Module 2: Phonetics

Question 1

sound inventory

Answer 1

the pool of sounds which English speakers use to construct the words of their language

Question 2

phonetics

Answer 2

the study and classification of speech sounds

Question 3

articulation

Answer 3

the formation of clear and distinct sounds in speech

Question 4

orthographic symbol

Answer 4

a system for writing a language in which the graphemes correspond to the phonemes of spoken language

Question 5

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Answer 5

an internationally recognized set of phonetic symbols developed in the late 19th century, based on the principle of strict one-o-one correspondence between sounds and symbols.

Question 6

Received Pronunciation (RP)

Answer 6

the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English

Question 7

pulmonic egressive airstream mechanism

Answer 7

where the air is pushed out of the lungs by the ribs and diaphragm to make sounds

Question 8

pulmonic ingressive

Answer 8

sounds made while breathing in

Question 9

vocal tract

Answer 9

the passage where speech sounds are shaped, including parts of the body involved in speech production

Question 10

articulators

Answer 10

all parts of the vocal apparatus which are involved in speech production

Question 11

place of articulation

Answer 11

a point where a constriction is made between an active and a passive articulator

Question 12

manner of articulation

Answer 12

the configuration and interaction of the articulators (speech organs) when making a speech sound

Question 13

fricatives

Answer 13

denoting a type of consonant made by the friction of breath in a narrow opening, producing a turbulent air flow

Question 14

vowel frontness

Answer 14

distinguishes vowels from the front-back dimension; pronounced with the highest part of the tongue pushed forward in the mouth and somewhat arched

Question 15

vowel height

Answer 15

distinguishes vowels from the high-low dimension; the degree to which the tongue is raised or lowered in the articulation of a particular vowel

Question 16

diphthong

Answer 16

a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another

Question 17

monophthong

Answer 17

a vowel that has a single preceded auditory quality

Question 18

approximant

Answer 18

a speech sound that is formed by the passage of air between two articulators which are close but touching and that is usually classified as a consonant

Question 19

plosives

Answer 19

denoting a consonant that is produced by stopping the airflow using the lips, teeth, or palate, followed by a sudden release of air

Question 20

affricates

Answer 20

a consonant sound that begins as a stop (sound with complete obstruction of the breath stream) and concludes with a fricative