A GUIDE TO A PASSING GRADE IN PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY (I HOPE) (STUDY AND PRACTICE)

A Guide to a Passing Grade in Phonetics and Phonology

  • Author: Stefan Stojkoski

  • Target Audience: Students preparing for a phonetics and phonology exam.

Introduction

  • Aims to assist students in studying for the Phonetics & Phonology exam.

  • Contains essential information, descriptions of vowels, consonants, and allophonic features.

  • Includes practice exams that resemble the actual exam.

  • Recommended to also review Professor Komar’s slides and textbook for updates and new material.

Contents Overview

  • Vowel Chart & Types:

    • Monophthongs

    • Diphthongs

    • Descriptions of vowels and consonants

  • Allophonic Features:

  • Theory, Practice, Mock Exams, Solutions, Sources

Vowel Chart(s)

Monophthongs

  • Importance of memorizing the vowel chart layout.

  • Need to identify locations of both monophthongs and diphthongs on the chart.

Diphthongs

  • Examples of diphthongs include:

    • /eɪ/ (as in 'day')

    • /aɪ/ (as in 'eye')

Vowel Descriptions

Monophthongs

  • /i:/: Tense, front tongue, soft palate raised, lips spread.

  • /ɪ/: Lax, central-tongue position, soft palate raised, lips loosely spread.

  • /e/: Front tongue raised, soft palate raised, lips loosely spread.

  • /æ/: Open mouth position, front tongue raised.

  • /ɑ:/: Open position of tongue towards the back, soft palate raised.

  • /ʊ/: Centralized tongue position, relaxed lips.

  • /u:/: Tense back tongue, rounded lips.

  • /ɜ:/: Central tongue position, soft palate raised, usually occurs in stressed syllables.

  • /ə/: Central tongue position, soft palate raised, occurs in unstressed syllables.

Diphthongs

  • /aɪ/: Glide from open front to close-mid front position.

  • /eɪ/: Glide from close-mid to close front position.

  • /ɔɪ/: Glide from open-mid back to close-mid front.

Consonant Descriptions

Voiced and Voiceless Consonants

  • /p/: Voiceless bilabial plosive

    • Closure made by lips, air pressure builds, released forcefully.

  • /b/: Voiced bilabial plosive

    • Similar articulation to /p/, but vocal folds vibrate.

  • /m/: Voiced bilabial nasal

    • Sound produced through nasal cavity with lips closed.

  • /t/: Voiceless alveolar plosive

    • Closure between tongue and alveolar ridge.

  • /s/: Voiceless alveolar fricative

    • Air escapes through a narrow groove between the tongue and alveolar ridge.

  • Additional consonants cover fricatives, approximants, affricates with descriptions of articulation and allophonic features.

Allophonic Features

  • Nasalization: Vowels become nasalized next to nasal consonants.

  • Aspiration: Occurs when /p/, /t/, or /k/ are at the beginning of stressed syllables followed by a vowel.

  • Devoicing: Affects voiced consonants when adjacent to voiceless sounds.

Theory

  • Differentiates between phonetics (physical sound characteristics) and phonology (sound systems in language).

  • Describes the speech mechanism and articulatory descriptions for phonemes.

  • Introduces Cardinal Vowels and the rules governing monophthongs and diphthongs.

Exam Preparation Strategies

  • Suggested tasks include describing phonemes, marking stress, practicing transcription, and revising theory with examples.

  • Utilize mock exams to practice and assess understanding, focusing on allophonic features.

  • Importance of time management and thorough review of materials in preparation for the exam.

Sources

  • Professor Komar's Power Points.

  • Course materials and recommended texts related to English phonetics and phonology.