Introduction To Core Linguistics

Phonetics: description of speech sounds. Place of articulation Phonetics Manner of articulation Voicing

1. Place of articulation: Lips Teeth Mouth Tongue

Alveolar ridge The roof Hard palate Of the mouth Soft palate/Velum Tip of the tongue

Blade of the tongue Tongue body Front of the tongue Back of the tongue

Uvula Pharynx Vocal tract Glottis Larynx Lungs Articulators Active: tongue; lips; soft palate (velum)…

Articulators Passive: teeth; alveolar ridge; Hard palate…

Oral Central Airflow Oral Nasal Lateral (sides)

Air flows either from the oral or from the nasal cavity.Oral: air flows either from the centre or from the sides of the mouth. Ex: r (central); l (lateral)Nasal: the velum lowers and blocks off the oral cavity to let the air out of the nostrils.

Lips Teeth TongueAlveolar

ridgeHard

palateSoft

palate/Velum

Uvula Pharynx Glottis

LipsBilabial (p;b;m;

w)

Labiodental(f;v)

TeethLabiode

ntal(f;v)

Interdental/

Dentals( ;ð)θ

TongueInterdental

/ Dentals( ;ð)θ

Alveolar(t;s;z;d;n;

l;r)

Palatal(

ʃ;ʒ;tʃ;dʒ;j)

Velar(k;g;ŋ)

Uvular(q; ;x)ʀ

Pharyngeal

( ;ħ)ʕ

Glottal( ;h)Ɂ

Alveolar ridge

Alveolar(t;s;z;d;n

;l;r)Hard

palatePalatal

(ʃ;ʒ;tʃ;dʒ;j

)Soft

palate/Velum

Velar(k;g;ŋ)

Uvula Uvular(q; ;x)ʀ

PharynxPharyng

eal( ;ħ)ʕ

Glottis Glottal( ;h)Ɂ

Ex: m; n; ŋ

Postalveolar/alveopalatal=hard palate + front of the tongue.Ex: dʒ - tʃ - ʒ - ʃRetroflex=Tongue tip + Hard palateEx : ɹ

Consonants Speech sounds Vowels

Glides (Semi consonants/vowels)

Consonantal sounds cause an obstruction of airflow in the vocal tract.Ex: d; t; b; k; pVowel sounds cause little to no obstruction of airflow in the vocal tract.Ex: /i:/ /a:/ / :/ / :/ /u:/ᴐ зGlides are sounds pronounced with approximately open vocal folds.Ex: j; w

2. Manner of articulation: Plosives/stops: sounds produced with the lips. (Complete obstruction of the air).Ex: b; p; t; d; k; gNasals: sounds produced through the nasal cavity.Ex: m; n; ŋTrills: sounds produced with the tip of the tongue flapping repeatedly the alveolar ridge.Ex: r (rrrrrr)Tap/flap: sound produced with one single flap by the tip of the tongue on the alveolar ridge. (Mostly used by the Americans)Ex: (Beɾ tter) (Ladder)Fricatives: sounds produced with a partial obstruction of the air causing a friction.Ex: f; v; s; z; θ; ð; ʃ; ʒ Lateral fricative/Lateral approximant/Alveolar lateral approximant/Lateral liquid: sound produced with the airflow released from the sides.Ex: lLiquids: sounds produced with an obstruction of the air + frictionless airflow.Ex: l; ɹGlides: sounds pronounced with approximately open vocal folds. (Frictionless open approximation)Ex: w; jAffricates= stops + fricativesEx: tʃ = t+ʃ dʒ=d+ʒ Approximants= liquids+glidesEx : l ; ɹ ; w ; jPalatal approximant: is made by raising the tongue body up to the hard palate. Ex: jLabiovelar approximant: an open approximation at the lips and the tongue back is raised towards the velum.Ex: wAlveolar approximant/Retroflex liquid: to produce this sound, the tongue tip or blade is raised up towards the alveolar ridge and curved. Ex: ɹ

Primary articulationFeatures of consonants (monophthongs): they are three.

Consonant Voicing Place of articulation Manner of articulationb Voiced Bilabial Stop/Plosivep Voiceless Bilabial Stop/Plosivem Voiced Bilabial Nasal and Stopθ Voiceless Interdental Fricativeð Voiced Interdental Fricativef Voiceless Labiodental Fricativev Voiced Labiodental Fricativet Voiceless Alveolar Stop/Plosived Voiced Alveolar Stop/Plosives Voiceless Alveolar Fricativez Voiced Alveolar Fricativen Voiced Alveolar Nasal and Stopl Voiced Alveolar Liquidr Voiced Alveolar Trillɹ Voiced Alveolar Liquidɾ Voiced Alveolar Tap/Flapʃ Voiceless Palatal Fricativeʒ Voiced Palatal Fricativetʃ Voiceless Palatal Affricate

dʒ Voiced Palatal Affricatej Voiced Palatal Glidek Voiceless Velar Stop/Plosiveg Voiced Velar Stop/Plosiveŋ Voiced Velar Nasal and Stopʀ Voiced Uvular Trillx Voiced Uvular Trillq Voiced Uvular Stop/Plosiveħ Voiceless Pharyngeal Fricativeʕ Voiced Pharyngeal Fricativeh Voiceless Glottal FricativeɁ Voiceless Glottal Stop/Plosivew Voiced Labiovelar Glideʍ Voiceless Labiovelar Glide

Note: all nasals are stops.

Features of vowels: they are four.

Vowel Height of the tongue

Frontness/backness of the tongue

Tenseness/laxness of the tongue

Rounded/unrounded

i: High Front Tense UnroundedI High Front Lax Unrounded

eɪ Mid Front Tense Unroundede Mid Front Lax Unrounded:З Mid Central Lax Unrounded

ӕ Low Front Lax Unroundeda: Low Back Lax Unroundedʌ Mid Central Lax Unroundedəʊ Mid Back Tense Roundedə Mid Central Lax Unroundedaɪ Low Front Tense Unroundedaʊ Low Back Tense Roundedᴐɪ Mid Front Tense Roundedɒ Low Back Lax Unrounded

:ᴐ Mid Back Lax Roundedʊ High Back Lax Roundedu: High Back Tense Rounded

Centring diphthongsDiphthongs (complex vowels) Closing diphthongs

Centring diphthongs end with a schwa as a central vowel.Ex: e chair /tə ʃe / hear /h / sure /ə ɪə ɪə ʊə ʃ /ʊə

Closing diphthongs end in or as closed vowels.ɪ ʊEx: e play /ple / a fly /fla / toy /t / grow /gr / a now /na /ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ ᴐɪ ᴐɪ əʊ əʊ ʊ ʊ

Triphtongs: they contain one more vowel than the diphthongs.Ex: a hire /ha / a power /pa / royal /r l/ɪə ɪə ʊə ʊə ᴐɪə ᴐɪə

Voicing:Voicing is whether a sound is voiced or voiceless. When the vocal folds are approximated, they produce vibration; therefore, the sound is voiced.Ex: d; g; l; m; n…

When the vocal folds are apart, no vibration is produced, the air flows freely so the sound is voiceless. (f; s; p; k; t…)How to distinguish between voiced and voiceless sounds?

Put your fingers on your throat to see if it vibrates. Plug your ears with your palms and pronounce the sound. You will hear a loud

voice for the voiced sounds. Choose a word ending with the consonant you wish to know whether it is voiced or

voiceless, and add an s at the end of the word. The voiced sound will make you pronounce s /z/ and vice versa.

The sound story:Each sound has its own story, that is before being pronounced, each sound goes through some steps. These steps are as follows:

1. Airstream mechanism / pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism (where the air comes from)2. The larynx (glottis, vocal folds, voicing)3. The phonation process (air flows through the oral or nasal cavity)4. Place of articulation (what articulators are involved)5. Manner of articulation (how the two articulators come into contact)

Ex: the sound /ŋ/The air starts from the lungs and goes up to the glottis; that is the pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism. The air passes through the glottis between approximate vocal folds causing vibration. In the phonation process, the air flows through the nasal cavity while the tongue back comes into contact with the velum that lowers and blocks off the oral cavity making a plosive sound. Finally, we get a nasal sound out the nostrils.