Phonemes and Symbols in English Phonetics

5 Phonemes and symbols

5.1 The phoneme
  • Speech sounds can be classified into segments, which are discrete units of sound.
  • Example: The word 'man' is divided into three segments: m, æ, n.
  • Questions arise regarding the segmentation of sounds, especially with certain vowel combinations (e.g., 'mine').

Key Idea: The total range of sounds produced by English speakers is vast, but the number of distinct English vowel sounds is limited to about 20, as changing a vowel can alter a word's meaning (e.g., 'bed' vs. 'bad').

  • Some sounds may be pronounced differently without changing the meaning (e.g., variations of the vowel in 'bad').

Analogy with Letters:

  • Letters also affect meaning when substituted (e.g., in 'pat', 'pet', 'pit', 'pot', 'put').
  • Differences in letters can exist without changing their meaning, similar to phonetic variations in sounds.
5.2 Symbols and transcription
  • Symbols can represent phonemes or phonetic qualities.
  • Phonemic symbols: correspond to a fixed number of phonemes.
    • Example: The affricate 'tf' (as in 'chip').
  • Two types of transcription:
    • Phonemic transcription: a quick representation using phonemic symbols.
    • Phonetic transcription: has more detail than phonemic and can include allophonic variations.
  • In the BBC accent, there are 44 phonemes represented in classification systems (vowel quadrilateral and consonant charts).
  • The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a comprehensive set of symbols used often in phonetics.
    • Phonetic detail increases with the use of diacritics (e.g., marking length or quality).
5.3 Phonology
  • Definition: The study of how phonemes function and relate within a language.
  • The phonemic system can be likened to a game (e.g., chess), where the specific arrangements affect communication.
  • Phoneme sequences and syllable structure: Restrictions exist on how phonemes can combine.
  • Suprasegmental phonology: Focuses on sound contrasts that are not merely phonemic (stress, intonation).
6 Fricatives and affricates
6.1 Production of fricatives and affricates
  • Fricatives: Consonants formed by breathing through a narrow space, creating a hissing sound.
    • Example: Production of /s/ and /f/.
  • Affricates: Begin as plosives and finish as fricatives (e.g., 'church' starts with /t/ and transitions to /ʃ/, represented as 'tf').
    • Must be formed by homorganic plosive and fricative.
6.2 The fricatives of English
  • Fricative phonemes in English include:
    • Labiodental: /f/ (fortis), /v/ (lenis)
    • Dental: /θ/ (fortis), /ð/ (lenis)
    • Alveolar: /s/ (fortis), /z/ (lenis)
    • Post-alveolar: /ʃ/ (fortis), /ʒ/ (lenis)
    • Glottal: /h/
    • Impact of voicing on sound characteristics and vowel lengths preceding fortis consonants.
6.3 The affricates of English
  • Affricates: /tf/ and /dʒ/ are the main affricate phonemes, treated as single phonemes despite their plosive-fricative combination.
6.4 Fortis consonants
  • Fortis consonants (with pairs lenis counterparts) can shorten preceding vowels and are articulated notably with the vocal folds separated.
  • Glottalisation: May occur before plosives in certain contexts, leading to distinct variations in pronunciation.
Notes for Further Reading
  • Suggested references for deeper exploration into phonetics and symbols:
    • Katamba (1989), Cruttenden (2008), Giegerich (1992), Jones (1976), Pike (1947), Abercrombie (1967).
  • Discussions on phonemic analysis revealing complexities in phoneme classification.