Phonetics and Phonology Lecture Review

Flashcards covering key concepts in phonetics and phonology based on the lecture notes.

Phonetics

The study of speech sounds, their articulation, acoustics, and perception.

Phonology

The study of sound structure in languages, focusing on the abstract aspects like the system and patterns of sounds.

Phoneme

A contrastive unit of speech sound that can change meaning; cannot be pronounced directly, but can be realized by producing an allophone.

Allophone

A phonetic variant of a phoneme that is pronounced in a specific context.

Bilabial

A place of articulation where both lips are used, e.g., /p/ and /b/.

Velar

A place of articulation involving the back of the tongue against the soft palate, e.g., /k/.

Glottal setting

The position of the vocal folds in relation to voice production; can be voiced (vocal folds vibrating) or voiceless (vocal folds apart).

Fricative

A type of consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel, e.g., /f/ and /s/.

Nasal sound

A type of consonant produced with airflow through the nose, e.g., /m/ and /n/.

Approximant

A consonant produced with a relatively open vocal tract, e.g., /l/ and /r/.

Linking /r/

The pronunciation of 'r' at the end of a word when the next word begins with a vowel.

Intrusive /r/

The insertion of an 'r' sound when it follows certain vowels primarily in connected speech.

Vowel duration

The length of time a vowel sound is held, affecting meaning, such as in short and long vowels.

Checked vowel

A vowel that appears before a consonant and cannot occur in an open syllable.

Schwa

A mid-central, neutral vowel sound represented by /ə/, often found in unstressed syllables.