Chapter 3:

The Sounds of Language

1.Phonetics:

The general study of the physical characteristics of speech sounds is called phonetics, divided into three main areas:

+ articulatory (how speech sounds are made).

+acoustic (physical properties of speech of sound waves).

+auditory (perception of speech sounds).

2.Consonants:

We focus on three features when describing the articulation of a consonant:

+the voiced/voice-less distinction (voicing)

+place of articulation.

+the manner of articulation.

Ex: change - chorus ( /tʃ/ - /k/ )

know - no ( /n/ - /n/ )

3.Voiced and Voicesless Sounds:

There are 2 basic positions:

+ speech sounds produced with wibration of the vocal folds - Voiced Sounds

+ speech sounds produced without wibration of the vocal folds - Voiceless Sounds

4.Place of Articulation:

Air moves through the vocal tract and exits via the mouth or nose.

We usually produce speech while exhaling.

Consonants are produced by constricting the oral tract with the tongue and mouth, and are described by where this constriction occurs.

a.Familiar Symbols

b.Unfamiliar Symbols

Many of the symbols used in phonetics to describe consonant sounds will be familiar:

Bilabial (using both lips) : [p] [b] [m]
Labiodentals (upper teeth and lower lip). [v] [f]
Alveolar (behind the upper teeth).

dentals - produced with the tongue tip behind the upper front teeth.
interdentals - made with the tongue tip between the teeth.
palatals - the alveolar ridge meets the palate.
velars - the back of the mouth, involving the velum.
glottal - without the active use of the tongue.

c.Transcribing Sounds (Not Letters)

English spelling often doesn’t match pronunciation such as bang and tongue (end with /ŋ/, not the /g/).

5.Manner of Articulation

Stops: block airflow, let it go abruptly.
Fricatives: almost block airflow, let it escape through a narrow gap.
Affricates: combine a brief stop + fricative
Nasals: let air through nose.
Liquids: raise and curl tongue, let airflow escape round the sides.
Glides: move tongue to or from a vowel.

6.A consonant Chart

Glottal Stops and Flaps

The glottal stop - is produced when the space between the vocal folds is closed completely, and then released.

A flap – the tongue tip tapping the alveolar ridge briefly: the “flap” [t] and [d].

7.Vowels

Vowel sounds are produced with a free flow of air and are usually voiced. They are described based on the tongue's position:

High vs Low:
Front vs Back:

Ex: in "heat" and "hit," -> high and front vowels,

in "hat" and "hot," -> lower and back vowels.

steal - steel : ( /iː/ - /iː/ )

ate - eight: ( /eɪ/ - /eɪ/ )

8.Diphthongs

Diphthongs is a combination of two vowel sounds.

American and British Diphthongs:

The pronunciation of some diphthongs in Southern British English is quite different from North American English .The final [r] sound, typically pronounced in American varieties, is omitted in Southern British English.

9.Subtle Individual Variation:

Vowel sounds vary widely across different accents, often causing distinctions in pronunciation.

For example, vowels in words like "caught" and "cot" might sound the same for some speakers.

The schwa [ə] is a common unstressed vowel in English, and variations in sound articulation (like the use of the uvula) exist in different languages.

'a', as in about
'e', as in problem
'i', as in pencil
'o', as in cotton
'u', as in support
'y', as in gym
unwritten, as in rhythm

10.Study Questions:

1 What different aspects of language are studied in articulatory phonetics, acoustic phonetics and auditory phonetics?

-> Articulatory phonetics, which is the study of how speech sounds are made.

Acoustic phonetics, which deals with the physical properties of speech as sound waves in the air.

Auditory phonetics, which deals with the perception, via the ear, of speech sounds.

2 What do we call the space between the vocal folds?

-> We call the space between the vocal folds is glottis.

3 How many fricatives are there in the pronunciation of mechanic?

->There are no fricatives in the pronunciation of mechanic.

4 How do we describe the vowel in the normal pronunciation of hot?

-> Low, back vowel.

5 In casual speech what is the most common vowel sound?

-> The most common vowel sound is the schwa [ə].

6 Which of the following words normally end with voiceless (–V) sounds and which end with voiced sounds (+V) sounds?

(a) bash __-V__ (d) fizz__+V__ (g) splat _-V___

(b) clang __+V__ (e) rap_-V___ (h) thud _+V_

7 Try to pronounce the initial sounds of the following words and identify the place of articulation of each one (e.g. bilabial, alveolar, etc.).

(a) calf ____velar______ (e) hand ____glottal______ (i) shoulder ____palatal_____

(b) chin _____palatal_____ (f) knee ___alveolar_______ (j) stomach ___alveolar_______

(d) groin _____velar_____ (h) pelvis ______bilabial____ (l) toe ___alveolar____

8 Identify the manner of articulation of the initial sounds in the following words (stop, fricative, etc.).

(a) cheery ____affricate______ (d) funny ____fricative______ (g) merry __nasal________

(b) crazy ____stop______ (e) jolly ___affricate_______ (h) silly ____fricative____

9 Which English words are usually pronounced as they are transcribed here?

(a) baɪk ____bike____ (e) haʊl___howl_____ (i) maɪn __mine______

(b) bæʤ ___badge_____ (f) hoʊpɪŋ ___hopping_____ (j) pis __peace_____

(d) feɪs ____face____ (h) kloʊk _____cloak___ (l) ʃip ___ship_____

10 Using symbols introduced in this chapter, write a basic phonetic transcription of the most

common pronunciation of the following words.

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