Phonetics

Question 1

Explain ‘segmentation’

Answer 1

Dividing the continuum of a chain of sounds into small, recurrent elements

Question 2

Define ‘phone’

Answer 2

Speech sound

Question 3

List the main characteristics of vowels

Answer 3

Air stream can pass from the lungs through the mouth across central part of tongue, without obstruction

Has central function in the syllable

Question 4

List the main characteristics of consonants

Answer 4

Obstruction in airstream from lungs through mouth

Marginal function in syllable

Question 5

List the semi-vowels / approximants and their characteristics

Answer 5

[w]
[j]
> Consonantal position
> phonetically: vowel glide

Question 6

Explain pulmonic and non-pulmonic phones

Answer 6

pulmonic
Lungs involved in producing air stream

non-pulmonic
Lungs not involved in producing air stream

Question 7

Explain egressive and non-egressive phones

Answer 7

egressive
Air stream is pushed out of lungs

non-egressive
Produced while breathing in

Question 8

Explain voiced and voiceless phones

Answer 8

voiceless
Air passes vocal cords without modification

voiced
Air vibrates when passing vocal cords

Question 9

Name the distinctive features of /m/

Answer 9

nasal, bilabial, voiced

Question 10

Name the distinctive features of /v/

Answer 10

labio dental, fricative, voiced

Question 11

Name the distinctive features used to describe consonants

Answer 11

manner of articulation
place of articulation
voiced / voiceless

Question 12

List the parts of the vocal tract

Answer 12

Cavities
Pharyngeal cavity
Oral cavity
Nasal cavity

Articulators
lips 
teeth
tongue (blade, tip, front, back, root)
alveolar ridge
palate (> hard palate and soft palate / Velum)
uvula (huig)

Other
epiglottis (strotklepje)
esophagus (food passage)
trachea (wind pipe)
larynx (strottenhoofd)
vocal cords

Question 13

List the places of articulation and what part of the mouth is involved

Answer 13

bilabial
lips

labio-dental
lower lip
upper teeth

dental
tongue
upper teeth

alveolar
tip and rims of tongue
upper alveolar ridge
side teeth

post-alveolar
tip, blade and rims of tongue
rear part of upper alveolar ridge

velar
tongue
soft palate

glottal
vocal cords

Question 14

List the manners of articulation

Answer 14

plosive / stop
fricative
affricate
lateral
approximant
nasal

Question 15

Name the bilabial consonants

Answer 15

[ph] [p] [b] [m]

Question 16

Name the labio-dental consonants

Answer 16

[f] [v]

Question 17

Name the dental consonants

Answer 17

[θ] [ð]

Question 18

Name the alveolar consonants

Answer 18

[th] [t] [d] [s] [z] [n] [l]

Question 19

Name the post-alveolar consonants

Answer 19

[r]

Question 20

Name the palato-alveolar consonants

Answer 20

[ʃ] [ʒ] [tʃ] [dʒ]

Question 21

Name the velar consonants

Answer 21

[kh] [k] [g] [ŋ]

Question 22

Name the glottal consonants

Answer 22

[ʔ] [h]

Question 23

Name the plosive consonants

Answer 23

[ph] [p] [th] [t] [kh] [k] [ʔ] [b] [d] [g]

Question 24

Name the fricative consonants

Answer 24

[f] [v] [θ] [ð] [s] [z] [ʃ] [ʒ] [h]

Question 25

Name the affricate consonants

Answer 25

[tʃ] [dʒ]

Question 26

Name the lateral consonants

Answer 26

[l]

Question 27

Nam the approximant consonants

Answer 27

[r] [w] [j]

Question 28

Name the nasal consonants

Answer 28

[n] [m] [ŋ]

Question 29

Explain what determines the articulation of plosive consonants

Answer 29

Articulatory organs form obstruction; air stream is held up; sudden release of air

Question 30

Explain what determines the articulation of fricative consonants

Answer 30

Articulatory organs brought so close together that friction of air steam occurs

Question 31

Explain what determines the articulation of affricate consonants

Answer 31

Plosive with friction during release stage

Question 32

Explain what determines the articulation of lateral consonants

Answer 32

Partial closure so that air stream can escape on one or both sides of obstruction

Question 33

Explain what determines the articulation of approximant consonants

Answer 33

Contraction of tongue; air stream can escape without friction

Question 34

Explain what determines the articulation of nasal consonants

Answer 34

Air stream released through nose; articulatory organs form obstruction

Question 35

Explain aspiration

Answer 35

a short airstream follows the articulation

Question 36

Name the three aspects used to describe vowels

Answer 36

place of the highest point of the tongue
degree of lip rounding
length

Question 37

Explain the difference between monophthongs, diphthongs and triphthongs

Answer 37

monophthongs
no change in quality of vowel sound over duration

diphthongs
involving glide from one position to another

triphthongs
involving a glide from one position to another and then yet another

Question 38

List the diphthongs

Answer 38

closing sounds
[eɪ] in say
[aʊ] in now
[aɪ] in hi
[ɔɪ] in boy

centring sounds
[ɪə] in here
[ea] in air
[ʊə] in sure

Question 39

What are cardinal vowels?

Answer 39

idealized realizations of vowel qualities

> system of cardinal vowels serves as reference grid for exact description of vowels in real languages

Question 40

Name the three parts of a syllable and the class of phonemes they consist of

Answer 40

onset > consonant(s)
peak > vowel
coda > consonant(s)

NOTE
Syllabic [l̩] and [n̩] can function as peak (little, button)

Question 41

Explain the difference between open and closed syllables

Answer 41

Open syllables
end in a vowel sound (buoy, sea)

Closed syllables
contain coda (boys, girl)

Question 42

Name some suprasegmental elements

Answer 42

stress
> primary
> secondary

pitch change 
> falling 
> rising 
> falling-rising 
> rising reinforcement of a falling tone				 		

intonation
> variations and direction of pitch

accent
> type of stress

rhythm
> stress timed
> syllable timed