Phonetics Midterm 2

IPA

What are the four parameters used to describe vowels?

height, backness, lip rounding, tenseness

ipa transcription for the vowel in “heed”

/i/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “food”

/u/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “father”

/ɑ/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “hid”

/ɪ/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “head”

/ɛ/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “had”

/æ/

ipa transcription for the vowel in “good”

/ʊ̈/

/i/

high, front, unrounded, tense vowel

/y/

high, front, rounded, tense vowel

/e/

mid(-high), front, unrounded vowel

/ɛ/

mid(-low), front, unrounded

/œ/

mid(low-), front, rounded

/æ/

raised-low, front, unrounded

/a/

low, front, unrounded

/ɶ/

low, front, rounded

/ɨ/

high, central, unrounded

/ʉ/

high, central, rounded

/ə/

mid(-high), central, unrounded

/ɵ/

mid(-high), central, rounded

/ɜ/

mid(-low), central, unrounded

/ɞ/

mid(-low), central, rounded

/ɯ/

high, back, unrounded

/u/

high, back, rounded

/ɤ/

mid(-high), back, unrounded

/o/

mid(-high), back, rounded

/ʌ/

mid(-low), back, unrounded

/ɔ/

mid(-low), back, rounded

/ɑ/

low, back, unrounded

/ɒ/

low, back, rounded

Is what’s highlighted in blue tense or lax?

tense

Is what’s highlighted in yellow tense or lax?

lax

What are the cardinal vowels?

series of vowels that serve as standard reference points for the comparison of the vowel qualities of particular languages

What vowels are the most common in the world’s languages (despite there being no symbol for them?)

low central vowels

The vowel /Œ/ is not reported in any natural language.

True

The vowel /ɵ/ is not reported in any natural language.

True

The vowel /ɞ/ is not reported in any natural language. 

True

ATR (Advanced tongue root)

vowel distinction characterized by pharyngeal expansion, where tongue is drawn forward by constricting the genioglossus and the larynx is lowered

Where is ATR most often seen in spoken languages?

Africa

RTR stands for

retracted tongue root

Vowels are most often…

oral

oral

nasalized

When can a vowel be nasalized?

when they are next to a nasal consonant

Phonemic nasalization is…

contrastive

Phonetic nasalization is…

non-contrastive

What are rhotic vowels (aka “r-colored vowels” or “rhoticized vowels”)?

vowels that have a modified articulation, more towards /ɹ/

Rhotic vowels are very rare cross-linguistically (<1% of world’s spoken languages, most notably found in English and Mandarin!)

True

How many vowel targets do monopthongs have?

one

How many vowel targets do diphthongs have?

two

For diphthongs, which target is syllabic and which is non-syllabic?

first target (carries the “beat'“ of the syllable)

How many ways (and in what ways) can diphthongs be expressed?

with a non-syllabic diacritic, with a superscript, with a tie bar, and with a semivowel

How many diphthongs are in Mainstream US English?

5

/noʊ haɪweɪ kaʊbɔɪz/

“no highway cowboys” in IPA, to show the 5 diphthongs in mainstream English

Falling diphthongs…

start higher, end lower

Rising diphthongs…

start lower, end higher

vowel length can be contrastive or non-contrastive

True

Vowels before voiced consonants are longer than before voiceless consonants.

True

A language can have both long and short vowels and consonants.

True

Vowels can have tones, or contrastive pitch.

True

Is the rhotic vowel /ɝ/ stressed or unstressed?

stressed, as in bird

Is the rhotic vowel /ɚ/ stressed or unstressed?

unstressed, as in over

When plural or possessive /Z/ is added to some words (like Rose’s), /ɨ/ is inserted = [ɹoʊzɨz] 

True

What are the four main IPA parameters for describing consonants?

airstream mechanism, voicing, place of articulation, and manner of articulation

Place of articulation for consonants?

where the consonantal constriction is occurring

Identify the place of articulation

postalveolar

Identify the place of articulation

(post)alveolar

manner of articulation refers to…

the degree of constriction and secondary openings by which sounds are made

Obstruents (aka most of English’s consonants)

have a clear obstruction in the vocal tract

Sonorants (all vowels and some consonants)

have a relatively open vocal tract

Obstruent type: stop/plosive

articulators make a complete closure; all airflow is stopped in the vocal tract

Obstruent type: fricative

articulators are close but there isn’t a complete closure

Obstruent type: affricate

sequence of a stop + fricative release

Affricates are percieved as one sound

True

Sonorant type: nasal (stop)

articulators in full contact, airflow is stopped through oral tract. Velum is lowered and air escapes through nose.

Sonorant type: approximant

articulators shape vocal tract, but don’t impede airflow

What the two types of approximates?

liquids & glides

What is the IPA symbol for a central liquid?

/ɹ/

What is the IPA symbol for a lateral liquid?

/l/

What are the two central glides?

/j/ & /w/

Identify the English phonemes

/ʃ/ or /ʒ/

What is broad transcription?

focuses on aspects of pronounciation that are contrastive, aka “phonemic transcription”

What is narrow transcription?

includes both contrastive and non-contrastive aspects, aka “phonetic transcription”

Voiceless stops are aspirated in word-initial position or beginning a stressed syllable

True

Voiceless stops are unaspirated after /s/

True

Sonorants are devoiced when they follow an initial voiceless stop.

True

Sonorants are produced with creaky voice when they precede a glottal stop

True

Intervocalic /h/ is what at the beginning of a stressed syllable?

voiced

Intervocalic /h/ is what before an stressed syllable?

deleted

Stops are unreleased when they precede another consonant.

True

What happens to /n/ before a consonant?

It assimilates in place of articulation (nasal assimilation)

What happens /m/ before /f/?

It becomes labiodental [ɱ]

What happens to /t,d, n/ before /θ,ð/?

It becomes dental

What happens to /t/ before a nasal? [bʌʔn]

It becomes a glottal stop

alveolars can become postalveolars preceding /j/ [mitʃju]

True

In some varieties of English /t/ and /d/ are tapped in between two vowels, the second of which is stressed (e.g., city becomes [sɪɾi]

True

/I/ is velarized (aka “dark l”) at the end of a syllable [fiɫ]

True

What are the two types of fricatives?

sibilants and non-sibilants

sibilants

louder, higher-pitched noise, where air is directed at an obstacle (teeth) after passing through a constriction

non-sibilants

quieter, lower-pitched noise, with only one source of turbulence, the initial constriction 

laminal

formed with tongue blade