Introduction to Phonetics & Phonology

Topic 2 – Speech sound classification (Slides 1)

The Phonemic ChartConsonants

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.

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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CONSONANTSI. 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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Phonetic transcription

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The representation of speech with phoneticsymbols: each symbol represents one andonly one sound

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) A universal inventory of phonetic symbolsRepresenting the sounds in all human languages

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