An Introduction to Phonetics PDF

University of Benghazi Faculty of Languages English Department An introduction to Phonetics Mr. Abdullah Aljhani  Topics will be Covered: What is Phonetics? Three Branches of Phonetics? How speech sounds are produced ? Two basic positions of the vocal cords The organs of Sp...

University of Benghazi Faculty of Languages English Department An introduction to Phonetics Mr. Abdullah Aljhani  Topics will be Covered: What is Phonetics? Three Branches of Phonetics? How speech sounds are produced ? Two basic positions of the vocal cords The organs of Speech (articulators) Four main components of the speech mechanism Air-steam mechanism a. Pulmonic b. Glotalic c. Velaric  Phonetics is…… A branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds The study of human sounds in general The study of the characteristics of speech sounds Note The relation between sounds and letters is not one to one relation. One letter may be pronounced by in different ways” Example, The letter {u} is pronounced /i/ in busy, / ˄ /in cut, /ʊ/ in put. One sound may be written in different ways, /k/ sound is written {k} in king, [c] in cat, [ch] in chronic, and [q] in queen. Main Areas of Phonetics  How speech sounds are produced ? Producing any sound requires energy. In nearly all speech sounds, the basic source of power is the respiratory system pushing air out of the lungs. When you talk, air from the lungs goes up the windpipe (the trachea, to use the more technical term) and into the larynx. The air it must pass between two small muscular folds called the vocal folds. If the vocal folds are apart, the air from the lungs will have a relatively free passage into the pharynx and the mouth. But if the vocal folds are adjusted so that there is only a narrow passage between them, the airstream from the lungs will set them vibrating.  Vocal cords may take two basic positions 1. Vocal cords spread apart, air stream unimpeded. 2. Vocal cords drawn together, air pushes them apart, vibration effect. Once the air is pushed out from the lungs, it moves up the trachea into the larynx. In the larynx the airflow encounters the vocal cords. The vocal cords are actually two folds of tissue. Sounds produced when the vocal folds are vibrating are said to be voiced, as opposed to those in which the vocal folds are apart, which are said to be voiceless. In order to hear the difference between a voiced and a voiceless sound, try saying a long ‘v’ sound, Now compare this with a long ‘f’ sound Open vocal cords Narrowed vocal cords Glottis is the space between the two vocal folds  The Vocal Tract 1. The air passages above the larynx are known as the vocal tract. 2. The vocal tract may be divided into the oral tract, within the mouth and pharynx, and the nasal tract, within the nose. 3. The shape of the vocal tract is a very important factor in the production of speech 4. The parts of the vocal tract that can be used to form sounds, such as the tongue and the lips, are called articulators. 5. The articulators that form the lower surface of the vocal tract are highly mobile. They are known as active articulators, they move towards those form the upper surface. They are the lower lip and the tongue {tip, blade, front, back and root}. 6. The articulators that form the upper surface of the vocal tract are ‘the passive articulators’. They are the non-mobile parts – the upper lip, the upper teeth, alveolar ridge, hard palate, soft palate (or velum), uvula and the pharynx wall..  The principal parts of the upper surface of the vocal tract. Parts of the tongue The principal parts of the lower surface of the vocal tract. The organs of Speech (Articulators)  Four main components of the speech mechanism 1. the airstream process 2. the phonation process 3. the oro-nasal process 4. the articulatory process The airstream process includes the respiratory system, the lungs pushing out air, as the prime mover in this process. The phonation process includes the actions of the vocal folds. Only two possibilities have been mentioned: voiced sounds in which the vocal folds are vibrating and voiceless sounds in which they are apart. The oro-nasal process includes the airstream going out through the mouth, as in [ v ] or [ z ], or the nose, as in [m] and [ n ]. Articulatory process is the movements of the tongue and lips interacting with the roof of the mouth and the pharynx.  Thank you BIBLIOGRAPHY Davenport, M and Hannahs, S., J. (2020). Introducing Phonetics and Phonology. by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Ladefoged, P. and Keith, J. (2015). A Course in Phonetics 7th ed. Wadsworth, Australia Roach, P. (2009) English Phonetics and Phonology A Practical Course. 4th Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.