Lecture 1

An introduction to Phonetics 1. Phonetics vs. Phonology 2. Articulatory phonetics: speech organs/ articulators 3. Ways how speech sounds are produced: consonants and vowels
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1. Phonetics vs. Phonology

1. 1. Phonetics - is the linguistic science that studies speech sounds: the way in which they are produced (uttered, articulated), the way in which they are perceived, their physical characteristics, etc. The questions that Phonetics answer are: What sounds occur in human languages? How these speech sounds are made? What physical properties do they have? In what way can speech sound similar to, or different from, other speech sounds?
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1. Phonetics vs. Phonology

1.2. Areas of phonetics 3 mains areas using the articulators - the parts of the body involved in producing speech sounds. b. Acoustic phonetics: which is also considered a branch of physics, involves the study of the speech signals (the sound waves produced when a speaker speaks). In other words, it deals with the transmission of speech sounds through the air. c. Auditory phonetics: which is also considered a branch of physiology, is the study of how speech signal is sensed in the auditory canal and interpreted by the relevant parts of the brain. In other words, it deals with how speech sounds are perceived by the listener.
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a. Articulatory phonetics: is the study of how speech sounds are produced

1. Phonetics vs. Phonology

1.3. Phonology - is the study or description of the distinctive sound units (phonemes) of a language and their relationship to one another. It involves studying a language to determine its distinctive sounds and to establish a set of rules that describe the set of changes that take place in these sounds when they occur in different relationships with other sounds. The subject of phonology includes the following areas: a. Study of the phonemic system. b. Phoneme sequences and syllable structure. c. Suprasegmental phonology (stress, intonation).
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2. Articulatory phonetics - Articulators

2. Articulatory phonetics - Articulators

3. Ways how speech sounds are produced

When we are making sounds, the air from the lungs comes up through the wind-pipe and arrives first at the larynx. Then it goes through the vocal cords into the pharynx and up the pharynx to the uvula. At this point, it may go in either way. It may go into the oral cavity (if the soft palate is raised) and go out of the mouth. Or it may go into the nasal tract (if the soft palate is lowered) and get out through the nostrils.

3. Ways how speech sounds are produced

3.1. How are oral sounds produced? - In the process of making sounds, at the uvula if the soft palate is raised, blocking off the nasal tract, the airstream can only go into the oral tract and go out of the mouth, then we have oral sounds. E.g.: /g/, /s/, // 3.2. How are nasal sounds produced? - In the process of making sounds, if the air-stream is blocked somewhere in the oral cavity but the soft palate is lowered so that the air-stream can get into the nasal tract and get out through the nostrils, then we have nasal sounds. E.g.: /m/, /n/, //
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3. Ways how speech sounds are produced

3.3. How are consonant sounds produced? - When we are making sounds, if two articulators come together, obstructing the air-stream and the air-stream cannot get out freely, we have consonant sounds. E.g.: /k/, /f/, /b/, /m/ 3.4. How are vowel sounds produced? - When we are making sounds, if there is no obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from the larynx to the lips and the air can get out freely, then we have vowel sounds. E.g.: //, /:/, //, //
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3. Ways how speech sounds are produced

3.5. How are voiced sounds produced? - When we are producing sounds, the air-stream goes through the vocal cords. If the vocal cords come together, obstructing the air-stream, the air stream cannot get out through them freely and it makes them vibrate, then we have voiced sounds. E.g.: /d/, /v/, /m/ 3.6. How are voiceless sounds produced? - When we are making sounds, the air-stream goes through the vocal cords. If the vocal cords come apart, they are open. The air-stream can go out through them freely and it does not make them vibrate, then we have voiceless sounds. E.g.: /s/, /t/, //
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