INTRODUCTION TO PHONETICS for III H.E.C.E., V Semester Students By Dr. S. Vindhyavali, Lecturer in English, D.K. Govt. College for Women, (A), Nellore.

Phonetics is the study of the Production Phonetics is the study of the Production Transmission Reception of the sounds of human speech

Speech Mechanism Operates with the help of three systems. Each system comprises a few organs of our body.

The Three Systems The Respiratory System –the lungs, the muscles of the chest and the wind pipe. The phonatory System – formed by the larynx. The articulatory System –the nose, the lips and the mouth.

The Respiratory System air – stream mechanism. an egressive pulmonic air-stream mechanism. When the lungs are contracted, the air is pushed out of the lungs, which passes the wind pipe and reaches the larynx.

The Respiratory System

The Phonatory System Two vocal cords – pair of lips – horizontally – front – back. joined in the front but separated at the back. The opening between them is called the glottis.

Vocal Cords

Voiceless and Voiced Sounds When the vocal cords are drawn apart are called voiceless or breathed sounds. Ex: pin and tin. This vibration of the vocal cords is called voiced sounds. Ex: bin and din.

The Roof of the Mouth The hard palate The soft palate Divided into three parts: The alveolar ridge The hard palate The soft palate

The Articulatory System Consists of the nose and the mouth. Two air passages above the larynx. The two passages are referred to collectively as the vocal tract. Vocal tract is divided into The oral tract The nasal tract The oral tract is the passage through the mouth and the pharynx. The nasal tract is the passage through the nose.

The Articulatory System

The Roof of the Mouth

Oral Passage open, Soft Palate raised, Nasal Passage blocked The soft palate moved up to close the passage into the nose. The air from the lungs has come out through the mouth only and sounds produced in this way are called oral sounds. Ex: pin, kin, and tin.

Oral Passage open, Soft Palate raised, Nasal Passage blocked

Oral Passage closed, Soft Palate lowered, Nasal Passage open If the soft palate is lowered, the nasal passage is open. If simultaneously the oral passage is closed, the air from the lungs comes out only through the nose. Sounds produced in this way are called Nasal Sounds. Ex. Lime, lion and sing.

Oral Passage closed, Soft Palate lowered, Nasal Passage open

Oral Passage open, Soft palate lowered, Nasal Passage open The soft palate (velum) is lowered, thereby opening the nasal passage and the oral passage is also open. Such sounds are called nasalized sounds. Ex. Ample, The vowel in the Hindi word ankh (eye).

The Tongue The part of the tongue opposite the teeth ridge, when the speech organs are at rest - the blade. The part opposite the hard palate - the front. The part opposite that part of the roof of the mouth b/w the hard and soft palate - the centre. The part opposite the soft palate - the back. The part opposite the back wall of the pharynx - the root.

The Tongue

The Lips The lips play their part in the articulation of certain consonants. Ex: the initial sounds in the words pin, bin and mine are articulated with the lips. The lips also assume different positions for different vowel sounds: spread /i:/, neutral /I/, or rounded /u:/.

The Lips