English Linguistics (Phonology) Week 1

Transcription

1 English Linguistics (Phonology) Lecture Notes Week 1: Review: Phonetics Course Website: Source: Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2006). An Introduction to Language (8 th ed). Boston: Thomson Wadsworth. General Issues 1. What are phonetics and phonology? phonetics = the science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription. phonology = a branch of linguistics which studies the sound systems of languages 2. Language is rule-based. Shit down, please! 3. Why phonetics & phonology? 1) Linguistic theories 2) Second language acquisition 3) Pedagogical application (e.g., predict and identify learners pronunciation errors; correct learners errors; curriculum development; materials development; evaluation) 4) Audio instruments (e.g., tape recorder, telephone) 5) Computer technology (digitalization): speech recognition and production 6) Forensic phonetics Rationale for the use of phonetic symbols Writing systems do not correlate with the phonetic inventory of the language * The Hiragana syllabary fails to isolate the individual sounds of Japanese. * The Romanization does not reflect the actual sounds. In 1888 members of the International Phonetic Association developed the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which includes enough symbols to represent the fundamental sounds of all languages. Tetsuo Harada 1/5

2 Speech Organs alveolar ridge = tooth-ridge soft palate = velum uvula Description of consonants How do we identify these sounds? What do we need to tell one from the other in each pair? ta da sa ta ta pa ba ma Voicing = the vibration of the vocal cords Place of articulation = the place in the mouth where the sound is made Manner of articulation = the way the airstream is affected (e.g., blocked, partially blocked) as it flows from the lungs up and out of the mouth and nose. Voicing Voiced sounds = sounds produced with the vibration of the vocal cords Voiceless sounds = sounds produced without the vibration of the vocal cords Tetsuo Harada 2/5

3 Manner of Articulation Stops: Complete closure of the articulators involved so that the airstream cannot escape through the mouth. There are two possible types of stops: oral stops and nasal stops. Fricatives: Close approximation of two articulators so that the airstream is partially obstructed and turbulent airflow is produced. Affricates: Combination of a stop immediately followed by a fricative (the air is blocked at a certain place of articulation but then is released with a partial blockage.) Approximants: An articulation in which one articulator is close to another, but without the vocal tract being narrowed to such an extent that a turbulent airstream is produced. liquids (with partial contact in the mouth): a cover term for laterals and various forms of r-sounds, as in English [r] glides (without any contact in the mouth): a cover term for [w] and [j] Nasals: The velum is lowered and a complete obstruction occurs in the oral cavity (in this sense, nasals are stops). However, the airflow passes freely through the nasal cavity. Flap: The tongue tip is drawn back and then allowed to strike against the alveolar ridge in returning to its rest position. Degree of narrowing (of the articulators) Stops > Nasals > Flaps > Affricates > Fricatives > Approximants > Vowels Place of Articulation Bilabial: Made with the two lips. Labiodental: Lower lip and upper front teeth. Dental: Tongue tip or blade and upper front teeth. Alveolar: Tongue tip or blade and the alveolar ridge. Palato-Alveolar: Tongue blade and the back of the alveolar ridge. Examples: [, ] [t, d] Compare: word-initial: word-medial: Palatal: Front of the tongue and hard palate. Examples: ç Velar: Back of the tongue and soft palate. Japanese Consonants & IPA Symbols = IPA = i = i = ti = di Tetsuo Harada 3/5

4 Note the following phonetic symbols. = a (medial) = a = çi = = ja = a = m, n,, etc. Description of Japanese vowels Difficulty Describing Vowels 1) How do we judge the actual point and degree of raising of the tongue? there are no distinct boundaries between one type of vowel and another. vowel sounds form a continuum. 2) Is it helpful to relate the vowel quality to a value used in a particular language? Solutions to these problems 1) Use a scale based on the auditory and articulatory levels 2) Set up a scale for describing vowels, which is something like units used for measuring, for example, weight (lb or kg) and distance (miles or km). The Cardinal Vowel Scale (devised by Daniel Jones) 1) Articulatory Levels (physiological) Set the two qualities on which all the others are based the cardinal vowel [i] the front of the tongue raised as close as possible to the palate without friction being produced (one articulatorily extreme vowel) the cardinal vowel [] the whole of the tongue as low as possible in the mouth, with very slight raising at the extreme back 2) Auditory Levels (depending on your ears) a. Starting from the [i] position, lower the front of the tongue gradually. b. Stop the lowering at three points at which the vowel qualities seem to be equi-distant. (Note the point where the sound quality clearly changes.) c. Assign the symbols [e,, a] to these vowels. d. Starting from the [] position, raise the back of the tongue gradually while changing the lips progressively from a wide open shape (for []) to a closely rounded one (for [u]). e. Establish three auditorily equi-distant points. f. Assign the symbols [, o, u] to these vowels. g. Listen to the actual Cardinal Vowels and imitate them as closely as possible. Tetsuo Harada 4/5

5 Front Central Back High [i] [u] [e] [o] Mid [E] [O] Low [a] [A] This diagram is obtained by plotting the highest point of tongue raising for each of the primary cardinal vowels and joining the points together (Gimson, 1989). Japanese Vowels from the Standpoint of the Cardinal Vowel Scale J [i] = close to C [i], but a little lowered J [e] = between C [e] and C [] J [a] = between C [a] and C [] J [o] = between C [] and C [o] J [] = more centralized than [u] and unrounded Criteria for the description of vowels 1) lip rounding 2) the part of the tongue which is raised 3) the degree of raising Japanese Vowels J [i] = unrounded high front vowel J [e] = unrounded mid front vowel J [a] = unrounded low central vowel J [o] = rounded mid back vowel J [] = unrounded high back vowel Questions What are voicing, the place of articulation, and the manner of articulation for the first consonant of each word? 早稲田大学 スマップ 千代田区 Voicing Place Manner Tetsuo Harada 5/5