1. L103: Introduction to Linguistics
Phonetics—vowels 1

2. Last time ...
Consonants

3. Today ...
vowels
syllables

4. Vowel Articulation Manner = vowel Glottal state = voiced (generally)
Place = ????
Make this sequence of vowels, and feel how your tongue moves around in your mouth: i u e o a æ
Place for vowels requires us to locate our tongues inside the oral cavity, even though it’s not touching anything…

5. Vowels Apex of Tongue Vowel Space The VOWEL SPACE is
divided into a grid, based
on the position of the highest,
most front part of your tongue
as you pronounce that vowel

6. The Vowel Space
Central
Front
Back u i e æ
High
Mid
Low ɪ ɛ ʊ Ͻ Ʌ o a

7. The Vowel Space u i ɪ ʊ e o Ʌ ɛ ɔ æ a (TENSE) (ROUND) (LAX) (UNROUND)
Central
Front
Back
(TENSE)
(ROUND) u i e æ
High
Mid
Low ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ
(LAX) Ʌ o a
(UNROUND)

8. Other sound properties - diphthongs
Some vowels are made up of more than
one ‘part’
For example, ‘buy’, ‘bough’, ‘boy’
[baɪ], [baʊ], [boɪ]
or [baj], [baw], [bɔj]
or [bai], [bau], [boi]
The term for these is ‘diphthong’

9. Diphthongs u i ɪ ʊ e o Ʌ ɛ ɔ æ a ([j]) ([w]) boi bai baʊ Central Front
Back u
([j])
([w]) i e æ
High
Mid
Low ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ
boi
bai
baʊ Ʌ o a

10. A weird fact
Central
Front
Back u i e æ
High
Mid
Low ɪ ɛ ʊ ɔ ə o Ʌ a

11. Other sound properties - length
Finnish: [taka] ‘back’ [takka] ‘fireplace’ [ta:kka] ‘burden’
[taka] ‘back’ vs [takka] ‘fireplace’
(the notation [kk] indicates a ‘long’ [k])
(‘long’ means, literally, longer – more milliseconds - than a short sound)
[takka] ‘fireplace’ vs. [ta:kka] ‘burden’
(the notation [a:] indicates a ‘long’ [a])
(some linguists write long vowels like this [aa] instead of this [a:])
Not all languages use length differences in their phonemic inventory

12. Other sound properties - tone

13. Syllables Arrangements of consonants and vowels
Arrangements of things based on their acoustical energy (sonority)
Vowels > Liquids > Nasals > Fricatives > Plosives/Stops (Sonority Hierarchy)

14. Parts of a syllable C V C [d a g] “dog”
The “NUCLEUS” can also be called the “PEAK”
RIME/Rhyme
ONSET
NUCLEUS
CODA
[d a g] “dog”
C V C

15. Ideal Sonority contour
SYLLABLE
RIME
ONSET
NUCLEUS
CODA
C V C
|||||||||||||||||||||||

16. How many syllables? Cow [kaʊ] Easy. 1. CVV Cowboy [kaʊboɪ]
Still easy. 2. [kaʊ.boɪ]CVV.CVV
Cowabunga [kaʊəbʌŋgə]
Easy to count (tap it out)
4. But - harder to parse!
[kaʊ.ə.bʌŋ.gə] or [ka.wə.bʌŋ.gə]?
CVV.V.CVC.CV or CV.CV.CVC.CV

17. Syllable Restrictions
Every naturally occurring human language (we think) allows this kind of syllable: CV
Only some languages allow syllables to begin with vowels (=onsetless syllables)
Only some languages allow syllables to end with consonants (=closed syllables)
Some co-occurrence restrictions:
If you allow CVC and V, you’ll also allow VC
If you allow CVCC, you’ll also allow CVC
If you allow CCCV, you’ll also allow CCV

18. Syllable restrictions
Hawaiian: the only kind of syllable is CV
Therefore, all words will begin with a consonant, AND
All words will end with a vowel, AND
There will never be more than 2 consonants in a row inside of a word
English: In addition to CV, we allow onsetless syllables [aj], and closed syllables [dag].
We also allow consonant clusters in onset and coda

19. The Maximal English Syllable?
strengths [strɛŋkɵs]
CCCVCCCC
If CCCV, the first consonant is an [s], and the third is a liquid or glide [r, l, w, j]
[splɪts], [skwɪʃ], [skju]
If VCCCC, the last consonant is an [s] or a [t], and it’s an affix (plural or past tense)
[siksɵt] ‘I sixthed it’

20. Next time... Print Project Homework 1 instructions and bring to class…
Quiz on Monday:
How are “stops”, “fricatives”, and “affricates” produced.
Define “language”.