Phonetics 1: Consonants

Flashcards covering key vocabulary for 'Phonetics 1: Consonants' lecture, including definitions of phonetics, speech sound production mechanisms, and the three descriptive parameters for consonants: place, manner, and voicing, with examples.

Phonetics

The study of speech sounds.

Articulatory phonetics

A branch of phonetics that studies how speech sounds are produced.

Acoustic phonetics

A branch of phonetics that studies the physical properties of speech sounds.

Auditory phonetics

A branch of phonetics that studies how listeners perceive speech sounds.

Sounds vs. Letters

Speech sounds are not the same as letters; the same letter can represent different sounds, and the same sound can be represented by different letters.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

A standardized system for representing all known speech sounds with unique symbols.

Vocal tract

The system of cavities (pharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity) where speech sounds are produced.

Larynx

The structure in the throat that houses the vocal folds.

Vocal folds

Muscular membranes within the larynx that vibrate to produce voiced sounds.

Glottis

The space between the vocal folds.

Vowels

Speech sounds produced with a relatively unobstructed airstream.

Consonants

Speech sounds produced by creating constrictions in the vocal tract with articulators.

Place of articulation

The location in the vocal tract where a constriction is made to produce a consonant, involving active and passive articulators.

Manner of articulation

The nature or degree of constriction made in the vocal tract to produce a consonant.

Voicing

The activity of the vocal folds during the production of a speech sound (whether they vibrate or not).

Active articulators

The movable parts of the vocal tract that create constrictions, such as the lower lip and parts of the tongue.

Passive articulators

The immovable parts of the vocal tract against which active articulators make constrictions, such as the upper lip, upper teeth, and alveolar ridge.

Bilabial

Place of articulation involving both the lower and upper lips (e.g., [p], [b], [m]).

Labiodental

Place of articulation involving the lower lip and upper teeth (e.g., [f], [v]).

Interdental

Place of articulation involving the tongue tip between the teeth (e.g., [θ], [ð]).

Alveolar

Place of articulation involving the tongue tip and the alveolar ridge (e.g., [t], [d], [s], [z], [l], [ɹ], [n]).

Postalveolar

Place of articulation involving the tongue blade and the post-alveolar region (e.g., [ʃ], [ʒ], [tʃ], [dʒ]).

Palatal

Place of articulation involving the tongue back and the hard palate (e.g., [j]).

Velar

Place of articulation involving the tongue back and the velum (soft palate) (e.g., [k], [ɡ], [ŋ], [w]).

Glottal

Place of articulation involving the glottis, or the space between the vocal folds (e.g., [h], [ʔ]).

Stops (Oral Stops)

Manner of articulation involving a complete closure of the oral tract, followed by a sudden release of air (e.g., [p], [b], [t], [d], [k], [ɡ], [ʔ]).

Nasals (Nasal Stops)

Manner of articulation involving a complete oral closure, but with air passing through the nose because the velum is open (e.g., [m], [n], [ŋ]).

Fricatives

Manner of articulation involving a very narrow constriction in the vocal tract, creating turbulent airflow (e.g., [f], [v], [θ], [ð], [s], [z], [ʃ], [ʒ], [h]).

Affricates

Manner of articulation that is a fluid combination of a stop followed immediately by a fricative at the same place of articulation (e.g., [tʃ], [dʒ]).

Approximants

Manner of articulation involving a wider constriction than a fricative, where articulators approach each other but do not create turbulence (e.g., [ɹ], [l], [j], [w]).

Lateral approximant

A type of approximant where air flows around the sides of the tongue rather than over the top (e.g., [l]).

Voiceless sound

A sound produced when the vocal folds are completely open or tightly closed, so they do not vibrate.

Voiced sound

A sound produced when the vocal folds are loosely closed and vibrate as air passes through them.