PHONETICS

PHONETICSAn Introduction to Linguistics

•How to ‘write down’ sounds

A transcription system should be consistent and unambiguous.

•Is English a good transcription system?

•What do we use to transcribe the sounds?

• IPA• International Phonetic Alphabet

•An anatomy of articulation

•CONSONANTS

•How to describe consonants

•PLACE OF ARTICULATION

•labials/bilabials

•dentals/interdentals

•labiodentals

•alveolars

•palatals

•velars

•glottals

•Summary: place of articulation

category places examples

bilabials Two lips [b], [p], [m]

Labio-dentals

Lip & teeth [f], [v],

Inter-dentals

Between teeth [θ], [ð]

alveolars Alveolar ridge [t], [d], [n], [l] [s], [z]

palatals palate [ž]/[ʒ], [š]/[ʃ], [ʤ], [ʧ]/[č]

velars Velum [k]. [g], [ŋ]

glottals glottis [h]

•MANNER OF ARTICULATION

•Manner of articulation 1

•Manner of articulation 2

•Manner of articulation (1)

category distinction example

Voiced vs. voiceless

Vibration of vocal cord

[p] vs. [b]

Aspirated vs. unaspirated

The ‘timing’ of vocal cord closure

Top vs. stop

Nasal vs. oral Air thru nose [m], [n], [ŋ]

• Phonetic flash • http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ho

me/johnm/flash/flashin.htm

•Web Resources

•How to describe a sound

• [p]=voiceless bilabial stop• [v]=• [g]=• [z]=• [ʤ]= • [ŋ]=

•Exercise 1

•Exercise 2• Voiceless interdental fricative= [ ]• Voiced palatal affricate= [ ]• Voiceless alveolar stop= [ ]• Voiceless labiodental fricative = [ ]• Bilabial nasal=[ ]• Voiceless palatal fricative= [ ]• Voiced velar stop= [ ]

•VOWELS

•How to describe vowels: criteria•Height of tongue

• High, mid, low• The part of the tongue is involved

• Front, central, back• Position of lips

• Rounded, non-rounded• Tense vs. lax

•Vowel Chart

FRONT BACKROUND

HIGH [i] (T)[I]

[u] (T)[U]

MID [e] (T)[ɛ]

[o] (T)[ɔ]

LOW [æ] [a]

•How to describe a vowel

• [vowel]=• Tense/lax + (Rounded) + High/mid/low +

front/back • [æ]= low front vowel• [o]= tense rounded mid back vowel

•SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES

•Length • The contrast of meaning due to length difference• Inherent differences

• High vowels are shorter than low vowels• [i] < [æ]

• Influenced by the sounds around. • Bead > beat

•Tone • The pitch variation that causes the contrast of meaning.• Level tones

• A relatively fixed tone• Contour tones

• A single syllable produced with tones that glide from one level to another.

•Mandarin Chinese: a tone language

segments Tone pattern Tone type[ma] High level Level [ma] High rising Contour [ma] Low falling rising Contour [ma] High falling Contour

• Online Intonation • http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ho

me/johnm/oi/oiin.htm

• Pitch • http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/cgi

-bin/wtutor?tutorial=pitch

•Web Resources

•SOUNDS IN INTERACTION

•Phonetics vs. phonology

•Example • Phonetics

• [s] is a voiceless alveolar fricative.• [z] is a voiced alveolar fricative.

• Phonology• Cats, dogs • /s/ is pronounced as [s] before a voiceless sound.• /s/ is pronounced as [z] before a voiced sound.

•Sounds that contrast• Example

• fine/dine; like/bike• Contrast between sounds/segments

• [f] and [d] are contrastive sounds

•Minimal pairs• Example

• beat [bit]/boat [bot]/bat [baet]• lobe [lob]/load [lod]

• A pair of words whose contrast lies in only one sound. • The one-sound contrast also causes difference in meaning.

•There is a minimal pair. What are the two words?What are the two contrastive sounds? Describe the sounds.

•Phonological rules

S j huang

•Assimilation

• A sound becomes more like a neighboring sound due to certain phonetic property.

•dissimilation

• A sound becomes less like a neighboring sound due to certain phonetic property.

•Insertion

• A phonemic segment is added to the phonetic form of a word.

•deletion

• A phonemic segment is deleted at the phonetic level

•metathesis

• The order of the sounds is changed.

Questions?