Speech and Language Fundamentals

Study Notes

Speech is a system linking meaning and sound
It's the primary method of communication
Language is an arbitrary system of signs used within a community to convey meaning. Rules and conventions govern how words are employed.
Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that distinguish language.
Morphology changes meaning through combining morphemes
Syntax is the arrangement of words in sentences
Semantics deals with meaning in words
Articulation involves the mechanics of producing speech and is affected by other elements like syntax and semantics

The respiratory system provides airflow; the diaphragm is the primary muscle of inhalation.
The larynx, or voice box, contains vocal cords, which vibrate to generate sound
The velopharynx, soft palate area, controls airflow to the oral and nasal cavities
The tongue influences vowel and consonant articulation
The jaw supports the mouth for speech
Lips are essential for certain consonant productions

Experimental phonetics employs scientific methods to study speech sounds and production.
Articulatory/physiological phonetics focuses on how sounds are produced.
Acoustic phonetics studies sound waves traveling from the speaker to the listener.
Perceptual phonetics analyzes how listeners perceive sounds.
Applied phonetics is the practical application of knowledge from other types

Sounds influence each other in connected speech, leading to anticipatory and retentive coarticulation. -this is relevant for phonological variation.

Phonological patterns are systematic changes in sound that affect language.
Common patterns include syllable structure changes like deletion, substitution & reduplication.
Assimilation is another pattern in which one sound changes to match a neighboring sound in terms of place of articulation or voicing.

Articulation relates to the motor processes of speech production.
Phonology is a broader, more abstract concept, encompassing rules and patterns governing sound organization.
Language is a cognitive linguistic problem that governs the "rule" of the language- a child learns to apply this rule to the language

Stress emphasizes certain syllables or words in an utterance, and conveys nuances about meaning
Intonation refers to the variations in pitch during speech- conveying information about grammatical relations
Loudness and pitch are important components of intonation and perceived aspects of emotion in an utterance.
Juncture is the pause or breaks between words/clauses in spoken language influencing meaning

Prelinguistic stages, including phonation, cooing, and babbling, are important milestones in early speech development as children begin to explore and understand sound production.

Protowords are phonetically consistent words used by children that might not closely resemble adult words . These are early attempts at sound-meaning connections
True first words have a stable pronunciation that is understood by the surrounding linguistic community

Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies help us understand how children develop their phonemic inventories.

Awareness of sound patterns in words (e.g., rhyming, syllable structure) is important for literacy development, helping children understand the relationship between sounds and the written words.