Introduction to Phonetics

Phonetics—basics Definition: the study of human speech sounds In phonetics we refer to individual sounds as phones or sounds; Never letters All phonetic transcription is done within phonetic brackets: [si]

Fields of Phonetics Articulatory phonetics Acoustic phonetics How sounds are produced Acoustic phonetics Physical properties of sounds Auditory phonetics How sounds are perceived

Transcription Vs. Spelling We want, as much as possible, to create a system of one-to-one sound-symbol correspondence. This is not necessarily the case with spelling. Examples: ice vs.police; tine vs. machine. Also: catch, cough, phlegm, bought, trick, knight, leisure, queen, this, threw, Xerox, psychology, design.

International Phonetic Alphabet All the world’s languages can be transcribed using the IPA In this class, we’ll be using a simplified, US English version of the IPA (many of the IPA sounds are not used in English, e.g. Retroflex Chinese, and Welsh ‘ll’) In IPA transcription, one phone (IPA symbol) usually equals one sound

Benefits of Phonetic Transcription We can use IPA transcription across languages, there is one symbol for EVERY possible human sound There is a 1-1 correspondence of sound to symbol Brackets show the pronunciation of the word, which may change from time to time, even if it’s the same word

How Are Sounds Produced? Most sounds are produced by an air stream from lungs through one or more speech organs. Where and how obstructions are in the air stream determine the identity of the sound produced.

Speech Production Mechanism VOCAL TRACT Nasal cavity Oral cavity Pharynx Vocal folds Glottis Energy source (shapes sounds) LARYNX (voicing) LUNGS (see figure 10.1, Clark p.120)

Transcription Practice Transcribe: Your name Linguistics, hiccup, teeth, teethe, delay, should, sign, sane, phonetics, yellow

For Wednesday: Read file 3.2 Consonants Pinker, p.165-168