Phonetics w2d1

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to phonetics and phonology.

Phonetics

The study of sounds in speech, including aspects of how they are produced and perceived.

Phonology

The study of how speech sounds are organized and used in a particular language.

Phoneme

The smallest meaningful unit of sound in a language.

Allophone

A variation of a phoneme that does not change the meaning of a word.

Grapheme

A written symbol representing a sound in a language.

Homograph

Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings.

Homophone

Words that sound the same but are spelled differently.

Diagraph

Two letters that represent one sound (e.g., 'sh' in 'shoe').

Allograph

Different letter combinations representing the same sound.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

A standardized system of phonetic notation used to represent sounds of languages.

Orthographic symbols

Symbols used in writing to convey language, i.e., letters.

Orthography

The conventional spelling system of a language.

Phonetic symbols

Symbols that represent the sounds of speech, showing how words are pronounced.

Phonetic context

The surrounding sounds in a word affecting how a phoneme is produced.

Minimal pairs

Pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme, demonstrating its significance.

Functional properties of sounds

Characteristics of sounds that allow them to convey meaning in language.

Phonotactics

Rules governing how sounds can be combined in a particular language.

Inventory of sounds

The collection of phonemes used in a language and their characteristics.

Phonetic transcription

The visual representation of speech sounds through phonetic symbols.

Articulatory phonetics

The study of how speech sounds are produced.

Acoustic phonetics

The study of the physical properties of speech sounds.

Auditory phonetics

The study of how speech sounds are perceived by the ear.

Speech sounds

Vocal sounds that contribute to spoken language.

Vowel sounds

Specific sounds produced without significant constriction in the vocal tract.

Consonant sounds

Sounds produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract.

Syllable

A unit of pronunciation with a vowel sound and optional surrounding consonants.

Stress

The emphasis placed on certain syllables or words in speech.

Intonation

The variation in pitch while speaking, often conveys different meanings.

Diphthong

A complex vowel sound that begins with one vowel and glides into another.

Voiced sounds

Sounds produced with vibration of the vocal cords.

Voiceless sounds

Sounds produced without vocal cord vibration.

Aspiration

A burst of breath that accompanies the pronunciation of certain consonants.

Phoneme distribution

The way phonemes appear in different environments within a language.

Morphology

The study of the structure and formation of words.

Semantics

The study of meaning in language.

Syntax

The set of rules that dictate the structure of sentences.

Affricate

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

Labial

Sounds produced with the lip.

Alveolar

Sounds produced with the tongue against the alveolar ridge.

Velar

Sounds produced with the back of the tongue against the soft palate.

Glottal

Sounds produced using the vocal cords to create a sound.

Fricative

A consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel.

Nasal

A consonant produced by allowing air to escape through the nose.

Affix

A morpheme added to a word to change its meaning or function.

Compound words

Words formed by combining two or more words.

Loanwords

Words adopted from one language and incorporated into another.

Dialect

A particular form of a language peculiar to a specific region or social group.

Accent

A distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language.

Phonemic awareness

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate phonemes.

Orthographic depth

The relationship between spelling and pronunciation in a language.

Syllable structure

The arrangement and organization of sounds within a syllable.

Rhythm

The pattern of sounds in speech based on stress and timing.