Phonetics: Speech Sounds and Production

Phonetics

Definition

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

Branches of Phonetics

• Articulatory Phonetics: studies how speech sounds are produced by the movement of articulators (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 human ear and brain

Speech Sounds

• Phones: individual speech sounds (e.g. [p], [t], [k])
• Phonemes: distinct speech sounds in a language that distinguish meaning (e.g. /p/ vs. /b/ in "pat" vs. "bat")
• Allophones: variants of phonemes that occur in specific contexts (e.g. [pʰ] and [p] are allophones of /p/)

Transcription

• IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet): a standardized system for transcribing speech sounds using unique symbols
• Phonetic transcription: a written representation of speech sounds using IPA symbols (e.g. [kæt] for "cat")

Key Concepts

• Place of articulation: where in the mouth a speech sound is made (e.g. bilabial, alveolar, velar)
• Manner of articulation: how a speech sound is made (e.g. stop, fricative, nasal)
• Voicing: whether a speech sound is made with the vibration of the vocal cords (e.g. [z] is voiced, [s] is voiceless)

Phonetics

Definition

• Study of physical properties of speech sounds
• Examines production, transmission, and perception of speech sounds

Branches of Phonetics

Articulatory Phonetics

• Studies production of speech sounds by articulators (lips, tongue, teeth, etc.)

Acoustic Phonetics

• Studies physical properties of speech sounds in transmission through air

Auditory Phonetics

• Studies perception of speech sounds by human ear and brain

Speech Sounds

Phones

• Individual speech sounds (e.g. [p], [t], [k])

Phonemes

• Distinct speech sounds in a language that distinguish meaning (e.g. /p/ vs. /b/ in "pat" vs. "bat")

Allophones

• Variants of phonemes that occur in specific contexts (e.g. [pʰ] and [p] are allophones of /p/)

Transcription

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

• Standardized system for transcribing speech sounds using unique symbols

Phonetic Transcription

• Written representation of speech sounds using IPA symbols (e.g. [kæt] for "cat")

Key Concepts

Place of Articulation

• Location in the mouth where a speech sound is made (e.g. bilabial, alveolar, velar)

Manner of Articulation

• Way in which a speech sound is made (e.g. stop, fricative, nasal)

Voicing

• Whether a speech sound is made with vocal cord vibration (e.g. [z] is voiced, [s] is voiceless)

Syntax Definition

• Syntax is the study of how words are combined to form sentences and phrases, examining the rules governing word arrangement to convey meaning.

Key Concepts in Syntax

• Phrasal categories are categories of words based on their function in a sentence, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
• Phrase structure refers to the organization of words into phrases, which are groups of words that function as a unit.
• Constituent structure is the organization of phrases into a hierarchical structure, showing how they relate to each other.

Syntax Trees and Representations

• Tree diagrams are visual representations of sentence structure, showing the relationships between words and phrases.
• Nodes are points in the tree where phrases or words branch off.
• Terminal nodes are the lowest points in the tree, representing individual words.

Syntactic Categories and Functions

• Parts of speech are categories of words based on their grammatical function, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
• Functional categories are categories of words based on their role in a sentence, such as subject, object, etc.

Syntactic Relations and Dependencies

• Dependency refers to the relationship between a word and its dependent, such as a subject and its predicate.
• Government refers to the relationship between a word and its governor, such as a verb and its object.
• Modification refers to the relationship between a word and its modifier, such as an adjective and its noun.

Syntax Theories and Approaches

• Generative grammar is the idea that syntax is innate and hardwired into the human brain.
• Transformational-generative grammar is the theory that syntax is generated by a set of rules that transform underlying representations into surface structures.
• Functional grammar is the theory that syntax is driven by the functions and relationships between words in a sentence.