Phonetics Final Review Flashcards
Know the Vowel Quadrilateral
x
Know Vowel Reduction Chart
x
Know the Consonant Chart
x
Know the Diacritics Chart
x
What is a Phoneme?
The smallest variation in sound that changes word meaning
The smallest unit in sound that can distinguish between morphemes
What is a Morpheme?
A group of sounds with a single meaning
“cat” = 1 morpheme
“cats” = 2 morphemes (“cat” + “s”)
Vowel reduction
Vowels become minimized in everyday speech
Point Vowels moved towards mid vowels to /ə/ (especially in unstressed syllables)
Diphthongs move to monophthongs
Diphthongs
A blending of two phones to produce a single phoneme
Explain Monophthongization in dialects (or atypical speech in children or adults)
The offglide of the diphthong is omitted but the onglide is lengthened as a remnant of the original form
What are Allophones?
A variation of a phoneme that does not change the meaning
What is Complementary distribution?
Allophones that occur in a predictable manner according to the speaker
There is some kind of rule to their usage
What is free variation?
Allophones that occur with no set pattern
Are usually used for emphasis
Coarticulation
When a sound is produced differently due to the influence of other sounds in its phonetic context
An overlapping of adjacent articulations
Sounds are produced in different parts of the mouth: /ki/ vs. /kɔ/
Assimilation
When a sound segment takes on characteristics of neighboring sounds
Spreading
Shingling
Characteristics of one sound permeates nearby sounds - like a gas - coloring them
Blending
Co-Production
The proximity of two words creates a fusion or hybrid sound
ASU turns into [ e͞ɪɛʃu ]
Anticipatory Assimilation
When a sound is altered in anticipation of the sound to follow
input = [ ɪmpʊt ]
tenth = [ tɛn̪θ ]
Retentive (Regressive) Assimilation
A sound that retains characteristics of the proceeding sound
me = [ mĩ ]
try = [ tr̥ɑ͞ɪ ]
Broad vs. narrow transcription
Broad transcription is general detail, written in slashes, and is what you would find in the dictionary.
Narrow transcription is fine detail and written in brackets
Phonetic transcription
Written in brackets
Narrow Transcription
Identifies allophones
Phonemic transcription
Written in slashes
Broad transcription
Identifies phonemes
Why do we need the IPA?
5
International Phonetic Alphabet
One sound per symbol
Sounds are written the same across languages
All sounds are pronounced
Provides linguistic consistancy
Minimal contrast
Minimal pairs
Two morphemes that differ in only one phoneme
“pit” & “bit”
“mall” & “mill”
3 systems of speech production
Respiratory
Laryngeal
Supralaryngeal
Parts of the Respiratory System
6
Lungs
Trachea
Ribcage
Abdomen
Air Passages
Thoracic Muscles
Role of the Respiratory System
Air Source
Parts of the Laryngeal System
2
Larynx
Vocal Folds
Role of the Laryngeal System
Sound Source
Parts of the Supralaryngeal System
1+3
Everything above the larynx
Three cavities:
Pharyngeal Oral Nasal
Role of the Supralaryngeal System
Sound Filter
What is Fundamental Frequency?
f₀
Rate of vocal fold vibration. Measured in Hz
High f₀ = high pitch, low f₀ = low pitch
The first formant
2-Way Scoring
Looking at one particular sound
Is it pronounced right or wrong?
5-Way Scoring
Looking at one sound
Is it right or wrong?
Deletions?
Substitutions?
Distortions?
Additions?
What is the High/Low characteristic of vowels?
Tongue height
Is Tongue high or low in the mouth?
What is the Front/Back characteristic of vowels?
Tongue advancement
Is Tongue moved forward or backward in the mouth?
What is the Rounded/Not Rounded characteristic of vowels?
Lips are either rounded or unrounded
What is the Tense/Lax characteristic of vowels?
Vowels are tense or lax
Gauged by either muscle tension or by duration
What is the Stressed/Unstressed characteristics of Central Vowels?
Stressed = /ʌ/ & /ɝ/
Unstressed = /ə/ & /ɚ/
What is the Rounded/Not Rounded characteristics of Central Vowels?
Rounded vowels carry some /r/ quality
/ɚ/ is not always rounded
What are the High Vowels?
/i/ & /ɪ/
/u/ & /ʊ/
What are the Low Vowels?
/æ/
/ɑ/
What are the Front Vowels?
/i/
/ɪ/
/e͞ɪ/
/ɛ/
/æ/
What are the Back Vowels?
/u/
/ʊ/
/o/ & /o͞ʊ/
/ɔ/
/ɑ/
What are the Rounded Vowels?
/u/
/ʊ/
/o/ & /o͞ʊ/
/ɔ/
/ɝ/
/ɚ/
What are the Not Rounded Vowels?
/i/
/ɪ/
/e/ & /e͞ɪ/
/ɛ/
/æ/
/ɑ/
/ʌ/
/ə/
What are the Tense Vowels?
/i/
/e/ & /e͞ɪ/
/u/
/o/ & /o͞ʊ/
/ɔ/
/ɑ/
What are the Lax Vowels?
/ɪ/
/ɛ/
/æ/
/ʊ/
/ʌ/
/ə/
/ɚ/
What are the Stressed Central Vowels?
/ʌ/
/ɝ/
What are the Unstressed Central Vowels?
/ə/
/ɚ/
What are the Rounded Central Vowels?
/ɝ/
/ɚ/
/ɜ/
What are the Not Rounded Central Vowels?
/ʌ/
/ə/
Obstruent
A sound formed with a complete or narrow constriction of the vocal tract
What Manners of Articulation are Obstruents?
Stops
Fricatives
Affricate
Sonorant
A speech sound with relatively free airflow through the vocal tract
What Manners of Articulation are Sonorants?
Nasals
Glides
Liquids
(Everything that is not an Obstruent!)
Strident
A speech sound characterized by an intense fricative noise
What Manners of Articulation are Stridents?
Fricatives
/s/
/z/
/ʃ/
/ʒ/
Sometimes….
/f/
/v/
Sibilant
A speech sound characterized by an intense, high frequency noice
What Phonemes are Sibilants?
Fricatives
/s/
/z/
/ʃ/
/ʒ/
Plosive
Stop consonant
Homorganic
Having the same PLACE of articulation
Homotypic
Having the same MANNER of articulation
Cognate
Sound with the same manner and place of articulation but who differ in voicing
Voice Onset Time
The interval between the articulation of a consonant and the onset of voicing
VOT is longer after voiceless stops than after voiced stops
Suprasegmentals
A phonetic effect that extends over more than one segment in an utterance
Paralinguistics
“Para” = beyond, beside
“Linguisic” = the actual word
The various nonverbal properties of speech that convey information about the speaker’s emotion, attitude, and demeanor
Prosody
“The music of language”
The various properties of speech that go beyond segmental representation
Elements of Prosody
Stress
Rhythm
Intonation
Tone
Contrastive Stress
Etc.
Prosody: Stress
The degree of prominence associated with a particular syllable
Can be due to pitch, intensity, or duration
Prosody: Rhythm
The distribution of stress along the syllable chain
Prosody: Intonation
Patterns of pitch changes or speech melody
Patterns of stress
Cuing for breath units, phrases, clauses
Prosody: Tone
Can distinguish between questions (rising juncture), statements (falling juncture), lists of items (rising juncture until last), adjective patterns (rising and falling juncture), etc.
In some languages, like Chinese, tone can distinguish meaning of words
Prosody: Contrastive Stress
Distinguishes between…
New & given information
Contrasting items
Lexical meaning (“proJECT” vs. “PROject”)
Syllable
Has an onset (beginning consonant) a rhyme (nucleus, vowel) and a coda (final consonant)
The onset and coda are optional. The rhyme is necessary!
Onset
Beginning consonant
Rhyme
Syllable nucleus
Usually a vowel, but can be a syllabic consonant
Nucleus
Vowels are usually the syllable nucleus
If not, there will be a syllabic consonant
Two vowel = two syllables (excepting diphthongs
Coda
Ending consonant
What is Prominence in Stressed Syllables?
The syllables with stronger stress
What is Sonority in Stressed Syllables?
The auditory force of a speech sound
Describe Juncture across word boundaries
Marks boundaries between words and/or clauses
Creates a sense of expectation
May be non-existant
Describe Assimilation across word boundaries
In conversational speech, words without junctures between them will begin to blend the coda of one word with the onset of another
Characteristics of Southern Dialects
Pen-Pin merger
Monophthongization of /ɑ͞ɪ/ to /ɑ:/
Raising the onglide of /a͞ʊ/ to /æ͞ʊ/ or even /æ:w/
Diphthongization or Triphthongization of traditional short front vowels. ( /æ/ becomes /æjə/, /ɛ/ becomes /ɛjə/, and /ɪ/ becomes /ɪjə/ )
Characteristics of Northern Cities Dialects
Raising & tensing of /æ/ toward /ɪə/ ( /kæt/ vs. /kɪət/ )
Fronting of /ɑ/ to /a/ (sometimes to almost /æ/ )
Lowering of /ɔ/ to /ɑ/ (There is no merger due to fronting of /ɑ/ )
Backing of /ɛ/ to /ə/ (Sometimes it lowers to /æ/ )
Backing of /ʌ/ to /ɔ/
Lowering and backing of /ɪ/ (but no pin-pen merger)
Characteristics of West Coast/California Dialects
Raising of /ɪ/ to /i/ when before /ŋ/
Raising & diphthongizing of /æ/ to /eə/ or /ɪə/ before nasal consonants
Lowering of /æ/ to /a/ in all other contexts
Fronting of /ʊ/ to /ʌ/
Fronting of /ʌ/ to /ɛ/
Lowering of /ɛ/ to /æ/
Raising of /ɑ/ to /ɔ/
Fronting of both /u/ and /o͞ʊ/
Functional Equivalence
Different transcriptions that basically mean the same thing
What are some aids & strategies in transcription?
7
Find a comfortable spot
Use headphones
Gloss if necessary
Use pencil
Use visuals when necessary
Allow lots of time - fatigue is the enemy
Do several short sessions
What are some deterrents in transcription?
3
Some sounds do not record well (fricatives & high frequency sounds)
Incomplete recognition
Efficiency goes down after 5-6 listens
Phonological Processes in dialect and speech sound development
x
Fronting
Things are moved forward:
Velars & Palatals -> Alveolars
Alveolars -> Interdentals
Stopping
Changing fricatives and affricates into stops
Gliding
Turing liquids into glides
/w/ for /r/
/y/ for /l/
Reduplication
The second syllable is a repetition of the first.
This is usually done to fulfill the syllable requirement
“Bottle” becomes [ bɑbɑ]
Syllable Deletion
Usually performed on unstressed syllables
Cluster Reduction
Making the original word shape (CCVC) into something more simple (CVC)
Erasing vowels from a consonant group (cluster)
Acoustic Phonetics
The branch of phonetics that deals with the acoustic properties of sounds
Resonance
Vocal energy that is strengthened at certain frequencies
Formants
The darker bars on a spectrogram that show resonances
We tend to look at first and second formants (F1 & F2)
Characteristic Patterns for Vowels
x
Manners of Articulation
Stops
Fricatives
Affricates
Nasals
Glides
Liquids