Linguistic Anthropology Sounds of Language

phonology

the study of language sounds

phonetics

identifies and describes language sounds

phonemics

analyzes the way sounds are arranged in languages

phonetic chart

chart that shows all of the sounds of a language

phones

sounds on a phonetic chart

phonemic chart

a chart that shows only the distinctive sounds of a language

phonemes

sounds on a phonemic chart

acoustic phonetics

studies the physical properties of sounds and the nature of the sound waves that they produce, including amplitude, duration, frequency, and more

auditory phonetics

studies how sounds are perceived

articulatory phonetics

studies how speech sounds are produced, uses fieldwork

descriptive phonetics

another name for articulatory phonetics; describes phonetics in detail

lungs

force air out

larynx

where the vocal cords modify the air, creating sound waves

supralaryngeal vocal tract

area above the vocal cords where sound waves take on distinctive shapes and become recognizable speech sounds

vocal cords

as air moves through the larynx, it passes through these (vocal folds)

voiceless

if the vocal cords are open and relaxed, the sound produced is called _

voiced

if the vocal cords are close together and vibrating, the sound produced is called _

articulated

after passing through the vocal cords, air reaches the mouth and nose areas where it can be _, or modified

place

where the air is being modified

manner

how the air is being modified

international phonetic alphabet (IPA)

system of phonetic transcription still in use today

american usage system

set of phonetic symbols that could be easily typed

consonants

sounds with more constriction in the airflow

vowels

sounds with less constriction in the airflow

stop/plosive

means stop the air and then release the air

glottal

in the glottis

glottis

the space between your vocal cords

pharyngeal

in the pharynx

pharynx

above your vocal cords

uvular

with back of tongue and uvula

uvula

hangs down in the back of your mouth

velar

with back of tongue and velum

velum

in front of uvula

palatal

with middle of tongue and hard palette (roof of mouth)

retroflex

with tip of tongue and hard palate

alveopalatal

with tip of your tongue just behind alveolar ridge

alveolar ridge

ridge just behind your teeth

alveolar

with tip of tongue against alveolar ridge

interdental

with tip of tongue between the teeth

labiodental

with the lower lip against the upper teeth

bilabial

with both lips

stop/plosive

the air stream is stopped, then released out of the mouth

fricative

there is friction in the air stream (the air hisses or buzzes)

affricate

the combination of a stop followed by a fricative

tap/trill

like an ultrabrief stop; a tap is one touch, a trill is many fast ones

approximant

minimum obstruction to airflow, less than a fricative

nasal

the velum is lowered; air resonates and escapes through the nasal cavity