FSU Phonetics Exam I

What is a phonetic alphabet?

a. Represent the sounds of words, not their spelling

b. Standardized system used to transcribe the sounds of different words

c. New symbols and new rules to represent spoken language

Why is it important to use a phonetic alphabet in transcription of individuals with speech sound disorders?

a. Consistency across clinicians and researchers

b. Can help identify what and where the mistakes are for better treatment

Why is there variation in phonetic transcription from professional to professional?

a. Differences in training, personal habits, how strictly do you follow IPA

b. Most important to be personally consistent across your own transcription for accuracy

Why is it important to understand how individual speaking style and dialect affect pronunciation?

a. You should transcribe what you hear and not the way you would pronounce something

b. Due to linguistic diversity across speakers

Phonetics

the study of the production of speech sounds

Phonology

systematic organization of speech sounds in the production of language

Digraph

pairs of letters that represent 1 sound because there are not enough single alphabet letters to represent all sounds of English

Allograph

different letter sequences or patterns that represent the same sound

morpheme

smallest unit of language capable of carrying meaning

phoneme

an individual speech sound capable of differentiating morphemes and therefore is capable of distinguishing meaning

grapheme

printed letters

Why are allophones not phonemes?

It is not a phoneme because it does not change the identity or meaning of the original word

Onset

consonants that precede a vowel

Rhyme

everything after the onset - both nucleus & coda

Nucleus

vowel of a syllable (typically)

Coda

consonants that follow the nucleus

Open syllable

no coda at end

Closed syllable

coda at end

Phonemic (broad) transcription

transcribes phonemes and uses slash marks

Allophonic (narrow) transcription

uses brackets and transcribes allophones

Why are "spread" and "bread" not minimal pairs?

they have more than 1 different phoneme

Vocal tract

pharynx/throat, oral cavity, nasal cavity, and articulators

Voiced

vocal folds vibrate

Voiceless

vocal folds don't vibrate

Pharynx

the throat, connect larynx and oral cavity

Pharynx components

laryngopharynx, oropharynx, nasopharynx

Phonation

vocal fold vibration

Air bursts escape from the glottis when subglottal pressure is enough to push the folds apart

Phonation structures

glottis, vocal folds

Articulation

joining together of the speech articulators for production of sounds

Oral cavity structures

alveolar ridge, tongue, nasal cavity, velum, palate, pharynx

Landmarks of tongue

a. Root: movement of mandible

b. Apex: tongue tip

c. Blade: posterior to tip

d. Body: posterior to blade, front & back

e. Dorsum: entire body of tongue

Oral sound

sounds produced with a raised/closed velum -airstream directed solely into oral cavity

Nasal sound

sounds produced with velum lowered, breath stream flows into nasal cavity

Source-filter theory

Modifying the source (vibrating vocal folds) by the resonating cavities of the filter (vocal tract) is what results in distinctly recognizable speech sounds (phonemes)

Vowel quadrilateral

representation of height and advancement of the tongue in vowel production

Why is the vowel quadrilateral important?

teaches precise and proper pronunciation of vowels based on their classified sound

Tense vowels

longer in duration, require more muscular effort, can end a stressed open syllable

Lax vowels

shorter in duration, less muscular effort, can't end a stressed open syllable

Vowel production

All VOICED - Velum is closed/elevated when producing vowels

Unrounded vowels

/i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ, ɑ, ə, ʌ/

Rounded vowels

/u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɚ, ɝ/

point vowels

a. The 4 extreme, peripheral vowels

b. /i/ /u/ /æ/ /ɑ/

Onglide

first articulatory position

Offglide

the second position

Always the higher tongue position à think of the ski lift

Which vowels are affected by syllable stress?

a. /e, eɪ, o, oʊ, ə, ɚ, ɜ, ɝ/

monophthong

one vowel

/e/

diphthong

one phoneme that contains 2 vowels /eɪ/

Relationship between tongue movement and pharyngeal shape during vowel production

As the tongue changes position for production of the individual vowels, the size and shape of the pharynx also change correspondingly

rhotacization

r-colored vowels

Consonants

produced through constrictions

How do consonants and vowels differ?

all vowels are voiced, only some consonants voiced, consonants are produced through constrictions

Sonorant

resonance throughout entire vocal tract

- Nasals, liquids, glides

Obstruent

sound source occurs where airflow is obstructed

- Stops, fricatives, affricates

Manner

the way in which the airstream is modified as it passes through the vocal tract in production of consonants

- Stop, fricative, affricate, nasal, liquid, glide

Place

specific articulators employed when producing a phoneme, location of constriction in the vocal tract in production of a consonant

Voicing

participation of VFs during phoneme production

ALL VOWELS VOICED

Prevocalic

consonant preceding a vowel

Postvocalic

consonant following a vowel

Intervocalic

consonant located between 2 vowels

Syllabic consonant

consonant that can serve as the nucleus of a syllable

When do you use a tap?

intervocalic /t/ or /d/

When do you use a glottal stop?

replaces /t/ before syllabic nasals

Stops

complete obstruction of airstream, build up intraoral pressure and then release, plosive

Fricatives

forcing air through narrow channel in the vocal tract

Nasals

only sounds where velum is open/lowered

Affricates

completely stopping airflow and immediately releasing it through a narrow passage (stop then fricative)

Approximate

completely obstructing airflow in vocal tract (liquids)

vowels

air from lungs cause VFs to vibrate