Articulatory Phonetics

what is articulatory phonetics?

using knowledge of anatomy/physiology to describe and classify speech sounds

consonants are characterized by… (2)

a relatively constricted vocal tract, airflow is relatively obstructed

consonants are classified by… (3)

place, manner, voicing

vowels are characterized by… (2)

a relatively open vocal tract, vocal tract is not as obstructed

vowels are classified by… (3)

height, advancement, lip rounding

what are suprasegmentals? name some

what is superimposed on top of consonants and vowels. intonation, stress, length, tone

describe how plosives/stops are made

there is a complete obstruction in the vocal tract, resulting in substantial intra-oral pressure. the velum is closed, so no air escapes through the nose

describe how nasals are made

there is a complete obstruction in the vocal tract, resulting in substantial intra-oral pressure. the velum is open, so air can escape through the nose

describe how fricatives are made

there is a very narrow constriction in the vocal tract, resulting in a turbulent airstream, which creates noise

describe how affricates are made

a stop followed by a fricative, so a completely closed vocal tract followed by a very narrow constriction

describe how approximants are made

one articulator is close to another, but not to the extent that it’s so narrow that a turbulent airstream is generated