Phonetics and Its Branches

Definition and Scope

• Phonetics is the study of the physical properties of speech sounds
• Examines the production, transmission, and perception of speech sounds

Branches of Phonetics

• Articulatory Phonetics: studies how speech sounds are produced by the physical properties of the vocal organs (lips, tongue, teeth, etc.)
• Acoustic Phonetics: studies the physical properties of speech sounds as they are transmitted through the air
• Auditory Phonetics: studies how speech sounds are perceived by the listener

Speech Sound Classification

• Vowels: sounds made without blocking the airflow in the mouth (e.g. /i/, /a/, /u/)
• Consonants: sounds made by blocking the airflow in the mouth (e.g. /p/, /t/, /k/)
• Syllable: a unit of sound organization in speech, typically consisting of a vowel sound and one or more consonant sounds

Places of Articulation

• Bilabial: sounds made with both lips (e.g. /p/, /b/, /m/)
• Labiodental: sounds made with the lower lip and upper teeth (e.g. /f/, /v/)
• Alveolar: sounds made with the tongue and the alveolar ridge (e.g. /t/, /d/, /n/)
• Velar: sounds made with the tongue and the velum (e.g. /k/, /g/)

Manner of Articulation

• Stop: sounds made by completely blocking the airflow (e.g. /p/, /t/, /k/)
• Fricative: sounds made by partially blocking the airflow (e.g. /f/, /v/, /s/)
• Nasal: sounds made by allowing air to flow through the nasal cavity (e.g. /m/, /n/, /ŋ/)
• Approximant: sounds made by directing air towards the articulation point (e.g. /w/, /j/, /h/)

Transcription

• Phonetic transcription: represents speech sounds using unique symbols (e.g. /p/ for the "p" sound)
• Phonetic alphabet: a standardized set of symbols used for transcription (e.g. International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA)

Definition and Scope of Phonetics

• Phonetics is the study of physical properties of speech sounds, including production, transmission, and perception.

Branches of Phonetics

• Articulatory Phonetics studies speech sound production by the physical properties of vocal organs (lips, tongue, teeth, etc.).
• Acoustic Phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sounds as they are transmitted through the air.
• Auditory Phonetics studies how speech sounds are perceived by the listener.

Speech Sound Classification

• Vowels are sounds made without blocking the airflow in the mouth, such as /i/, /a/, and /u/.
• Consonants are sounds made by blocking the airflow in the mouth, such as /p/, /t/, and /k/.
• A syllable is a unit of sound organization in speech, typically consisting of a vowel sound and one or more consonant sounds.

Places of Articulation

• Bilabial sounds are made with both lips, such as /p/, /b/, and /m/.
• Labiodental sounds are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, such as /f/ and /v/.
• Alveolar sounds are made with the tongue and the alveolar ridge, such as /t/, /d/, and /n/.
• Velar sounds are made with the tongue and the velum, such as /k/ and /g/.

Manner of Articulation

• Stop sounds are made by completely blocking the airflow, such as /p/, /t/, and /k/.
• Fricative sounds are made by partially blocking the airflow, such as /f/, /v/, and /s/.
• Nasal sounds are made by allowing air to flow through the nasal cavity, such as /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/.
• Approximant sounds are made by directing air towards the articulation point, such as /w/, /j/, and /h/.

Transcription

• Phonetic transcription represents speech sounds using unique symbols, such as /p/ for the "p" sound.
• Phonetic alphabet is a standardized set of symbols used for transcription, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).