The document discusses key concepts in phonetics and phonology. It begins by explaining that English spelling does not always match sounds. It then defines phonetics as the study of speech sounds and their characteristics. The basic unit in phonetics is the phone, while the basic unit in phonology is the phoneme. It describes the International Phonetic Alphabet and how it is used to accurately transcribe sounds. The document also discusses phonetic concepts like manner and place of articulation, as well as the differences between vowels and consonants.
2. English is not spelled how it sounds
Heard looks like Beard but sounds like Bird
Dead looks like Bead but sounds like Bed
Meat looks like Great but sounds like Sweet
Moth looks like Mother but sounds like Cloth
Dear looks like Pear but sounds like Beer
3. Phonetics
The general study of the characteristics
of speech sounds
This includes whether sounds are voiced
or voiceless sounds as well as their
manner and place of articulation
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
is used to help accurately describe sounds
4. Phone
The basic unit of phonetics is
called a phone.
Any human speech
sound is a phone.
Phones are often expressed
by placing brackets around
an IPA transcription (ex: [dæns]
for the American pronunciation of dance).
5. Phonology
The study of systems and patterns of
speech sounds in languages
The basic unit in phonology is the
phoneme, which is any sound in language
that distinguishes meaning (ex: in rat and
mat, /r/ and /m/ are the phonemes which
change the meanings of the words)
Phonemes are often expressed by placing
slashes around the IPA transcription: /b/
6. Phone Phoneme
Any possible
human speech
sound in any
language
The smallest
identifiable unit in
speech
Transcribed within
brackets [b] [o]
A contrastive unit
in the sound
system of a
specific language
A minimal unit that
serves to
distinguish
between word
meanings
Transcribed within
slashes /b/ /o/
7. universal system to transcribe the
sounds of speech
used since 1888
represents each sound with a single
symbol
symbols are enclosed in square
brackets [ ]
enables linguists to transcribe
languages accurately
IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
8. IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
Transcribe SOUNDS, not letters!
Annie
How many letters?
How many sounds?
[ æ n i ]
The complete IPA is available as a word file
on our class website.
9. IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
IPA
SYMBOL
WORD
EXAMPLE
IPA
TRANSCRIPTION
[i] fee [ f i ]
[I] fit [ f I t ]
[ej] fate [ f ej t]
[ɛ] let [ l ɛ t ]
[æ] bat [ b æ t ]
[u] boot [ b u t ]
[ʊ] book [ b ʊ k ]
10. IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
IPA
SYMBOL
WORD
EXAMPLE
IPA
TRANSCRIPTION
[ p ] spit [ s p I t ]
[ b ] bib [ b I b]
[ t ] stuck [ s t ʌ k]
[ d ] dip [ d I p ]
[ k ] skip [ s k I p ]
[ g ] get [ g ɛ t ]
11. IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet
IPA
SYMBOL
WORD
EXAMPLE
IPA
TRANSCRIPTION
[ θ ] theta thick [ θ I k ]
[ ð ] eth though [ ð o w ]
[ə] schwa the [ð ə]
[ ɾ ] flap hitting [h I ɾ I ŋ]
[ ŋ ] sang [ s æ ŋ ]
[ t ʃ ] chip [ tʃ I p]
[ dʒ ] judge [dʒ ʌ dʒ]
12. Production of Speech Sounds
Manner of articulation – HOW
the sound is produced
Point of articulation - WHERE
the sound is produced
Voiced or Voiceless - Whether
they make the vocal cords vibrate
or not
13. Vowels vs. Consonants
Vowels: produced by letting air flow
through the vocal tract without any (or
with little) obstruction
◦ Vowel sounds are always voiced
Consonants: production involves
closure or some sort of obstruction of
the air flow in the vocal tract
◦ Consonants can be either voiced or
voiceless
14. Voiced vs. Voiceless Sounds
Vocal cords spread apart, air passes
unimpeded. These sounds are called
VOICELESS.
Ex: /k/ /f/ /t/
Vocal cords draw together, air pushes
them apart to pass through, creating a
vibration. These sounds are called
VOICED.
Ex: /g/ /v/ /d/
16. Misunderstandings
Target sound /I/, as in “Phil”
Produced by speaker as /i/, as in “feel”
NOTE: These sounds are troublesome for
speakers of languages that don’t have both
/i/ and /I/ sounds.
Think what would happen if someone
mispronounces “beach” or “sheet.”
21. Alveolars
Made by using the
tongue and the
alveolar ridge
[t], [d], [s], [z],
[n], [l], [r]
top, deer, soap, zip,
nap, lap, right
22. Palatals
Made when the center
of the tongue
approaches the palate.
Voiceless sounds: chip,
chocolate or ship and
shoe
Voiced sounds: rouge,
judge, and George
The [j] sound,
pronounced you or yet
is called a palatal glide
23. Velars
Made when the back
of the tongue touches
the velum.
[k] sound as in kid
[g] sound as in go
Also, the ~ng sound:
rolling, sung,
24. Manner of Articulation
How a sound is made
Important for explaining how to make
sounds
For example, [d] and [z] are made in the
same place of articulation, the alveolar
ridge, but they have different manners of
articulation.
25. Stops
[p] [b] [t] [d] [k] [g]
Also called ‘plosives’
Produced by a form of brief stopping of
the airstream
For instance the [t] in ten, and the [b]
and [d] in bed
26. Fricatives
[f] [v] [θ] [ð][s] [z] [ʃ] [ʒ][h]
Produced by almost blocking the
airstream (air pushes through a very
narrow opening)
Fish begins and ends with fricatives [f]
and [ʃ]
Those begins and ends with fricatives
[ð ] and [z]
27. Affricates
[tʃ] [dʒ]
Produced by a combination of a brief
stopping of airstream with an
obstructed release, causing some
friction
cheap and jeep have affricate
sounds [tʃ] and [dʒ]
28. Nasals
[m] [n] [ŋ]
Produced when the vellum is
lowered and the airstream is
allowed to flow out through the
nose
morning, knitting and name
begin and end with nasals
29. Liquids
[l] [ɹ]
The [l] sound as in led is formed by letting
the airstream flow around the sides of the
tongue as the tip of the tongue makes
contact with the middle of the alveolar ridge.
The [ɹ] sound as in red is formed with the tip
of the tongue raised and curled back near
the alveolar ridge.
30. Glides
[w] [j] [h]
Produced with the tongue in motion or
‘gliding’ to or from the position of a
vowel
They are sometimes called semi-
vowels or approximants
We, wet, you, yes, hi and hello
31. Glottal Stop and the Flap
Glottal stop: [ʔ]
Produced when the space between the
vocal cords (glottis) is closed
completely (very briefly) and then
released
Uh oh! [ʌ ʔ ow]
The flap: [ɾ]
Butter or Manhattan
35. Vowels: Diphthongs
a sound made by combining two
vowels, when the sound starts as
one vowel sound and ends as
another
[aɪ] = fight
[aʊ] = foul
[eɪ] = fate
[oʊ] = foe
[ɔɪ] = foil
36. Minimal Pairs
The words Phil and feel are a minimal
pair. What do you think a minimal pair
is?
“When two words are identical in
phonetical form except for a contrast in
one phoneme, occurring in the same
position, the two words are described
as a minimal pair.” (Yule 1985)
39. Accent vs. Dialect
Do you have an accent?
What is the difference between an
accent and a dialect?
Accent: Manner of pronunciation,
typically associated with a particular
nation, locality, or social class.
Dialect: Manner of speech which differs
in structure, grammar, pronunciation,
and vocabulary
Different dialects are mutually
comprehensible.; different languages are
not.
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