Class 1: Phonetics and Phonology

WELCOME TO ENGLISH

PHONETICS

PHONE: A speech sound in a language

SPEECH: the ability to talk, the activity of talking, or a

piece of spoken language

LANGUAGE: a system of communication consisting

of sounds, words and grammar, or the system of

communication used by the people of a particular

country

LINGUISTICS: the systematic study of the structure

and development of language in general or of

particular languages

The LINGUISTIC study of language includes:

The study of the STRUCTURE OF SENTENCES

The study of the STRUCTURE OF WORDS

The study of MEANING

The study of HOW TO USE WORDS

(categories like nouns, verbs, & rules governing the

structure of phrases, clauses and sentences)

(the meaning of words and the relationship

between word meanings, and the way they

combine to give the meanings of sentences)

(the words of a language, their pronunciation and

their meaning)

The study of LANGUAGE, MEANING & CONTEXT

(the influence of situation on the interpretation of

what people say; the study of the aspects of

meaning and language use that are dependent

on the speaker , the addressee and other features

of the context of utterance )

(parts of the word, such as affixes)

The study of SPEECH SOUNDS OR PHONES

General Information about Phonetics and Phonology:

•Every language has a small number of regularly used sounds

(vowels and consonants). We call these sounds PHONEMES.

Examples:

The vowels in the words ‘pin’ and ‘pen’ are different

phonemes

The consonants at the beginning of the words ‘pet’ and ‘bet’

are also different phonemes

•English spelling has a notoriously confusing nature.

•For this reason it is important to think of English pronunciation

in terms of phonemes, and not in terms of letters of the

alphabet.

Examples:

The word ‘enough’ begins with the same vowel phoneme as

that at the beginning of ‘inept’ and ends with the same

consonant as ‘stuff’

They are both part of a general theory

about SPEECH SOUNDS and how they

are used in LANGUAGE.

•PHONETICS is concerned with the CONCRETE

reality of the sounds used in language.

•PHONOLOGY is concerned with HOW

sounds FUNCTION in a SYSTEMATIC way IN A

PARTICULAR LANGUAGE.

It deals with how speech

sounds are organised into

patterns or systems for

each individual language

It deals with:

•How SPEECH SOUNDS are

made

•How SPEECH SOUNDS are

perceived

•SPEECH SOUNDS and the

physics involved

Three branches of

Phonetics

ARTICULATORY

PHONETICS

AUDITORY

PHONETICS

ACOUSTIC

PHONETICS

Because you are going to work with the

English language at an advanced level

as TEACHERS, TRANSLATORS-

INTERPRETERS or RESEARCHERS...

… you will need the deeper

understanding provided by the study of

Phonetic and Phonological theory to

understand the principles regulating the

use of sounds in spoken English.

THE PHYSIOLOGY(*) OF PRONUNCIATION

Physiology: the science that deals with the way the

bodies of living things operate.

Classes 3 and 5: PHYSIOLOGY OF PRONUNCIATION

ORGANS OF SPEECH

• UPPER LIP

• LOWER LIP

• UPPER TEETH

• LOWER TEETH

• TONGUE TIP

• TONGUE BLADE

• TONGUE FRONT

• TONGUE BODY

• TONGUE BACK

• TONGUE ROOT

• ALVEOLAR RIDGE

• HARD PALATE

• SOFT PALATE (VELUM)

• UVULA

Diagram of human head

ANOTHER VIEW

HOW IS SPEECH POSSIBLE?

THE AIR STREAM EXPELLED FROM THE LUNGS IS THE MOST COMMON SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR OUR VOCAL ACTIVITY.

IN THE TRACHEA OR WINDPIPE

IT PASSES THROUGH THE

LARYNX, CONTAINING THE

VOCAL FOLDS OR VOCAL

CORDS.

THE FRONT PORTION OF THE

TRACHEA OR WINDPIPE IS

PROMINENT IN THE NECK

BELOW THE CHIN AND IS

KNOWN AS “ADAM’S APPLE”.

VOCAL CORDS OR FOLDS

GLOTTIS: OPENING BETWEEN THE FOLDS

THE VOCAL FOLDS ACT AS VIBRATORS MOVED BY LUNG AIR.

TO PRODUCE VOICE THEY ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND VIBRATE.

e.g. /g/, /l/, /m/

From the larynx to the phrarinx

THE PHARYNGEAL CAVITY

EXTENDS FROM THE TOP OF

THE TRACHEA AND

OESOPHAGUS, PAST THE

EPIGLOTTIS AND THE ROOT

OF THE TONGUE, TO THE

REGION AT THE REAR OF THE

SOFT PALATE.

Sounds such as [æ] are articulated with a strong contraction of the pharynx.

When the air escapes from the pharynx, the soft palate may be:

•LOWERED AS IN NORMAL

BREATHING. THE AIR MAY

ESCAPE THROUGH THE NOSE

AND THE MOUTH.

ALL NORMAL ENGLISH SOUNDS (EXCEPTION

OF NASAL CONSONANTS) HAVE THIS ORAL

ESCAPE.

•RAISED: THE AIR ESCAPES

ONLY BY THE MOUTH.

THE MOUTH

It’s no coincidence that in English and Spanish the word “tongue” refers to the organs and to language as a means of communication.

SPEECH MECHANISM WHICH DETERMINES THE

QUALITY OF THE MAJORITY OF THE SPEECH

SOUNDS BECAUSE ITS PARTS ARE EASIER TO

CONTROL.

THE MOUTH

FIXED ELEMENTS:

•TEETH (IN THE FRONT)

•HARD PALATE (IN THE

UPPER PART)

•PHARYNGEAL WALL (IN THE

REAR)

MOVABLE ELEMENTS:

•LIPS

•VARIOUS PARTS OF THE TONGUE

•SOFT PALATE INCLUDING UVULA

•LOWER JAW

THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH

THREE PARTS:

•ALVEOLAR RIDGE OR TEETH RIDGE (BACK OF THE UPPER TEETH).

•BONY ARCH WHICH FORMS THE HARD PALATE.

•THE SOFT PALATE, FOLLOWING THE HARD PALATE AND ENDING IN THE UVULA.

TO DESCRIBE SOUNDS, WE NEED TO CONSIDER:

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE…

THE NATURE OF THE AIRSTREAM: USUALLY STRAIGHT FROM THE LUNGS

THE ACTION OF THE VOCAL FOLDS: CLOSED, WIDE APART OR VIBRATING

THE POSITION OF THE SOFT PALATE: DESCIDES IF THE SOUND HAS NASAL RESONANCES

DISPOSITION OF THE MOVABLE ORGANS OF THE MOUTH

THE CONCEPT OF “PHONEME”

Class 7: The concept of Phoneme

What are these symbols?

• They are called phonemic symbols (as opposed to phonetic symbols).

• Each one represents a PHONEME, that is, ONE specific SIGNIFICANT speech sound.

Significant?

• By “significant” we mean that each of these sounds can make a difference in the meaning of a word.

• Take the case of “map” and “cap”. Phonemes /m/ and /k/ are significant from the moment they can alter the meanings of words.

PHONEMES!!!

• A phoneme is the smallest contrastive unit in the sound system of a language.

• A phoneme is a minimal unit that serves to distinguish between meanings of words.

• By convention, a phoneme is represented between /slashes/,

• e.g. /b/, /m/.

HOW MANY PHONEMES ARE THERE IN THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE?

HOW ARE PHONEMES

CLASSIFIED?

CONSONANTS

12 V

OW

ELS

8 D

IPT

HONGS

SPELLING FORMS

PRACTICE WITH TONGUE TWISTERS:

Everybody saw Eddie and the Eskimo enter the elevator on the elephant.

.

CAN YOU IDENTIFY EACH TARGET SOUND?

The important Indian was ill with injuries inside the igloo.

Oliver had an operation in October, and Oscar gave him an octopus.

Andrew and Alice asked if Annie's active animals were angry.

On Mondays Michael's mother Mary mostly mopped.

Uncle was upset because he was unable to put his umbrella up.

The excited experts explained that the extra X-rays were excellent.

Bill and Betty baked brown bread for Barbara's baby.

Carol and Claire can cook carrots, corn, cabbage, and candy.

Harry had a horrible headache and hated to hear Henry howl.

John got juice and jelly on his jacket when Judy jumped on him.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Tommy tricked Tim and took his train off the track.

Virginia visited Vicky and gave her violets and vegetables with vitamins.

When the weather is warm we will walk with William in the wild woods.

Yesterday you yelled in the yard for a yellow yo-yo.

HOW DO THESE SYMBOLS HELP US?

• THEY ARE WRITTEN REPRESENTATIONS OF SIGNIFICANT SOUNDS.

• WE CAN PRONOUNCE A WORD WITHOUT HAVING HEARD IT.

• OUR MESSAGE IS UNDERSTOOD AS IT WAS THOUGHT.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE

BETWEEN:

CAP CUP

BAG BUG

CAT CUT

RAG RUGThe answer is: one PHONEME! One SIGNIFICANT sound makes a new word.

These contrastive examples are called MINIMAL PAIRS.

They will help you teach your students to pronounce beautifully.

PHONEMES AND ALLOPHONES

An allophone is any of the variant forms of a single phoneme. Allophones are

NOT SIGNIFICANT

THINK OF: “TOP” V. “LATER”.

•THE TWO /t/ SOUNDS ARE PRONOUNCED DIFFERENTLY. (THE FIRST ONE IS ASPIRATED AND THE SECOND IS UNASPIRATED)

•THEY ARE VARIATIONS OF THE SAME PHONEME.

•THEY DO NOT ALTER THE MEANING OF THE WORDS.

JUST A REMINDER… a few concepts…

ORGANS OF SPEECH

• UPPER LIP

• LOWER LIP

• UPPER TEETH

• LOWER TEETH

• TONGUE TIP

• TONGUE BLADE

• TONGUE FRONT

• TONGUE BODY

• TONGUE BACK

• TONGUE ROOT

• ALVEOLAR RIDGE

• HARD PALATE

• SOFT PALATE (VELUM)

• UVULA

Diagram of human head

PASSIVE

ARTICULATOR?UPPER LIP

LOWER LIP

UPPER TEETH

LOWER TEETH

TONGUE TIP

TONGUE BLADE

TONGUE FRONT

TONGUE BODY

TONGUE BACK

TONGUE ROOT

ALVEOLAR RIDGE

HARD PALATE

SOFT PALATE (VELUM)

UVULA

ACTIVE ARTICULATOR?

UPPER LIP X

LOWER LIP X

UPPER TEETH X

LOWER TEETH (JAW) x

TONGUE TIP X

TONGUE BLADE X

TONGUE FRONT X

TONGUE BODY X

TONGUE BACK X

TONGUE ROOT x

ALVEOLAR RIDGE X

HARD PALATE X

SOFT PALATE (VELUM) X

UVULA X

WHAT’S MOVING? … WHAT’S FIXED?

UPPER LIP

LOWER LIP

UPPER TEETH

LOWER TEETH

TONGUE TIP

TONGUE BLADE

TONGUE FRONT

TONGUE BODY

TONGUE BACK

TONGUE ROOT

ALVEOLAR RIDGE

HARD PALATE

SOFT PALATE (VELUM)

UVULA

•/k/

•/∫/

•/d/

•/g/

•/f/

TO DESCRIBE SOUNDS, WE NEED TO CONSIDER:

THE AIRSTREAM MECHANISM

THE ACTION OF THE VOCAL FOLDS

THE POSITION OF THE SOFT PALATE

DISPOSITION OF THE MOVABLE ORGANS OF THE MOUTH

• The lungs are the source of air to produce most speech sounds.

• The normal flow of air from the lungs is uninterrupted, thus there is no sound production as when we sleep.

• HOWEVER! Snoring… even when sleeping we can produce sounds!!

1. THE AIRSTREAM MECHANISM

• Two lung processes: INHALING AND EXHALING.

• Inhaling: our lungs and chest cavity expand.

• Exhaling: they contract and the air is expelled to…

• THE BRONCHI and then to…

• THE TRACHEA OR WINDPIPE to

• THE LARYNX and to the THE THROAT

1. THE AIRSTREAM MECHANISM

• THREE POSITIONS:– OPEN: NORMAL BREATHING AND VOICELESS SOUNDS

– TIGHTLY CLOSED: GLOTTAL STOPS

– VIBRATING: VOWELS AND VOICED SOUNDS

2. THE ACTION OF THE VOCAL FOLDS

• THREE POSITIONS:

– LOWERED: NORMAL BREATHING THE AIR ESCAPES THROUGH THE NOSE AND THE MOUTH

– LOWERED TO LET THE AIR COME OUT THROUGH THE NOSE

– RAISED: THE AIR ESCAPES ONLY THROUGH THE MOUTH

2. THE POSITION OF THE SOFT PALATE

3. POINT OF ARTICULATION

BILABIALS

LABIO-DENTALS

DENTALS

ALVEOLARS

PALATALS

VELARS

GLOTTAL

POST-ALVEOLARS

PALATO-ALVEOLARS

3. MANNER OF ARTICULATION

REFERS TO THE VERTICALRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ARTICULATORS

3. MANNER OF ARTICULATION

PLOSIVES

GLIDES OR SEMIVOWELS

LIQUIDS (LATERALS

AND FRICTIONLESS CONTINUANT)

NASALS

AFFRICATES

FRICATIVES

OUR CHALLENGE…

Articulation of VOWELS

1. In the shape and position of the

tongue

a. The vertical

distance

between the

palate and the

upper surface

of the tongue.

b. The part of the

tongue,

between front

and back

which is raised highest.

(horizontal)

a. The vertical distance between the palate and the

upper surface of the tongue.

HIGH VOWELS

MID VOWELS

LOW VOWELS

cheese

pin

friend

bad

Come, bus

Burn, turn

About, clever

Dance, bark

Pot, got

caught, or

Full, book

Fool, glue

Also

known as

CLOSE

vowels

Also

known as

OPEN

vowels

TON

GU

E H

EIG

HT

b. The part of the tongue, between front and back

which is raised highest. (horizontal)

FRONT VOWELS

CENTRAL VOWELS

BACK VOWELS

FR

ON

TNESS A

ND

BA

CK

NESS

2. Another important variable of vowel quality is LIP-

ROUNDING

ROUNDED VOWELS

NEUTRAL VOWELS

SPREAD VOWELS

English Diphthongs

day

eye

boy

mouth

nose

ear

hair

pure