Introduction to Phonetics

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes for understanding the key concepts of phonetics.

Phonetics

The study of the production and perception of speech sounds.

Nasal Cavity

The space behind the nose that is involved in the production of certain speech sounds.

Oral Cavity

The cavity within the mouth that plays a crucial role in speech sound production.

Pharynx

The part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity, involved in speech production.

Velum

The soft part of the roof of the mouth towards the back, important for producing nasal sounds.

Glottis

The space between the vocal cords where sound is produced.

Alveolar Ridge

The bony ridge of the upper jaw behind the teeth that plays a role in sound articulation.

Articulatory Phonetics

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

Acoustic Phonetics

The study of the physical properties of speech sounds.

Auditory Phonetics

The branch of phonetics focusing on how speech sounds are perceived.

Linguistic Phonetics

The study of how sounds are used in languages.

Clinical Phonetics

The application of phonetics in diagnosing and treating communication disorders.

Phonemes

Distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from another.

Phones

The actual speech sounds produced by speakers.

Allophones

Variations of a phoneme that do not change meaning in a language.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

A standardized representation of speech sounds from all languages.

Phonotactics

The rules that govern the permissible combinations of sounds in a language.

Syllables

Units of organization for a sequence of speech sounds.

Stress

The emphasis placed on certain syllables or words in speech.

Spectrograms

Visual representations of the spectrum of frequencies of sound as they vary with time.

Auditory Discrimination

The ability to hear differences between sounds.

Speech Banana

A visual representation showing where most human speech sounds occur on a frequency scale.

Application of Phonetics

Using phonetic principles in practical contexts such as speech therapy.

Articulation

The physical production of speech sounds.

Communication Disorders

Impairments in the ability to communicate effectively.