Phonetics

Question 1

Speech

Answer 1

Refers to the processes associated with production and perception of sounds in spoken languages

Question 2

Sound

Answer 2

Variation of pressure that is transmitted through the physical medium, usually the air, that is detectable by ears

Question 3

Sound waveform

Answer 3

Variation of pressure as a function of time

Question 4

What is involved in speech

Answer 4

Control of airflow thorough vocal organs

Control of vocal fold vibration (can reach 1000 vibrations per second)

Timing okie dokie intricate movements of speech organs

Rapid decoding by ear of sound waves passing through the air

Preview and rapid recreation in out brains of the message intended by the speaker

Feedback loop to the speaker

Question 5

Speech sounds

Answer 5

Sounds are minimal units of speech - another term used for individual sound is segment

Two kinds of sounds - vowels and consonants

Look at lecture

Question 6

Articulatory phonetics

Answer 6

3 main components in production of speech sounds -

initiation - supply of an airflow to the system
Phonation - modification of airflow at larynx
Articulation - use of the vocal organs to modify the airflow in order to generate speech sounds

Question 7

Speech vs writing

Answer 7

Speech is natural/biological way in which linguistic info is communicated

Writing is a much later and artificial invention

All written languages have (or had) a spoken form but even now there are still some spoken languages without a writing system

Speech is fast and interactive but fades rapidly

Writing is permanent and allows us to store info

Question 8

Problems with writing systems

Answer 8

Most writing systems link now the word is written and how it is pronounced
- but writing systems evolve much slower than speech so tend to b be conventional and arbitrary

English spelling is a good eg to demonstrate this point
Eg fish spelt as ghoti

Question 9

Phonetic alphabets

Answer 9

To overcome probs associated with traditional orthographic systems, people developed various systems of phonetic notation

These systems provided means to transcribe the sound of any language in a semantic way

Question 10

Visible speech

Answer 10

Early PA by Alexander Melville bell

Not v successful bc not based on any other alphabet
Needed a special case which was expensive for printing

Henry sweet developed his own VS (he was also involved in development of IPA)

Question 11

Visible speech - arrangement

Answer 11

Phonetic symbols arranged from front to back along the vocal tract

Question 12

IPA

Answer 12

Most commonly used system of phonetic notation

As of 2005 - 107 letters, 52 diacritics - small signs added To letters

IPA also developed an extra set of symbols called extensions to the IPA to describe disordered speech