phonetics and phonology -- sounds Flashcards
What is emphatic stress?
Emphasis on a word or sound or sentence, marked by an underline
Emphatic stress highlights important information in spoken language.
What does intonation indicate in speech?
Changes in pitch; pitch goes up for questions and down for finishing statements, marked by / or ↑ for rising and or ↓ for falling.
Intonation plays a crucial role in conveying meaning and emotion.
How does pitch affect meaning in speech?
High pitch can indicate fear or nervousness, while low pitch suggests seriousness, marked by / for high and \ for low.
Pitch variations can alter the listener’s perception and emotional response.
What is tempo in the context of speech?
The pace at which one talks, categorized as fast or slow, marked by <A…A> for fast and <L…L> for slow.
Tempo can influence the clarity and effectiveness of communication.
Define volume in speech.
The loudness or softness of speaking, exemplified by phrases like ‘Are you LISTENING?’
Volume can emphasize certain points or convey emotional states.
What is alliteration?
Repeated sound at the start of words in sentences, e.g., ‘She sells seashells by the sea shore.’
Alliteration is often used in poetry and tongue twisters to create rhythm and emphasis.
Define assonance.
Repetition of vowel sounds inside words, e.g., ‘The fleet of the jeeps drove through the streets.’
Assonance contributes to the musical quality of language.
What is consonance?
Repetition of consonant sounds, e.g., ‘Pitter patter.’
Consonance is used in poetry to create a pleasing sound and enhance meaning.
What does onomatopoeia refer to?
Words that phonetically imitate sounds, e.g., ‘BANG!’, ‘CRASH’.
Onomatopoeia enriches language by mimicking real-life sounds.
Define rhythm in language.
Intonation of a set of words is repeated across two or more lines, e.g., ‘Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.’
Rhythm adds musicality and flow to spoken and written language.
What is rhyme?
When the end of the word sounds similar, e.g., ‘The potato cake was fake.’
Rhyme is a fundamental aspect of poetry and songs.
What is assimilation in speech processes?
When sounds are squished together to make them easier, e.g., ‘sandwich’ turns into ‘sanwich’.
Assimilation occurs naturally in fluent speech.
Define vowel reduction.
Shortening of a vowel sound without dropping it, e.g., ‘Do you want to go to the BBQ’ becomes ‘Da you want te go te the BBQ’.
Vowel reduction is common in casual speech.
What is elision?
Dropping a sound completely, often in unstressed syllables, e.g., ‘want to’ becomes ‘wanna’.
Elision contributes to the fluidity of spoken language.
What does insertion refer to in speech processes?
Adding a sound (usually a vowel) to facilitate difficult consonant clusters, e.g., ‘gymnastics’ becomes ‘gymanastics’.
Insertion is often observed in non-native speakers.
What are connected speech processes?
Speech patterns we do without thinking about them, affecting how we articulate words.
These processes enhance the natural flow of conversation.
