Phonetics - Sounds of Language Flashcards
What is a phonetic alphabet?
A set of symbols that each have its own distinct sound segment
What is the name of the analytic framework for the study of speech that has been developed for over a hundred years?
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Why doesn’t orthography or spelling not necessarily represent the sounds of a language in a consistent way?
Different symbols or sequences of symbols can have the same pronunciation, and the same symbols can have different pronunciation.
What are the 3 organs in our sound producing system and what purpose do they serve?
- Lungs - taking air into them and expelling it
- Larynx - the voice box, a passageway for sound
- Glottis - vocal folds, determines if sounds have voice
What are the differences between vowels and consonants in the sound producing system?
Vowels - little to no restriction from the lungs out through the mouth or nose
Consonants - some restriction in the vocal tract that impedes flow of air from lungs
What 4 different body parts can be positioned in different ways to produce different sound types?
- Lips
- Tongue
- Velum
- Glottis
What are stops (plosives)? What letters are involved?
A complete closure of the either the oral cavity or the glottis and at various points of articulation (sounds like b, p, m, t, d, n, k, g)
What are fricatives? What letters are involved?
Continuants sounds where the airflow is severely obstructed that it causes friction, but it is not blocked (sounds like f, v, s, z, x)
What are affricates? What words are associated with it?
Produced by a stop closure followed immediately by a gradual release of the closure that produces an effect characteristic of a fricative (sounds like church or judge)
What are liquids? What letters are involved?
Some obstruction of the airstream in the mouth, but not enough to cause any real constriction or friction (sounds like l, r)
What are glides? What letters are involved?
Almost always followed by a vowel, little obstruction of the airstream where the tongue glides quickly into place for pronouncing the next vowel (sounds like j, w)
