Phonetics and Phonology

Phonetucs

is the study of speech sounds as physical entities

Phonology

is the study of the patterns and structures of speech sounds in a language

Segmental Phonemes

is the study of speech sounds as discrete segments, such as vowels and consonants, and how they combine to form syllables.

Voice (Voicing)

is when the vocal chords are vibrating

Voiceless

mean the vocal folds are NOT vibrating

Aspirated

/p/ /t/ /k/ when these sounds are followed by vowel sounds and stressed

Unaspirated

/p/ /t/ /k/ when these sounds are NOT followed by vowel sounds and stressed

Tense vowels

longer to pronounce

Lax vowels

shorter to pronounce

Stress

• refers to relative prominence brought about by intensity of force of utterance

• one part of a certain word is said louder and longer than other parts of the same word

Two-Syllable nouns and adjectives

• In most two syllable nouns and adjectives, the first syllable takes on the stress.

• SAMples, CARton

Two-Syllable verbs and prepositions

• In most two syllable verbs and prepositions, the stress is on the second syllable

• reLAX, reCEIVE

Three-Syllable words

• For three-syllable words, look at the word ending (the suffix), using the following as your guides

• Words ending in er, ly, the stress is placed on the first syllable

• ORderly, SIlently,LOvingly

Words ending in consonants and in y

• The first syllable usually gets the stress

• RARity, OPtimal, GRAdient

Words with various endings

• The stress is going to be on the syllable fight before the suffix. This applies to words of all syllable lengths

• able: ADDable, DURable, LAUGHable

• ery: BAKery, SCENery

Words ending in ade, ee, ese, que, ette, oon

• have the primary stress actually placed on the suffix

• ade: lemoNADE, cruSADE, arCADE

Stress in the second from the end syllable

• You put stress on the third from end syllable with words that end in cy, ty, phy, gy, and al

• deMOcracy, geOGraphy

Word stress for compound words

Compound Noun

• the most stress is on the stressed syllable of the first word

• SEAfood (sea+food), ICEland (ice+land)

Compound adjectives

• the most stress is placed in the stressed syllable of the second word

• ten-MEter, rock-SOlid

Pitch

the rise and fall of our voice when we speak, sometimes called “highness” and “lowerness”

Intonation

is the sound pattern of phrases and sentences produced by pitch variation in the voice

Juncture

• is a kind of transition and pause between utterances or within and utterance. It’s a combination of pitch and pause

• a pause or slight delay in a continuous flow of speech. A type of sound transition characterizing the movement from sound to sound within a word or phrase. “The relationship between one sound and the sounds that immediately precede and follow it” (Roach 1991: 129)

Close Juncture

is a movement from sound to sound which has no intervening pauses or delay. For example, ‘my train’.

Open Juncture

is a movement from sound to sound which is not continuous. There is a slight stoppage of the last sound till it blends with the next. The stoppage may vary from short to slightly longer depending on the context, meaning and punctuation.