Ling250 IPA Flashcards

Weeks 1 + 2

Language is…

Cognitive, Social, Communicative, Arbitrary.

3 Modes of Language

Sound, Gesture, Marks

Phonetics

how speech sounds are produced and perceived, and what sounds are possible

Phonology

how the sounds of the language work together as a system

Sound inventory

The complete set of sounds in a language

Sound contrasts

Distinctions between sounds signal distinctions between words

Sound patterns

Sounds combine in sequences, to make up words

Prosody/Music of Speech

In some languages, pitch is used to change meaning of a sentence:

Speech is…

The movement of air made audible.

Lungs

Sub Laryngeal

Larynx

Pitch/voicing, Laryngeal

Supra Laryngeal

where constrictions occur, shape resonances and create turbulent airflow.

Pulmonic Eggressive

Marked: air forced out of the lungs

Vocal Fold/Cords

these are the physical structures (ligaments/membranes) located within the larynx that vibrate or move to create sound.

Glottis

This is the opening or space between the vocal folds.

Voiceless

Left of IPA: open passage of air

Voiced

Right of IPA, closed passage of air, vibration

Vowel

Vowels are produced with a vocal tract that is wide open or only weakly constricted

Consonant

Physical Production: This can range from a total closure (like when your lips meet for a "p" sound) to a narrow channel that creates a hissing sound.

How do you describe a consonant?

1) Voiced/Voiceless, 2) place of articulation, 3) manner of articulation

Place of articulation

the place in the vocal tract where a constriction

of the air stream occurs

Manner of articulation

he type/degree of constriction that occurs

Bilabial

A type of POA: Upper + Lower Lip

Labiodental

Upper teeth, Lower lip

Dental/Interdental

Tongue tip and upper front teeth

Alveolar

tongue tip or blade

and alveolar ridge

Postalveolar

(or Palato-Alveolar)

tongue blade (and

front of tongue) and

post alveolar ridge /

front palatal region

Palatal

front of tongue and

hard palate

Velar

back of tongue

against velum

Labio-velar

rounded lips and

back of tongue near

velum

Glottal

neutral position

of the vocal tract;

open glottis

Glottal

A brief, complete

closure between

vocal folds

Manner of Articulation

The kind or degree of construction, regardless of where

constriction is in vocal tract

Stop (or plosive)

complete constriction/closure so that air cannot

escape through the oral cavity

Fricative

narrow constriction; turbulent airflow (friction):

Glottal Fricative

During the production of [h] the

vocal tract assumes the shape for:

• schwa/the neutral vowel

• or the vowel about to be articulated

(in [hV] context)

Affricate

complete constriction followed by slow separation of the

articulators resulting in friction:

Obstruents:

Plosive, Fricative, Affricate: Obstruents are sounds produced by obstructing flow of air

Approximants

weak closure, not enough to create friction. Includes glides and liquids

Glides

j, w

Liquids

Rhotic (central) liquid: [ɹ] air passes over tongue • Lateral liquid: [l] air passes over sides of tongue

Tap/Flap

[ɾ] brief period of contact between tongue blade and alveolar ridge

Nasals

velum opens passage to nasal cavity; airstream flows

through nose

Sonorants

Approximants, tap/flap, nasals: Sonorants are sounds produced with unobstructed flow of air through supralaryngeal tract • no build up of pressure to make popping (stop) or hissing (fricative) sound associated with obstruents

Voicing

state of the vocal folds (what’s happening in the larynx)

• voiced – vibrating

• voiceless – not vibrating

Place of articulation:

the place in the vocal tract (oral cavity &

pharynx) where a constriction occurs that impedes airflow

Manner of articulation:

the type/degree of constriction that occurs

Vowel

the “core” (or “nucleus”) of a syllable, produced with an

unobstructed flow of air from the lungs

Vowel number that is most common:

5

IPA vowel chart: vertical dimension

specifies tongue height: high vs. low relative to palate

IPA vowel chart: horizontal dimension

specifies tongue backness: front vs. back relative to the lips and the pharynx

IPA Vowel chart: within a bullet:

Vowels on either side of a bullet: left is unrounded, right is rounded (lips- rounded, spread or natural)

The vowel space

• The area in the oral cavity within which the tongue can

move without creating friction (turbulent airflow),
Defined by the position of two extreme vowels,

Tense:

longer vowel, more ‘muscular effort’: tongue root pulled forward, widening pharynx

Schwa

A mid, central, lax vowel,

occurring in unstressed syllables

In stressed syllables

use [ʌ]

In unstressed syllables

use [ə]

Tone

Pitch differences used to

contrast one word from

another

Cardinal vowels

Points of reference with fixed

positions in the vowel

quadrilateral

Cardinal Vowels are…

The cardinal vowels are not the vowels of a particular

language or set of languages

Cardinal Vowels;

They are extreme points of articulation – fixed reference

points – and are not expected to occur in any language

Cardinal Vowels Are-

The vowels of any language are meant to be compared to the

cardinal vowels and positioned on the vowel quadrilateral

relative to them

Monophthongs

vowels that have the same quality/

tongue position throughout their

production (e.g. bid

Diphthongs

vowels that change quality during their

production (e.g. boy

Drawbacks to cardinal vowel system

• Not tied to any real vowel system

• Cardinal vowels are idealized

• No language uses them exactly

• Only show height & backness (not ATR, rounding, length)