ET118_1-2_Phonetics_1_Lecture__7_

Introduction to Phonetics

• Phonetics: the branch of linguistics concerned with the scientific study of speech sounds.

  • Covers aspects of speech production, transmission, and perception.

Overview of Content

• Section Summary:

  • Speech Chain

  • Phonetics

  • The Vocal Tract and Speech Organs

  • Consonant vs. Vowel Distinction

  • Articulation of Consonants: Place, Manner, Voicing

  • IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

The Speech Chain

• Definition: A process that explains how speech occurs from a speaker to a listener.

  • Components of the Speech Chain:

    • Speaker

    • Sensory nerves

    • Brain

    • Motor nerves

    • Ear

    • Vocal muscles

    • Listener

  • Represents interactions between the linguistic, physiological, and acoustic levels.

Areas of Study in Phonetics

• Articulatory Phonetics: How vocal organs move to produce sounds.

• Acoustic Phonetics: Properties of sound waves (duration, frequency, intensity).

• Auditory Phonetics: How speech sounds are perceived and decoded.

Understanding Words

• Words are identified by orthography (spelling) and sound.

• Speech is continuous, but familiarity with language allows segmentation.

Spelling and Sounds

• Inconsistent representations of sounds by orthography.

• Example Words: Caesar, character, physics, etc., highlight unique sound representations.

• Silent Letters: Honest, Christmas, knot, island, psychology, etc., have letters that are not pronounced.

Conclusion on Sounds vs. Letters

• Orthography does not represent sounds consistently.

• Phonetics studies sounds directly, using square brackets for phonetic transcription (e.g. [k], [j]).

Sounds Around the World

• Examples of unusual sounds: Navajo has aspirated stops and ejectives (e.g., akaan, pikʰágí).

Phonation and Speech Production

• Airflow: Created by air pushed from the lungs, modified as exhaled.

• Pulmonic Egressive: Relating to airflow that is outward-flowing, particularly in speech.

Vocal Tract Components

• Speech Organs:

  • Primary function of structures involved in speech versus their secondary function of sound production.

  • Subsystems:

    • Supraglottal System: Above the larynx (nasal and oral cavities).

    • Larynx: Contains vocal folds.

    • Subglottal System: Below the larynx (lungs, trachea).

Speech Production Mechanics

The Larynx

• Structure: Made of cartilages connected to the trachea; air passes through it during breathing.

• Vocal Folds: Control voicing; are wide open during normal breathing but can be brought together for vibration (voicing).

Types of Sounds Production

• Voiced Sounds: Vocal folds vibrate, resulting in buzzing (e.g., [z]).

• Voiceless Sounds: Vocal folds remain apart (e.g., [s]).

• Voicing affects the fundamental frequency (F0) and perceived pitch of sounds.

Articulation Types

Consonants vs. Vowels

• Consonants: Involve obstruction of airflow; articulated with specific constriction.

• Vowels: No obstruction, allowing airflow without constriction.

• Differentiated by how closely articulators are positioned.

Manner and Place of Articulation

• Manner: Degree of constriction during sound production.

  • Categorized as Stops, Fricatives, Approximants, etc.

• Places: Location of airflow obstruction; includes bilabial, alveolar, and glottal places.

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

• Guarantees a one-to-one correspondence between sounds and symbols.

• Utility: Helps transcribe and represent phonetic sounds consistently.

• IPA Chart includes symbols for various consonants, vowels, stress marks, and diacritics for nuanced sound indications.

Conclusion

• Phonetics is essential for understanding language sounds.

• It helps articulate differences and consists of extensive study material available in academic texts and online resources.