Phonetics and Phonology Flashcards
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Phonetic notation system used to represent all of the sounds (phones) in human speech
Assimilation
Connected Speech processes
When a sound assimilates to become more like a preceding sound (progressive), or a following sound (regressive)
e.g. progressive: dogs = dogz
regressive: gunman = gumman
Makes it easier to pronounce combinations of sounds, helping to build fluency.
- Nasal Assimilation
- Flapping
- Palatalisation
Vowel Reduction
Connected Speech processes
Vowels in unstressed positions become a reduced vowel sound (a ‘schwa’ (ə))
When emphasising words, different vowel sounds are used and stressed.
e.g. I don’t want a stack of books. I just want a book! becomes I wanted a book
Elision
Connected Speech processes
The ommission of sounds - vowels, consonants & syllables - in connected speech.
Makes language easier, and faster - used on unstressed grammatical words
E.g. Next door –> Nexdoor.
Insertion
Eoenthesis, intrusion, anaptyxis
Connected Speech processes
The addition of extra sounds where they don’t strictly belong
e.g. go+up = gowup
Often used in words that contain difficult consonant clusters e.g. humbling
Aus English uses the ‘linking r’
Consonants
Voicing
/sonorisation
Speech sound production
The vibration of vocal chords when a consonant sound is produced
e.g. use (voiceless) -> uze (voiced)
Consonants
Place of articulation
Speech sound production
Location along the vocal tract where a speech sound is produced through constriction
Consonants
Manner of articulation
Speech sound production
The way airflow is obstructed when producing consonant sounds.
Stop, Affricate, Fricative, Approximant, Nasal, Lateral approximant
Vowels
Height
Speech sound production
Height of tongue during vowel articulation
Beat - high vowel
Bot - low vowel
Vowels
Backness
Speech sound production
Tongue position, relative to the back of the mouth, during vowel articulation
Back vowel - boot
Front vowel - beat
Vowels
Roundedness
Speech sound production
The amount of rounding in the lips during the articulation of a vowel
Vowel labialisation
Front vowels often unrounded and back vowels rounded
Round - rule
Unround -meet
Pitch
Prosodic features
Height of sound in auditory terms, from low to high.
(perceptually high-pitched or low-pitched)
E.g. higher pitch indicates excitement, lower pitch indicates authority
Stress
Prosodic features
The degree of strength used to pronounce a syllable, in sustention of it’s pitch
Gives rhythm to speech
Greater amplitude and duration.
Variation in stress patterns often distinguish nouns (first syllable) and verbs (second syllable) e.g. survey vs survey
Volume
Prosodic features
Loudness of speech
Context required to determine function of different volumes
e.g. high volume may indicate anger
Tempo
Prosodic features
The speed/pace at which we speak
e.g. fast speech may indicate excitement
- reflects emotional state if the speaker
- indicates grammatical features e.g. parenthetical aside
- long pauses often ysed fir dramatic effect or to elicit emotion in the listener
