Intro to Phonetics (Lecture 1)

Define phonetics and phonology

Phonetics is the study of the perception and production of speech sounds, while phonology is the the study of speech sounds of a specific language (how they are used in a given language).

Phonotactics

The rules that describe how phonemes (speech sounds) in a particular language can be combined (the allowable combinations)

True or False - The study of phonetics is comprehensive, systematic, and objective and not based on subjective impressions of the listener

False - it is also based on subjective impressions

What are the 5 branches of phonetics?

1. Articulatory phonetics

2. Acoustic phonetics

3. Auditory phonetics

4. Linguistic phonetics

5. Clinical phonetics

True or False - when analyzing how two words, such as base and face, are different if you are thinking of how the lips come together when either word is pronounced this is auditory phonetics

False - this would be articulatory phonetics as it involves anatomy and physiology of speech

Minimal contrast

The smallest distinction between which two words can differ, so the difference of one phoneme between words (morphemes)

_________________ differ by one sound in the same position

Minimal pairs

True or False - cab and cat are minimal pairs

True

True or False - Cheese and chase are an example of a minimal pair

False

An allophone is

an allowable variation of a phoneme

True or False - When we change from one allophone to another, it does change the meaning of the word

False - it does not change the meaning of the word

Orthography vs orthographic symbols

Orthography is the spelling system of a language

Orthographic symbols are used for written communication

& literacy

Graphemes

Alphabetic letters and the sounds they represent, aka "letters"

True or False - English does not have a one-to-one correspondence between graphemes and speech sounds

True

What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?

A set of symbols which represent all the known sounds of the world's languages. It solves problems of consistency and how to describe sounds.

Phonetic symbols

symbols that represent speech sounds

True or False - Phonetic symbols do not have a one-to-one correspondence with speech sounds

False - they do have a one-to-one correspondence, so one symbol is one speech sound

True or False - Phonetic symbols and orthographic symbols are the same

False - they are not, orthographic symbols are flexible while phonetic ones are not

Articulation vs articulate

Articulation - production of speech sounds

Articulate - to produce a speech sound (the action)

Misarticulations

error productions and mispronunciations that may be characteristic of speech sound disorders, but not necessarily

Coarticulation

the overlapping of the articulators during speech production, so they are simultaneously completing one sound while preparing for the next sound (overlap of speech gestures)

Speech vs. Dialect

Speech - A mode of language expression based on sounds emitted through mouth and nose

Dialect - a variation of speech or language based on geographical area, native-language background, and social and/or ethnic group membership

Dialect is often referred to as

An accent

Regional dialect

a dialect shared by people living in a particular geographic region

Idiolect

An individual's distinctive style of speaking, so their personal pattern of language use

What factors play a role in someone's idiolect?

Dialect, speech community, regional background, social class, life experiences, and individual factors

Speech registers

continuum of speaking styles from formal to informal that varies depending on the social situation

True or False - Registers can change word pronunciation

True - the more formal the register the more precise the articulatory patterns tend to get

Assimilation or coalescence

A process where a sound has an affect on a neighboring sound; e.g., hambag vs handbag

Invariance problem

It is a problem that arises due to the variation of the articulation of phonemes across speakers and also within individual speakers. We say things differently depending on the context, so there is a lack of consistency in speech production

Perceptual Constancy

How we are able to recognize a word pronounced in different ways, we search for shared features of speech sounds that let listeners accurately perceive a sound regardless of how it is spoken

True or False - we are taught phonotactics explicitly

False - we learn it implicitly

Word shape

The structural combination of consonants and vowels within a word

Consonants can be described as

initial, medial, or final in a word

Consonant cluster

: two or more consonants in a row, e.g., "stop" = /stɑp/ = CCVC

What is the phonotactic structure of the word: window

CVC.CV

What is the phonotactic structure of the word: plant

CCVCC

What are the 5 anatomical processes for speech production?

Respiratory (airflow)

Phonatory (vocal fold vibration)

Resonatory (shaping the sound)

Oro-nasal (mouth or nose airflow)

Articulatory (movement of the articulators)

As the rib cage expands when breathing in, the lungs which are lightly connected to the rib cage:

Expand and air pressure in lungs decreases

Outside air moves from _______ pressure area to _______ pressure area

high, low

Exhalation is a ______________ process

passive

When is English speech produced when breathing?

Produced on the exhale (expiratory air)

True or False - no language produces sounds on the inhale (inspiratory air)

False - some do, e.g., Gaelic gasp

Time speaking is typically ____% inhale and ____% exhale

10, 90

The vocal folds take advantage of which physics principle?

Bernoulli principle - an aerodynamic effect where airstream from the lungs open vocal folds and decreased air pressure in trachea closes vocal folds in a rapid open/close vibratory cycle

Voiceless vs. voiced sounds

Voiceless - absence of vocal fold vibration

Voiced - presence of vocal fold vibration

Abducted vocal folds

vocal folds opened for breathing and voiceless sounds

Adducted vocal folds

vocal folds are tightly closed for swallowing or lifting heavy objects

Approximated vocal folds

vocal folds come close to each other and vibrate or "buzz" to create a sound

Resonance

shaping the sound, changing the shape of the vocal tract

Amplifying speech

Strengthening certain frequencies or reinforcing parts of the sound

Attenuating speech

weakening certain frequencies or dampening parts of the sound

Which anatomical feature redirects airflow between the oral cavity and the nasal cavity?

The velum (soft palate) - it raises and lowers to direct airflow, like a valve

Oral sounds are created when

The velum is raised to prevent airflow through the nose

Nasal sounds are created when

The velum is lowered, so airflow travels through the nose

True or False - most General North American English sounds are oral

True - only a few are nasal

What are the nasal stops?

m, n, ŋ

Hypernasality vs. Hyponasality

Hyper - too much airflow through nose

Hypo - not enough airflow through nose (lacking nasal sounds/resonance - usually a cold or allergies)

The upper teeth are ______ articulators and the lower teeth are _______ articulators

Passive, active

What is the primary active articulator?

tongue

What are the passive articulators?

upper teeth, upper lip, alveolar ridge, hard palate

What are the active articulators?

lower teeth, lower lip, velum (softy palate), tongue

How many phonemes are the in the word: coffee?

4

How many phonemes are in the word: cough?

3