Chapter 3 The Sound of Language
In this chapter, we will learn about IPA ( International Phonetic Alphabet ) and how some symbols in the IPA chart can represent the sound of English words
1 Phonetics
The general study of the characteristics of speech sounds is called phonetics. there 3 domains of phonetics
Articulatory phonetics: study of how speech sounds are made, or articulated
Acoustic phonetics: study of physical properties of speech as sound waves in the air
Auditory phonetics: study of perception, via the ear, of speech sounds
2 Consonants
Let’s learn about the articulation of consonants. We will focus on 3 features:
The voiced/voiceless distinction
The place of articulation
The manner of articulation
3 Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
To make consonants sound, the air needs to be pushed out by the lungs through the trachea to the larynx
There are 2 cases when making a consonant
Voiceless consonants: when the air passes through the larynx with no obstruction
Voiced consonants: when the air passes through the larynx with a vibration effect
The distinction can be felt physically by placing a fingertip on top of Adam’s apple, for example, you can try by producing sounds such as /z/ and /v/ to feel the vibration and /s/ and /f/ sounds to feel no obstruction of the larynx.
4 Place of Articulation
When the air passes through the larynx comes up via the pharynx, and comes to the mouth and/or nose. We produce speech while breathing out and quite difficult to talk while breathing out. Most consonant sounds are produced by using the tongue and other parts of the mouth to constrict ( which is known as an articulator). To describe many sounds we need a place of articulation: that is, the location inside the mouth at which the constriction takes place.
To describe the place of the articulator we can start at the front of the mouth and work back.
Familiar Symbols
Many of the symbols used in phonetics to describe consonant sounds will be familiar.
Bilabial ( lips)
[p] in pop for the voiceless version
[b] in Bob,/m/ in mom,/w/ in wet for the voiced versions
Labiodentals ( upper front teeth and lower lip)
[f] in fat for the voiceless version
[v] in vat for the voiced version
Alveolar (behind the upper teeth)
[t] in tot, [s] in see are voiceless version
[d] in dog,[z] in zoo, [r] in run,[l] in long, [n] in nude are voiced version
Unfamiliar Symbols
Other symbols may be much less familiar
Dental( teeth)
[θ] called “theta as voiceless version,” in thin and wrath
[ð] called “eth,” as voiced version in thus, then, feather
Palatal ( where the alveolar ridge meets the roof of the mouth)
[ʃ] for the “sh” sound, as in shout and shoe-brush ( voiceless)
[ ʧ ] for the “ch” sound, as in child and church
( voiceless)
[ʒ] for the sound in treasure and rouge ( voiced)
[ʤ] for the sound in Judge and George (voiced)
[ j ] for the sound of the written letter “y”, as in yes and yoyo
Velars (the back of the mouth)
[k], as in kick (voiceless)
[ɡ], as in gag (voiced) { [ɡ] is different from typewritten “g.”}
[ŋ], called “angma,” as in thong and ringing {There is no [ɡ] sound at the end of these words}
Glottal (the space between the vocal folds in the larynx)
[h] sound in have and hold, and the first sound in who and whose
Transcribing Sounds (Not Letters)
These words such as bang and tongue end with [ŋ] only, and there is no [ɡ] sound despite the spelling
These words are different spellings but the first sound in "photo" and the last sound in "enough" are the same [f]
These final sounds in the pairs face versus phase and race versus raise, listen carefully, you will
hear /s/ in the first word of each pair and /z/ in the second
5 Manner of Articulation
To distinguish 2 or more consonant sounds we need more than just a place of articulation. For example /t/ and /s/ are two alveolar consonant sounds but the way it pronounced is different. So we need a manner of articulation to distinguish how it is pronounced.
6 A Consonant Chart
To sum up all the above knowledge we will have a consonant chart
Glottal Stops and Flaps
The Glottal Stops
Represented by [ʔ]. This sound is produced when the space between the vocal folds (the glottis) is closed completely very briefly, then released
Example:
Uh-uh
Harry Potter as it did not have the “H”
bottle or buttle without the “tt”
The Flap
Represented by [ɾ]. This sound is produced by the
tongue tip tapping the alveolar ridge briefly
Example: “flap” [t] and [d]
latter/ladder
metal/medal
writer/rider
7 Vowels
Vowel sounds are produced with a relatively free flow of air. They are all typically voiced. The shape of your tongue plays a big role in how vowel sounds come out. When discussing the place of articulation we imagine the mouth as a space with different regions – front versus back and high versus low
Example:
heat and hit, we talk about “high, front” vowels because the sound is made with the front part of the tongue in a raised position
8 Diphthongs
Besides single vowels, we also make sounds that combine two vowel sounds, called diphthongs. Making a diphthong sound involves our tongue shifting between two different vowel sounds.
Example some diphthongs
[aɪ] buy, eye, I, my, pie, sigh
[oʊ] boat, home, owe, throw, toe
[aʊ] bough, doubt, cow
[ɔɪ] boy, noise, royal
[eɪ] bait, eight, great, late, say
American and British Diphthongs
Diphthongs of American and British are quite different. American English usually says the "r" at the end of words, while Southern British English often doesn't
9 Subtle Individual Variation
These are the most commonly used vowels. The “schwa” [ə] and the “wedge” [ʌ]. It is an unstressed vowel. People use schwa to transcribe. In daily use, schwa often appears in the words: afford, collapse, and in those common words a, and the in casual speech
Besides the many ways we move our mouth to make sounds, there's that little flap at the back of our throat (uvula) that teams up with the tongue to create sounds like the French "r" in "rouge." This sound is usually written as [R]
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