phobetics and phonology

1. Introduction to
Phonetics & Phonology
Topic 2 – Speech sound classification (Slides 1)
The Phonemic Chart
Consonants
Vowels

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PHONETICS:
The scientific study of speech sounds –
their description, classification and transcription
(i) Articulatory phonetics: How speech sounds are articulated -- i.e.
what speech organs are involved, and what physical gestures or
configurations are required to produce the sounds in question.
(ii) Acoustic phonetics: The physical properties of the sound waves
generated by speech -- e.g. the frequency of oscillation (how many cycles
per second), amplitude (how loud), and duration (for how long).
(iii) Auditory phonetics: How speech sounds are perceived by the
hearer as having certain auditory properties that differentiate them from
each other, such as the quality of the sound (is it [i] or [e]?), the pitch
(high or low), loudness, length, and so on.

3. The Speech Organ
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PHONETIC CLASSIFICATION
Two broad distinctions:
(i) Vowels: sounds which are made with a smooth,
continuous, unobstructed airflow through the oral
cavity (e.g. [i:] as in see or [u:] as in too)
(ii)Consonants: sounds which are made with some
obstruction to the airflow in the oral cavity (e.g. [s]
as in see or [t] as in too)

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CONSONANTS
I. MANNER OF ARTICULATION

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II. PLACE OF ARTICULATION

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Vowels:
(1)the height to which the body of the tongue is
raised, whether it is high, low, or in between
(mid);
(2) how forward the body of the tongue is, whether it
is front (advanced), central, or back (retracted);
(3) whether the lips are rounded or unrounded.

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16. Phonetic transcription
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The representation of speech with phonetic
symbols: each symbol represents one and
only one sound
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)
A universal inventory of phonetic symbols
Representing the sounds in all human languages

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