriate. schwa [\] versus caret [ ]: they can be distinguished according to their distribution. schwa in unstressed syllables or stressed syllables before [r] caret in other stressed syllables. 2.6 Diphthongs They begin with a vowel and end with a reduced glide. The tongue starts in one location and moves to another. [aw] [ay] [øy] Reading assignment: Read textbook chapter 5. 5