Quiz 3 CDI350

Study Guide for Phonetics Quiz

1. Be Able to Draw the Vowel Quadrilateral

  • The vowel quadrilateral is a visual representation of vowel articulation.

  • Know the placement of vowels based on:

    • Height (High, Mid, Low)

    • Backness (Front, Central, Back)

    • Rounded vs. Unrounded

Basic Layout:

css

CopyEdit

i u ɪ ʊ e o ɛ ɔ æ ɑ

  • Front vowels: /i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ/

  • Central vowels: /ə, ɚ, ɝ, ʌ/

  • Back vowels: /u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɑ/

2. Three Ways Consonants Are Described

  1. Place of Articulation – Where in the vocal tract the sound is produced.

    • Examples: Bilabial, Alveolar, Velar, Glottal, etc.

  2. Manner of Articulation – How the airflow is modified.

    • Examples: Stops, Nasals, Fricatives, Affricates, etc.

  3. Voicing – Whether vocal cords vibrate.

    • Voiced: /b, d, g, m, n, ŋ/

    • Voiceless: /p, t, k/

3. How Stops and Nasal Consonants Are Made

Stops (Plosives):

  • Airflow is completely blocked in the vocal tract and then released.

  • Examples:

    • Bilabial: /p, b/

    • Alveolar: /t, d/

    • Velar: /k, g/

Nasals:

  • Airflow is directed through the nose while the mouth is closed.

  • Examples:

    • Bilabial: /m/

    • Alveolar: /n/

    • Velar: /ŋ/ (as in "sing")

4. IPA Symbols for Stops and Nasals

Manner

Bilabial

Alveolar

Velar

Glottal

Stops (Plosives)

p, b

t, d

k, g

ʔ (glottal stop)

Nasals

m

n

ŋ

-

5. Translating IPA to English Orthography

  • Be familiar with common IPA transcriptions.

  • Example words:

    • /bæt/ → bat

    • /kæt/ → cat

    • /ˈbʌtɚ/ → butter (flap/tap present)

    • /ˈmʌðɚ/ → mother

  • Glottal Stop (ʔ): Often replaces /t/ in words like "bottle" in some dialects → /ˈbɑʔl/

  • Flap/Tap (ɾ): Sounds like a soft "d" in American English → "ladder" and "latter" both pronounced /ˈlæɾɚ/

6. Writing Words in IPA

  • You will hear 7 words and transcribe them into IPA.

  • Focus on:

    • Vowels: /i, ɪ, e, ɛ, æ, u, ʊ, o, ɔ, ɑ/

    • Diphthongs: /aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ, eɪ, oʊ/

    • R-colored vowels: /ɚ, ɝ/

    • Stops: /p, b, t, d, k, g/

    • Nasals: /m, n, ŋ/

    • No flap/tap or glottal stop in this section.

Example Words and Their IPA Transcription:

  • "team" → /tim/

  • "dog" → /dɔg/

  • "phone" → /foʊn/

  • "man" → /mæn/

  • "ring" → /rɪŋ/

  • "road" → /roʊd/

  • "coin" → /kɔɪn/