Phonetics: Definition and Types

Phonetics is the general study of the physical characteristics of speech sounds. It is

mainly concerned with the description of the mechanisms and features of the sounds. Our
main interest will be in articulatory phonetics, which is the study of how speech sounds
are made, or articulated. Other areas of study are acoustic phonetics, which deals with the
physical properties of speech as sound waves in the air, and auditory phonetics (or
perceptual phonetics) which deals with the perception, via the ear, of speech sounds

Articulatory phonetics
The traditional method of describing speech sounds is in terms of the movements of the
vocal organs that produce them. The main structures that are important in the production
of speech are the lungs and the respiratory system, together with the vocal organs shown
in Figure 1. The airstream from the lungs passes between the vocal cords, which are two
small muscular folds located in the larynx at the top of the windpipe. The space between
the vocal cords is known as the glottis. If the vocal cords are apart, as they are normally
when breathing out, the air from the lungs will have a relatively free passage into the
pharynx (see Figure 1) and the mouth. But if the vocal cords are adjusted so that there is
a narrow passage between them, the airstream will cause them to be sucked together. As
soon as they are together there will be no flow of air, and the pressure below them will be
built up until they are blown apart again. The flow of air between them will then cause
them to be sucked together again, and the vibratory cycle will continue. Sounds produced
when the vocal cords are vibrating are said to be voiced, as opposed to those in which the
vocal cords are apart, which are said to be voiceless.

The air passages above the vocal cords are known collectively as the vocal tract.
For phonetic purposes they may be divided into the oral tract within the mouth and the
pharynx, and the nasal tract within the nose. Many speech sounds are characterized by
movements of the lower articulators—i.e., the tongue or the lower lip—toward the upper
articulators within the oral tract. The upper surface includes several important structures
from the point of view of speech production, such as the upper lip and the upper
teeth; Figure 1 illustrates most of the terms that are commonly used. The alveolar ridge is
a small protuberance just behind the upper front teeth that can easily be felt with the
tongue. The major part of the roof of the mouth is formed by the hard palate in the front,
and the soft palate or velum at the back. The soft palate is a muscular flap that can be
raised so as to shut off the nasal tract and prevent air from going out through the nose.
When it is raised so that the soft palate is pressed against the back wall of the pharynx
there is said to be a velic closure. At the lower end of the soft palate is a small hanging
appendage known as the uvula.

As may be seen from Figure 1, there are also specific names for different parts of
the tongue. The tip and blade are the most mobile parts. Behind the blade is the so-called
front of the tongue; it is actually the forward part of the body of the tongue and lies
underneath the hard palate when the tongue is at rest. The remainder of the body of the
tongue may be divided into the centre, which is partly beneath the hard palate and partly
beneath the soft palate; the back, which is beneath the soft palate; and the root, which is
opposite the back wall of the pharynx.

Figure 1. The vocal Tracts (articulators)

Types of Sounds
The major division in speech sounds is that between vowels and consonants.
Phoneticians have found it difficult to give a precise definition of the
articulatory distinction between these two classes of sounds. However, most
authorities would agree that the distinctive factor is the airflow
obstruction, i.e. whether the air is being blocked or not while passing through
the vocal tracts.

Vowels

Definition
Based on the distinctive factor of airflow obstruction, vowels are the sounds
which are produced without any block of the air flow. While they are
produced, the air passes freely through the vocal tracts. However, the air is
modified in various ways to create different vowels.

Description and Classification

There are 12 vowels in English:

Vowels in English are classified based on five articulatory features: part of the
tongue, place of tongue inside the mouth, shape of the mouth, shape of lips
(spread – neutral – rounded), and length (short of long vowel). This description
or classification is illustrated in the diagram below:
 Part of tongue

Very High Very Closed

Shape of the mouth

High closed
Place of tongue

Mid
Mid

Open
Low

Very Open
Very low

To show how the diagram functions, we can take the example of the vowel /i:/
Part of tongue = Front
Place of tongue = very high
Shape of mouth = very closed
Shape of lips = very spread
Length= long

Diphthongs:
In addition to single vowel sounds, we regularly create sounds that consist of a
combination of two vowel sounds, known as diphthongs. For instance, our vocal
organs move from one vocalic position [a] to another [ɪ] as we produce the
sound [aɪ], as in Hi or Bye.
There are 8 diphthongs in English:
Triphthongs
Triphthongs are sounds which are made of three vowels. They are produced
through direct glides from the first to the second to the third vowel. There are 5
triphthongs in English:

Consonants

Definition
Unlike vowels, consonants are sounds which are produced with blocking
the air at a given place at the level of speech organs in a given moment. The
following are the consonants of English:
 Classification and Description
Consonants are classified based on three factors:
Place of articulation = speech organs involved in the production
Manner of articulation = the way the air was blocked and modified
Voicing = voiced (high vibration of vocal cords) – voiceless (low vibration
of vocal cords)
The table below shows the classification of consonants:

Place of articulation

Voicing
Manner of articulation

Based on the place of articulation, we have the following families of

consonants:
Bilabial = produced by the 2 lips
Labiodental = produced by the lower lip and the upper teeth
Dental = produced by the tongue and upper teeth
Alveolar = produced by the tongue and the alveolar ridge
Palatal = produced by the tongue and the hard palate
Velar = produced by the tongue and soft palate
Glottal = produced at the level of the glottis (the vocal cords space)
Based on the manner of articulation, we have the following families:
Stops = produced with complete block to the airflow
Fricatives = produced with approximately complete closure, where friction
is made at the narrow space
Affricates = sounds which start as a stop and ends as a fricative
Nasals = produced through the nasal cavity
Liquids = produced by the tongue blocking the air in one place and freeing
it from the two sides
Glides (semi-vowels) = sounds which are produced with fair block of the
air, which makes them sound like vowels

Based on voicing we can have voiced sounds V+ or voiceless ones V-

For instance, if we describe the consonant /t/, we say it is: alveolar, stop, V-

Pronunciation and Transcription

The transcription of words in English is writing their pronunciation with
the symbols of vowels and consonants provided earlier in the lectures. The
transcription must be placed between forward slashes //
Example:
Play arm
/p l eI/ /a: m/