Ch. 3 - Phonetics Flashcards
What does IPA stand for?
International Phonetic Alphabet
The general study of the characteristics of speech sounds is called..?
Phonetics
the study of how speech sounds
are made, or articulated
Articulatory Phonetics
The study of the physical properties of speech, and aims to analyse sound wave signals that occur within speech through varying frequencies, amplitudes and durations
Acoustic Phonetics
The study of how sounds are perceived by the human ear or recognized by the brain
Auditory Phonetics
aka “Perceptual Phonetics”
How long has the IPA been an established framework for identifying and studying speech segments?
Over 100 years
Where are your vocal chords/folds located?
Inside the larynx
The sound that is made when the vocal chords are spread apart, and air from the lungs passes through them unimpeded
Voiceless (-V)
The sound that is made when the vocal chords are drawn together, creating a vibration when air from the lungs is pushed through
Voiced (+V)
How are most consonant sounds produced?
By using the tongue and other parts of the mouth to constrict, in some way, the shape of the oral cavity through which the air is passing
[b] , [p], and [m] are both examples of what kinds of consonants?
Bilabial Consonants (made using both lips)
[f] and [v] are examples of what kinds of consonants?
Labiodental Consonants (made using upper teeth and lower lip)
What’s the name of the rough area behind your upper teeth?
Alveolar Ridge
What are some examples of Alveolar sounds?
[t], [d], [s], [z], [n]
nun, dad, size, tot, etc.
What’s the symbol for the voiceless version of “th”?
[θ], called “theta”
What’s the symbol for the voiced version of “th”?
[ð], called “eth”
These consonants are articulated with the tongue against the back of the upper incisors
Dental Consonants
Produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the upper and lower front teeth
Interdental Consonants
Symbol is used for the sounds made in the middle area of
the mouth, involving the tongue and the palate (the roof of the mouth).
[ʃ], makes the “sh” sounds
as in “shout”, “shoe”, “shake”
Consonants created from the use of the mouths palate are knows as…?
Palatals
ex: “ch”, “sh”, “
What are the symbols for the VOICED palatals?
[ʒ], [ʤ], [j]
[ʒ] for the sound in treasure, rouge,
[ʤ] for the sound in judge, George.
[j] which typically represents the “y” sound, as in yes, yoyo
What are the symbols for the VOICELESS palatals?
[ʃ] for the “sh” sound, as in shout, shoe-brush
[ʧ] for the “ch” sound, as in child, church
The sounds produced toward the back of the mouth (soft palate), involving the velum, are known as the…?
Velar Consonants
“kick”, “gag”
What are the three Velar consonants?
[k], as in kick
[ɡ], as in gag
[ŋ], called “angma,” as in “thong”,
“ringing”
Consonants using the glottis, the open space [h]
between the vocal folds
Glottals
“who”, “hat”
What’s a Stop consonant? What are the three Stop Consonants?
Produced when we block the airflow briefly, then let it go abruptly.
Voiceless stops are [p], [t], [k]
Voiced stops are [b], [d], [ɡ]
How is a Fricative Consonant produced?
Made when we almost block the airflow and force it through a narrow gap,
creating a type of friction.
What are the Voiced/Voiceless forms of Fricative Consonants?
The voiceless forms are [f], [θ], [s], [ʃ], [h], so that the word “fish” begins and ends with voiceless fricatives
The voiced versions are [v], [ð], [z], [ʒ],
so the word “those” begins and ends with voiced fricatives.
When we combine a brief stopping of the airflow with a release through a narrow gap, we produce what’s called a….?
Voiceless Affricate
[[ʧ], at the beginning of cheap, and the voiced
affricate [ʤ] at the beginning of jeep.
When the velum is lowered, allowing air to flow out through
the nose, we can produce the..?
Nasals Consonants
the nasals [m], [n] and [ŋ]. The words “morning”, “knitting”
and “name” begin and end with nasals, all voiced
A sound produced by letting air flow
around the sides of the tongue (e.g. the first
sound in lip)
Liquid Consonants
[l], and [r]
These are produced with the tongue in motion to or from the position of a vowel
Glides/ Gliding Consonants
The words we, “wet”, “yes” and “you” begin with glides (also called “semi-vowels”)
Is produced when the space between the vocal folds (the glottis) is closed completely very briefly, then released
Glottal Stop
ex: saying “uh uh”, or “bottle”, “butter” without pronouncing the “tt” part of the word.
Is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (such as the tongue) is thrown against another.
Flap Consonant [ɾ]
ex: Pronouncing “butter” like “budder”. Very common in American English.
Which consonants do Americans have a tendency to flap?
[t] and [d]
How are Vowel sounds classified?
areas of the mouth:
Front Central Back
Low Middle High
Sounds that consist of a
combination of two vowel sounds
Diphthongs
When we produce
diphthongs, our vocal organs move from one vocalic position [a] to another [ɪ]
as we produce the sound [aɪ]
Ex: “Hi” and “Bye”
What is the most common single sound we use in English casual speech?
schwa [ə]
It is the unstressed vowel (underlined) in the everyday use of words such as “afford”, “collapse”,
“photograph”, “wanted”, and in those very common words “a” and “the”
What’s the phonetic difference between a Consonant and a Vowel?
Consonants involves some sort of constriction of airflow, whereas Vowels do not.
Consonant sounds are described by which three criteria?
Voicing
Place of articulation
Manner of articulation
Where the constriction of air takes place in the vocal tract
Place of articulation
This term is determined by what the vocal chords are doing
Voicing
This term refers to how the airflow is constricted
Manner of Articulation
What are the three characteristics that constitute Vowel sounds?
Height
Backness
Roundedness
What are the two types of Vowel sounds?
Monophthongs (one vowel qualities)
Diphthongs (two vowel qualities)
Height of a Vowel refers to….?
How high or low the tongue is in the mouth
