PHONETICS
Joshua Leonardus
PHONETICS IS A BRANCH OF LINGUISTICS THAT STUDIES HOW
LANGUAGES OR DIALECTS SYSTEMATICALLY ORGANIZE THEIR
SOUNDS (OR CONSTITUENT PARTS OF SIGNS, IN SIGN LANGUAGES).
THE TERM ALSO REFERS TO THE SOUND OR SIGN SYSTEM OF ANY
PARTICULAR LANGUAGE VARIETY.
Articulatory Phonetics
◦ The production of speech involves 3 processes:
◦ Initiation: Setting air in motion through the vocal tract.
◦ Phonation: The modification of airflow as it passes through the larynx
(related to voicing).
◦ Articulation: The shaping of airflow to generate particular sound types
(related to manner)
Articulatory phonetics can be seen as divided up into two areas to describe consonants. These are voice, place Each of
these will now be discussed separately, although all three areas combine together in the production of speech.
1) Voice
In English we have both voiced and voiceless sounds. A sound fits into one of these categories according to how the vocal
folds behave when a speech sound is produced.
Voiced: Voiced sounds are sounds that involve vocal fold vibrations when they are produced. Examples of voiced sounds
are /b,d,v,m/.
If you place two fingers on either side of the front of your neck, just below your jawbone, and produce a sound, you
should be able to feel a vibrating sensation. This tells you that a sound is voiced.
Voiceless: Voiceless sounds are sounds that are produced with no vocal fold vibration. Examples of voiceless sounds in
English are /s,t,p,f/.
2) Place
The vocal tract is made up of different sections, which play a pivotal role in the production of speech. These sections are
called articulators and are what make speech sounds possible. They can be divided into two types.
The active articulator is the articulator that moves towards another articulator in the production of a speech sound. This
articulator moves towards another articulator to form a closure of some type in the vocal tract (i.e open approximation,
close, etc – define)
The passive articulator is the articulator that remains stationary in the production of a speech sound. Often, this is the
destination that the active articulator moves towards (i.e the hard palate).
DIFFERENT PLACES OFARTICULATION IN THE VOCALTRACT
BILABIAL: BILABIAL SOUNDS INVOLVE THE UPPERAND LOWER LIPS. IN THE PRODUCTION OFA BILABIALSOUND, THE LIPS COME INTO CONTACT WITH EACH
OTHER TO FORMAN EFFECTIVE CONSTRICTION. IN ENGLISH, /P,B,M/ARE BILABIALSOUNDS.
LABIODENTAL: LABIODENTAL SOUNDS INVOLVE THE LOWER LIP (LABIAL)AND UPPER TEETH (DENTAL) COMING INTO CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER TO
FORMAN EFFECTIVE CONSTRICTION IN THE VOCALTRACT. EXAMPLES OF LABIODENTALSOUNDS IN ENGLISHARE /F,V/. LABIODENTALSOUNDS CAN BE
DIVIDED INTO TWO TYPES.
A) ENDOLABIAL: SOUNDS PRODUCED WHERE THE UPPER TEETH ARE PRESSEDAGAINST THE INSIDE OFTHE LOWER LIP.
B) EXOLABIAL: SOUNDS PRODUCED WHERE THE UPPER TEETHARE PRESSEDAGAINST THE OUTER SIDE OFTHE LOWER LIP.
DENTAL: DENTAL SOUNDS INVOLVE THE TONGUE TIP (ACTIVEARTICULATOR) MAKING CONTACT WITH THE UPPER TEETH TO FORMA CONSTRICTION.
EXAMPLES OF DENTALSOUNDS IN ENGLISH ARE / Θ, Ð/. IFASOUND IS PRODUCED WHERE THE TONGUE IS BETWEEN THE UPPERAND LOWER TEETH, IT IS
ATTRIBUTED THE TERM ‘INTERDENTAL’.
ALVEOLAR: FIRST OFALL, BEFORE I EXPLAIN WHATANALVEOLAR SOUND IS, IT’S USEFULTO LOCATE THEALVEOLAR RIDGE ITSELF. IFYOU PLACE YOUR
TONGUE JUST BEHIND YOUR TEETHAND MOVE ITAROUND, YOU’LLFEELA BONY SORT OF RIDGE. THIS IS KNOWNAS THEALVEOLAR [Link]
SOUNDS INVOLVE THE FRONT PORTION OFTHE TONGUE MAKING CONTACT WITH THE ALVEOLAR RIDGE TO FORMAN EFFECTIVE CONSTRICTION IN THE
VOCALTRACT. EXAMPLES OFALVEOLAR SOUNDS IN ENGLISHARE /T,D,N,L,S/.
POSTALVEOLAR: POSTALVEOLAR SOUNDSARE MADEA LITTLE FURTHER BACK (‘POST’) FROM THEALVEOLAR RIDGE.A POSTALVEOLAR SOUND IS
PRODUCED WHEN THE BLADE OFTHE TONGUE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE POST-ALVEOLAR REGION OFYOUR MOUTH. EXAMPLES OF POST-
ALVEOLAR SOUNDS IN ENGLISH ARE / Ʃ, Ʒ /.
PALATAL: PALATAL SOUNDSARE MADE WITH THE TONGUE BODY (THE BIG, FLESHY PART OFYOUR TONGUE). THE TONGUE BODY RAISES UPTOWARDS THE
HARD-PALATE IN YOUR MOUTH (THE DOME SHAPED ROOF OFYOUR MOUTH) TO FORMAN EFFECTIVE [Link] EXAMPLE OFA PALATAL SOUNDS
IN ENGLISH IS /J/, USUALLY SPELTAS <Y>.
VELAR: VELAR SOUNDSARE MADE WHEN THE BACK OFTHE TONGUE (TONGUE DORSUM) RAISES TOWARDS THE SOFT PALATE, WHICH IS LOCATEDAT THE
BACK OF THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH. THIS SOFT PALATE IS KNOWNAS THE [Link] EFFECTIVE CONSTRICTION IS THEN FORMED WHEN THESE TWO
ARTICULATORS COME INTO CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER. EXAMPLES OFVELAR SOUNDS IN ENGLISH ARE /K,G Ŋ /.
Vowel phonemes in English
◦ This list demonstrates that this dialect of English has fourteen
different vowel phonemes: /i ɪ e ɛ æ u ʊ o ɔ a ʌ/ and /aɪ/, /aʊ/ and
/ɔɪ/ – And all of these phonemes has at least two allophones;
thank you!!
