Post on 17-Apr-2018
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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The sounds of language
Phonetics
Chapter 4
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Recap
� Language vs. other communicative systems
� Universal characteristics of language
• Displacement
• Arbitrariness
• Productivity
• Cultural transmission
• Duality
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Match
� Human language can refer to past and future time and other locations
� The ordinary language user can manipulate his linguistic resources to produce new expressions and new sentences
� The process whereby language is passed on from one generation to the next is called...
� Language is organized on two levels or layers simultaneously
� There is an arbitrary relationship between the linguistic signs and the objects of the real world
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Phonetics
� Knowledge of a language includes � Knowledge of sounds
� How they are combined to form meaningful units
� Some sounds are found in one language but not another
� All the sounds in the world constitute a limited set of the sounds the human vocal tract can produce
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Phonetics- Basics
� Definition: the study of human speech sounds
� Know what an individual sound is.
� Cat is one continuous sound?
� It consists of [k] represented by the letter c, the vowel [æ] represented by
a and the final [t]
� It doesn’t depend on spelling
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The sound-spelling relationship
� Did he believe that Caesar could see the people seize the seas?
� To too two through threw clue shoe
� tough “uff“
cough “off“
bough “aw“
though “oh“
through “ooh“
borough “uh“
hiccough “up“
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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The sound-spelling relationship
� Spelling is not a reliable guide to pronouncing a word in English
� A system is needed where one sound corresponds to one symbol and one symbol corresponds to one sound.
� Phonetic Alphabet- one symbol for each sound.
� International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to symbolize all sounds of all languages
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Fields of Phonetics
� Articulatory phonetics� How sounds are produced
� Acoustic phonetics� Physical properties of sounds
� Auditory phonetics� How sounds are perceived
This class: Articulatory phonetics
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Articulatory phonetics
Questions:
� How can we describe speech sounds in terms of how they are produced in the vocal tract?
� How can we transcribe these sounds?
Goal:
� A systematic method of how to describe and transcribe the sounds occurring in human languages.
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How Are Sounds Produced?
� Most sounds are produced by an air streamcoming from the lungs passing through one or more speech organs.
� Where and how the air stream is obstructed determine the identity of the sound produced.
� When the shape of the vocal tract changes, different sounds are produced.
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Speech Production Mechanism
� Nasal cavity
� Oral cavity
� Pharynx
� Vocal folds
� Glottis
� Energy sourceLUNGS
LARYNX
VOCAL TRACT (shapes
sounds)
(voicing)
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Vocal Organs- articulators
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Consonants & Vowels
� Sounds
Sounds
Consonants Vowels
Obstruction of airflow Free flow of air
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Consonants
� Consonants are classified according to three parameters.
� Voicing
� Place of articulation
� Manner of articulation
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Voicing
� Voicing occurs in the larynx where the vocal folds are.
Voicing
� When the vocal folds are held together, they start to vibrate when air passes through them → a voiced sound.
� E.g. zzzzzzzzzzz vvvvvvvvvvvvv
� When they are held apart, they cannot vibrate; air passes freely through them → a voiceless sound.
� E.g. ssssssssssssss ffffffffffffff
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Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Places of articulation- English
� Where in the vocal tract the airflow is restricted. � Bilabial- two lips [b, p, m]
� Labiodental- upper teeth & lower lip [f, v]
� Dental- between the teeth [θ, ð ]� Alveolar- front part of the tongue on alveolar ridge [s, z, n, t, d, l]
� Palatal- front part of the tongue on the hard palate [ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ, j]
� Velar- the back of the tongue on the velum [k, g, ŋ]
� Glottal- through open glottis [h]
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Places of articulation
� Bilabials
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Places of articulation
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Place of articulation
� Labiodentals
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Place of articulation
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Places of articulation
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Places of articulation
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Places of articulation
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Glottal stop and flap
� Glottal stop [ ʔ[ occurs when the space between the vocal cords (the glottis) is closed completely.
� American pronunciation of
� Oh oh bottle batman
� Flap [ ɾ [ produced by the tongue tip tapping the alveolar ridge briefly.
� American pronunciation of
� Latter writer metal
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Manner of articulation
� [b] and [m] → voiced bilabials
� [d] and [z] → voiced alveolar
� [t] and [s] → voiceless alveolar
� How are they different?
� In the way the air is restricted in the vocal tract → manner of articulation
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Manners of articulation
� Stops → complete blockage [p, t, k, b, d, g] (also plosives)
� Fricatives → partial blockage [f, v, s, z…]
� Affricates → stop + fricative [tʃ, dʒ]
� Nasal → through nasal cavity [m, n, ŋ]
� glides [j, w] → take the shape of the vowel (also semi-vowels, approximants)
� Liquids → lowering both sides of the tongue [l , r]
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Manner of articulation
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Consonants
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Consonants
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Consonants
� Can be described by using three parameters: voicing, place of articulation and manner of articulation
� Examples:
[p] voiceless bilabial stop
[n] voiced alveolar nasal
[d]
[ŋ]
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What is a vowel?
� A sound produced without major constriction in the vocal tract
� No articulators touching or even coming close
� Since the sound is not produced by constriction, the energy comes primarily from the vocal cords
� Vowels are all voiced
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Vowels
� Vowels can be classified by answering three questions
• How high is the tongue?• High- mid - low
• What part of the tongue is involved?• Front- central- back
• What is the position of the lips?• Rounded or unrounded
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Tongue positions
� Tongue height
� High [i, u]
� Mid [ε, o]
� Low [æ]
Say seat, set, sat transcribed [i], [ε], [æ]
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Tongue position
� Tongue backness
� Front [i], [æ]
� Central [ә]
� Back [u], [o], [a]
Say he and who
Front vowels
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Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
Back vowels
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Front and back vowels� Who
[hu]� He[hi]
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Preview of vocal tract shaping
� Say “heave” and “have”
Say “who” and “ha”
� What do you notice going on in your mouth?
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Classification: Tongue Height
� High:
� Heave
� Who
� Low:
� Have
� Ha
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Lip rounding
� Rounded [u], [o]
[u] noon
[o] boat
� Unrounded
[i] heat
[I] hit
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Vowel Chart
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Diphthongs
� A combination of two sounds vowel + glide
� [aw] cow, loud
� [�j] boy, void, noise
� [aj] buy, eye, my
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Vowels description
� Can be classified according to three parameters: height, backness, and lip rounding
� Examples:
[i] high front unrounded vowel
[u] high back rounded vowel
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Phonetic Transcription
� The best-known system:
� The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
� IPA has been developing since 1888.
� The system represents each sound of human speech with a single symbol.
� The symbol is enclosed in brackets [ ].
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Benefits of Phonetic Transcription
� We can use IPA transcription across languages, there is one symbol for EVERY possible human sound
� There is a 1-1 correspondence of sound to symbol
• Cat [kæt]
• Cell [sel]
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Consonant chart
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Activity: identifying diphthongs
� call
� top
� Fright
� joy
� top
� Haste
� Avoid
� Proud
� Hide
Alaa Mohammadi- Fall 2009
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Transcription Practice
� Transcribe the following words
• Kick
• Boot
• She
• The
• Thin
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Important terms
� Articulatory phonetics
� articulators
� Consonants and vowels
� Places of articulation
� Manner of articulation
� Voicing
� Parameters for describing vowels
� Phonetic transcription