Phonetics: Vowel and Consonant Articulation

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Questions and Answers

What describes the function of the tongue in vowel articulation?

It produces voiced sounds through contact with teeth.

It acts as a passive articulator helping to expel air.

It is the most active articulator for shaping vowel sounds. (correct)

It primarily serves to create pauses in speech.

Which of the following accurately categorizes the types of vowels in English?

10 monophthongs, 6 diphthongs, 4 triphthongs

12 monophthongs, 8 diphthongs, 5 triphthongs (correct)

11 monophthongs, 9 diphthongs, 6 triphthongs

8 monophthongs, 10 diphthongs, 3 triphthongs

What defines a triphthong in English?

A vowel sound produced with a single articulated position.

A glide from one vowel to another in a single syllable.

A combination of consonant sounds without vowel transition.

A complex vowel sound involving three vowel elements. (correct)

What is the classification of vowels based on the vertical position of the tongue?

Close, mid, open Signup and view all the answers

Which feature distinguishes diphthongs from monophthongs?

Diphthongs glide from one vowel to another. Signup and view all the answers

What is the place of articulation for the /k/ sound?

Velar Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a semi-occlusive sound?

/tʃ/ Signup and view all the answers

Which of these sounds is considered voiceless?

/t/ Signup and view all the answers

What phase involves the articulators moving to form a stricture in plosive articulation?

Closing phase Signup and view all the answers

Which pair of sounds are categorized as fricatives?

/f/ and /v/ Signup and view all the answers

In which position are the vowels preceding the sounds /p/, /t/, and /k/ typically shorter?

Final position Signup and view all the answers

Which consonantal phoneme is a nasal sound?

/n/ Signup and view all the answers

The characteristic of total stricture and air release during plosives is referred to as what?

Plosion Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary distinction between a phone and a phoneme?

A phone is a real acoustic sound, while a phoneme is an abstract unit. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the role of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?

It provides a standard system of transcription symbols for all spoken languages. Signup and view all the answers

What type of transcription represents the real speech sounds produced by a speaker?

Phonetic transcription Signup and view all the answers

In English phonology, which consonant classification is based on whether the sound is voiced or voiceless?

Acoustic characteristics Signup and view all the answers

How many phonemes are typically recognized in the English language?

44 phonemes Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of distinctive function in phonology?

It describes how phonemes can change meanings of words. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a sub-branch of phonetics?

Segmental phonology Signup and view all the answers

Which phonetic element is characterized as a real acoustic sound produced by a speaker?

Phone Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Phonetics and Phonology

The course introduces the phonic system of the English language and aims to improve English pronunciation.
Seminars require original books or copies.
Assessment comprises active participation in seminars (80%) and a transcription and theoretical test.

Phonetics

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics studying speech sounds.
The basic element in phonetics is the sound (phone).
Sub-branches include articulatory phonetics (speech production), acoustic phonetics (transmission of speech), and auditory phonetics (perception of speech).

Phonology

Phonology is a branch of linguistics classifying speech sounds.
The basic element is the phoneme.
Sub-branches include segmental phonology (phonemes) and suprasegmental phonology (elements above phonemes).

Phonic Units

Sound (phone): a real acoustic sound produced by a speaker.
Phoneme: a language's abstract phonic unit. There are 44 phonemes in English (20 vowels + 24 consonants). Changing a phoneme changes the word's meaning (distinctive function), for example, pin – pen, pet – bet.

Transcription

In English, spelling and pronunciation don't always align.
Transcription codes speech sounds (one symbol = one sound), for example, enough /ˈɪnʌf/.
Phonetic (allophonic) transcription uses square brackets [].
Phonological (phonemic) transcription uses slashes / / and represents phonemes.
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of transcription symbols established in 1886.

Syllabus

Topics for the course include introduction, speech sound production, vocalic and consonantal phonemes, syllable, stress, weak forms, connected speech aspects, tone, intonation, and English varieties.

Consonantal Phonemes (Plosives)

There are 6 plosive consonants: p, t, k, b, d, g.
Plosives involve total closure followed by air release (plosion).
Articulation phases: closing, compression, release, and post-release.
Plosives in initial position may be aspirated (p, t, k), but not when preceded by /s/ (scat, spin).
Voicing is less evident in plosive final positions.

Consonantal Phonemes (Nasals)

Nasals (m, n, η) are voiced consonant sounds where air escapes through the nose.
The soft palate is lowered during their production.
/m/ is bilabial, /n/ alveolar, and /η/ velar.
/η/ is typically never initially, but appears medially and finally.

Consonantal Phonemes (Laterals)

Laterals (/l/) are alveolar, voiced sounds where air escapes along the sides of the tongue.
Allophones (variants) include clear /l/ before vowels (leak), dark /l/ before consonants and in final position (eels), and devoiced /l/ after /p, t, k/ (please).

Consonantal Phonemes (Approximants)

/r/ is a voiced, post-alveolar approximant, where the tongue is slightly curled backward.
/r/ can be devoiced when preceded by /p, t, k/.
Non-rhotic accents omit /r/ in final positions and before consonants.

Consonantal Phonemes (Semi-vowels)

Semi-vowels (/j/, /w/) are voiced.
/j/ is palatal, while /w/ is bilabial.
/j/ and /w/ are devoiced after /p, t, k/.

Production of Speech

Speech results from muscle contractions expelling air through the vocal tract.
Speech has three aspects:
Physiological (respiration, phonation, modification)
Acoustic (sound transmission via vocal cords' vibration)
Auditory (perception via the ear/brain)

Vowels (Monophthongs)

Vowels are voiced sounds (tones) produced with no contact between articulators.
They are central in syllables.
English has 12 monophthongs (pure vowels).
Vowel classification includes vertical (distance from tongue to palate – close, mid, open) and horizontal (highest tongue raising section - front, central, back). Also, lip shape (rounded, spread, neutral).

Vowels (Diphthongs)

There are 8 English diphthongs.
Diphthongs glide smoothly from one vowel to another; the first element is stronger.

Vowels (Triphthongs)

Triphthongs are a glide from one vowel to the next and then to a third (closing diphthong + /ə/).

Fricatives and Affricates

Fricatives are continuants (f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h).
Affricates (tʃ, dʒ) begin as plosives and end as fricatives.
Example: church /tʃɜːrtʃ/, breakfast /ˈbrekfəst/.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the functions of the tongue in vowel articulation and the classification of different types of vowels in English. This quiz covers topics such as diphthongs, triphthongs, and various consonantal sounds, providing a comprehensive overview of phonetics.