Ch 5 - Phonetics

Consonant

A speech sound produced with a complete or partial obstruction of the airstream.

Place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing.

Three basic dimensions of consonants

Phonemic features

The characteristics of place, manner, and voicing that distinguish consonant phonemes.

Place of articulation

The location in the vocal tract where constriction or closure occurs.

Manner of articulation

How the airflow is modified during consonant production.

Voicing

Whether the vocal folds vibrate during production of a consonant.

Voiced consonant

A consonant produced with vibration of the vocal folds.

Voiceless consonant

A consonant produced without vibration of the vocal folds.

Example of voicing contrast

/b/ and /p/ have the same place and manner but differ in voicing.

Stop (Plosive)

A consonant produced with complete closure of the vocal tract so that airflow ceases temporarily and air pressure builds up behind the point og closure and then its followed by release.

Nasal

A consonant produced with oral closure while the velum is lowered.

Produced with a complete oral closure (like a stop) but with an open velopharynx so that voicing energy travels out through the nose.

Fricative

A consonant produced with a narrow constriction that creates continuous turbulent airflow.

Frication

The turbulent noise created when air passes through a narrow constriction.

Affricate

A consonant that begins as a stop and releases into a fricative.

Glide

A vowel-like consonant produced with minimal constriction of the vocal tract. Involves a gliding movement from a partly constricted vocal tract to a more open vocal tract shape. They resemble vowels with a short duration. Can only occur in prevocalic position.

Liquid

A vowel-like consonant produced with only slight constriction of the vocal tract.

Lateral (/l/) and rhotic (/r/).

Two types of liquids

Lateral liquid

A liquid in which air flows around the sides of the tongue (/l/).

Rhotic liquid

The /r/ sound.

Homorganic sounds

Sounds produced at the same place of articulation.

Bilabial

Produced with both lips (e.g., /p, b, m/).

Labiodental

Produced with the lower lip against the upper teeth (e.g., /f, v/).

Dental (Interdental)

Produced with the tongue against or between the teeth (e.g., /θ, ð/).

Alveolar

Produced with the tongue at the alveolar ridge (e.g., /t, d, n, s, z, l/).

Postalveolar (Palato-alveolar)

Produced just behind the alveolar ridge (e.g., /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/).

Palatal

Produced with the tongue against the hard palate (e.g., /j/).

Velar

Produced with the tongue against the soft palate (e.g., /k, g, ŋ/). Also known as dorsal sounds

Glottal

Produced at the vocal folds (e.g., /h/).

Light (Clear) L

/l/ produced without tongue dorsum elevation (e.g., like, low, love).

Dark L

/l/ produced with tongue dorsum elevation toward the velum; has the /o/ like elevation of the tongue dorsum

English glides

/w/ and /j/

They are produced with minimal constriction and resemble vowels in articulation.

Why are glides considered vowel-like?

Voice Onset Time (VOT)

The time between stop consonant release and the onset of vocal fold vibration. This ONLY applies to STOPS

Prevoicing (Voicing Lead)

Vocal fold vibration begins before stop release, resulting in a negative VOT.

Voicing Lag

Vocal fold vibration begins after stop release, resulting in a positive VOT.

Zero VOT

Vocal fold vibration begins exactly when the stop is released.

Negative VOT

Indicates voicing begins before release (prevoicing).

Positive VOT

Indicates voicing begins after release.

Typical voiced VOT

Voicing begins before release or within ~25 milliseconds after release.

Typical voiceless VOT

Voicing begins more than about 50 milliseconds after release.

It helps listeners distinguish voiced from voiceless stop consonants.

Why is VOT important?

Place, manner, and voicing.

Which three features distinguish consonants?

Stops (plosives).

Which consonant manner has complete closure and release?

Fricatives.

Which consonant manner creates turbulent airflow?

Affricates.

Which consonant manner combines a stop and a fricative?

Liquids and glides.

Which consonants are vowel-like?

Homorganic

Two or more sounds share the same place of articulation.

Voicing.

What distinguishes /b/ from /p/?

Place of articulation.

What distinguishes /t/ from /k/?

Manner of articulation.

What distinguishes /t/ from /s/?

/p/, /b/, and /m/.

Which consonants are bilabial?

/t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, and /l/.

Which consonants are alveolar?

/k/, /g/, and /ŋ/.

Which consonants are velar?

/h/.

Which consonant is glottal?

/l/ and /r/.

What are the two English liquids?

/w/ and /j/.

What are the two English glides?

Dark /l/ includes tongue dorsum elevation toward the velum; light /l/ does not.

What is the difference between light and dark /l/?

Voicing begins before release or shortly after release (within ~25 ms).

How do listeners perceive an initial stop as voiced?

Voicing begins significantly after release (usually >50 ms).

How do listeners perceive an initial stop as voiceless?

Bunched or retroflex

How can a rhotic sound be produced in the mouth?

Voiceless

What has a long VOT?

Voiced

What has a short VOT?

Most open

What is the manner of and degree of vowels in vocal tract constriction?

Less open

What is the manner & degree of glides, liquids, nasals, & fricatives in vocal tract constriction?

least open; closed then open

What is the manner & degree of stops in vocal tract constriction?

Vowels

Speech sounds formed without a significant constriction of the oral and pharyngeal cavity and that can serve as a syllable nucleus.

Voiced

All vowels are…

Voiceless

When you whisper, vowels are…

Obstruent

Made with a complete or narrow constriction at some point in the vocal tract

Sonorant

Produced with relatively free flow of air and sound through the vocal tract

Homotypic

When two or more sounds share the same manner of articulation

The closing & opening movements for stops

What is the fastest movements in speech?

Flap

A sound is formed by a quick tapping movement of an articulator against a surface. These are allophones of stops.

Cognates

A member of a pair of sounds that are opposed or distinguished by a particular phonetic feature